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a preferred embodiment of a clamping apparatus 2 of this invention is illustrated in fig1 and 2 and comprises a pair of handles 4 and 6 having a first jaw means 8 integral with the handle 4 and a second jaw means 10 integral with the handle 6 . as viewed in fig1 a pair of spaced apart projection 12 and 14 extend upwardly from handle 4 and first jaw means 8 and are integral therewith and a pair of spaced apart projections 16 and 18 extend downwardly from handle 6 and second jaw means 10 . pivot means 20 pivotally connect the projections 12 , 14 , 16 and 18 so that handle 4 and first jaw means 8 and handle 6 and second jaw means 10 pivot around the axis of the pivot means 20 . handles 4 and 6 and first and second jaw means 8 and 10 have generally parallel longitudinal axes which are perpendicular to the axis of the pivot means 20 . a first part 22 of the holding means comprises a generally v - shaped support plate 24 mounted on a generally circular plate 26 which is pivotally mounted on the first jaw means 8 by a pivot pin 28 secured to the v - shaped support plate 24 . the axis of the pivot pin 28 is generally perpendicular to the axis of the pivot pin 20 and the longitudinal axes of the handle 4 and the first jaw means 8 . a washer 30 and a wing nut 32 are used to lock the v - shaped support plate 24 in a desired position . a first pair of elongated spaced apart members 34 and 36 having generally planar surfaces 38 and 40 extend outwardly in a longitudinal direction from the v - shaped support plate 24 . the elongated spaced apart members 34 and 36 are generally rectangular in shape and extend in a longitudinal direction a greater distance than in the transverse direction . each of the elongated spaced members 34 and 36 are pivotally mounted on the v - shaped support plate 24 by pivot means 42 and 44 illustrated in fig1 and 2 . the pivot means 42 comprises a pair of spaced apart threaded nuts 46 and 48 secured to the back surface 50 of the member 34 by suitable means such as by welding . a pair of spaced apart threaded nuts 52 and 54 are secured to the back surface 56 of the v - shaped support plate 24 by suitable means , such as by welding . a threaded bolt 58 is threadedly connected in the threaded nuts 46 , 48 , 52 and 54 and projects outwardly from the threaded nut 54 in a longitudinal direction . scale means 60 are provided so as to indicate the angular variation of the planar surface 38 of the member 34 from a set point . a lock nut 62 is provided to hold the planar surface 38 of the member 34 at a desired angular relationship . the member 36 is pivotally mounted on the back surface 64 of the v - shaped support plate . the pivot means 44 have parts corresponding to the pivot means 42 and have been given corresponding reference numerals in fig2 . it is understood that the pivot means 42 and 44 are used for illustration purposes only and that other pivot means can be used to provide a pivotal mounting for the elongated spaced apart members 34 and 36 . the axes of the pivot means 42 and 44 are generally parallel to the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 34 and 36 . a second part 66 of the holding means comprises a generally rectangular support plate 68 which is pivotally mounted on the second jaw means 10 by a pivot pin 70 secured to the rectangular support plate 68 . the axis of the pivot pin 70 is generally perpendicular to the axis of the pivot pin 20 and the longitudinal axis of the handle 6 and the second jaw means 10 . a washer 72 and a wing nut 74 are used to lock the rectangular support plate 68 in a desired position . a second pair of elongated spaced apart members 76 and 78 are generally rectangular in shape and extend in the longitudinal direction a greater distance than in the transverse direction . the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 76 and 78 are generally parallel to the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 34 and 36 when the clamping apparatus 2 is being used as described below . the elongated spaced apart members 76 and 78 are pivotally mounted on the bottom surface 80 of the support plate 68 by a common pivot means 81 comprising a plurality of hinges 82 having a pivot rod 83 extending therethrough . the axis of the pivot means 81 is transverse to the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 76 and 78 . at least one of the hinges 82 is mounted on a u - shaped bar 84 . spaces 85 between the hinges 82 permit the u - shaped bar to have linear movement in each direction along the pivot rod 83 . the pivot rod 83 in held in position by an integral spring clip 87 . other types of pivot means may be used as long as they also provide for the linear movement in each direction along the pivot axis . the elongated member 76 is pivotally mounted on the u - shaped bar 84 by a pivot means 86 and the elongated member 78 is pivotally mounted on a u - shaped bar 84 by the pivot means 88 , illustrated as a hinge connection but not limited thereto since other types of pivot means can be used . the axes of the pivot means 86 and 88 are generally parallel to the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 76 and 78 . the elongated spaced apart members 76 and 78 have planar surfaces 90 and 92 for contacting the workpieces as explained below . one of the many uses of the clamping apparatus 2 is illustrated in fig4 for holding a relatively thin workpiece 94 and a relatively thick workpiece 96 in a desired angular relationship and at a desired location along the edge 98 of the relatively thin workpiece 94 . a coiled spring 100 having arms 102 bearing against the inner surfaces of the handles 4 and 6 functions to urge the first and second jaw means 8 and 10 together . the lock nuts 62 are loosened and the elongated spaced apart members 34 and 36 are pivoted around the pivot means 42 and 44 until the desired angular relationship between the planar surfaces 38 and 40 is obtained . the lock nuts 62 are tightened to hold the planar surfaces at the desired angular relationship . the wing nuts 32 and 74 are slightly loosened and pressure is applied to the handles 4 and 6 to act against the force of the coiled spring 100 and move the first and second jaw means 8 and 10 apart . the elongated spaced apart members 34 , 36 , 76 and 78 are rotated about the pivot pins 28 and 70 until the desired angular relationship between the longitudinal axes of the first and second jaw means 8 and 10 and the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 34 , 36 , 76 and 78 is obtained . the pressure is released and the first and second jaw means 8 and 10 are urged by the coiled spring 100 to the closed position . the wing nuts 332 and 74 are then tightened . pressure is again applied to the handles 4 and 6 so as to move the planar surfaces 40 and 92 apart a distance greater than the thickness of the relatively thin workpieces 94 . the planar surfaces 40 and 92 are moved over the edge 98 until they are in a desired location relative to the relatively thin workpiece 94 . the pressure is continued to be applied to the handles 4 and 6 until the planar surfaces 38 and 90 have moved apart a distance greater than the thickness of the relatively thick workpiece 96 . the planar surfaces 38 and 90 are moved over the edge 104 of the relatively thick workpiece 96 until they are in a desired location relative to the relatively thick workpiece 96 . the pressure being applied to the handles 4 and 6 is removed and the coiled spring 100 moves the first and second jaw means 8 and 10 toward each other . the planar surfaces 38 and 90 move toward each other . the initial contact between the planar surface 90 and workpiece 96 causes the elongated spaced apart members 76 and 78 to pivot around the pivot rod 83 until it is in a position generally parallel to the planar surface 38 . the movement is continued until the relatively thick workpiece 96 is firmly clamped between the planar surfaces 38 and 90 . the planar surfaces 40 and 92 continue to move toward each other until the relatively thin workpiece 94 is firmly clamped therebetween . during the continued movement of the planar surfaces 40 and 92 , the u - shaped bar 84 slides along the pivot rod 83 to accommodate the differences in thickness between the workpieces 94 and 96 . the advantage obtained by the pivotal movement around the pivot pins 28 and 70 is illustrated in fig3 . if the longitudinal axes of the handles 4 and 6 and the first and second jaw means 8 and 10 and the elongated spaced apart members 34 , 36 , 76 and 78 are parallel and the distance between the edge 106 of the relatively thick workpiece 96 and the edge 108 of the relatively thin workpiece 94 is greater than the distance between about the midpoint of the elongated spaced apart members 34 , 36 , 76 and 78 and the projections 12 , 14 , 16 and 18 , the clamping apparatus 2 could not be applied . it is understood that the advantages obtained by the pivotal movement around the pivot pins 28 and 70 may be used in clamping apparatus that is not provided with means for permitting the linear movement of the u - shaped bar 84 along the pivot rod 83 or any means permitting such movement . also , by changing the shape of the first and second jaw means 8 and 10 , and locating the pivot pins 28 and 70 at the centers of the elongated members 34 , 36 , 76 and 78 , pivotal movement of 360 degree can be obtained . another embodiment of the clamping apparatus 2 of this invention is illustrated in fig5 - 8 and comprises a pair of handles 110 and 112 having a first jaw means 114 integral with the handle 110 and a second jaw means 116 integral with the handle 112 . as viewed in fig5 a pair of spaced apart projections 118 and 120 extend upwardly from the handle 110 and a pair of spaced apart projections 122 and 124 extend downwardly from the handle 112 . pivot means 126 pivotally connect the projections 118 , 120 , 122 and 124 so that the handle 110 and first jaw means 114 and the handle 112 and second jaw means 116 pivot around the pivot means 126 . handles 110 and 112 and first and second jaw means 114 and 116 have generally parallel longitudinal axes which are perpendicular to the axis of the pivot means 126 . the first jaw means 114 provide the first part of the holding means which comprises a fist pair of elongated spaced apart members 128 and 130 having generally planar surfaces 132 and 134 extend outwardly in a longitudinal direction from the handle 112 . the elongated spaced apart members 128 and 130 are generally rectangular in shape and extend in a longitudinal direction a greater distance than in the transverse direction . the elongated spaced apart members 128 and 130 can be formed integral with the handle 110 or may be secured thereto by suitable means such as by welding 136 . the planar surfaces 132 and 134 are at a fixed relative angular relationship which in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 is 90 degree . however , other fixed angular relationships may be utilized if desired . a second part 138 of the holding means comprises a second pair of elongated spaced apart members 140 and 142 having generally planar surfaces 144 and 146 and have longitudinal axes generally parallel to the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 128 and 130 . the elongated members 140 and 142 are generally rectangular in shape and extend in a longitudinal direction a greater distance than in the transverse direction . the elongated member 140 is secured to a u - shaped bar 148 by a pivot means 150 and the elongated member 142 is secured to the u - shaped bar 148 by pivot means 152 . the axes of the pivot means 150 and 152 are parallel to the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 128 , 130 , 140 and 142 . the u - shaped bar 148 is pivotally connected to the second jaw means 116 by a pivot means 153 wherein the axis of the pivot means 153 is transverse to the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 128 , 130 , 140 and 142 . the pivot means 153 comprises a plurality of hinges 154 having a pivot rod 155 extending therethrough . at least one of the hinges 154 is secured to the u - shaped bar 148 . spaces 156 between the hinges 154 permit the u - shaped bar 148 to have linear movement in each direction along the pivot rod 155 . the pivot rod 155 is held in position by an integral spring clip 159 . the angular relationship between the planar surfaces 132 and 134 may be varied by the use of a tapered shim plate 157 , illustrated in fig6 . the tapered shim plate 157 has a pair of spaced apart threaded openings 158 and 160 . two threaded bolts 162 and 164 are used to secure the tapered shim plate in contact with the planar surface 132 . the tapered shim plate 157 has a planar surface 166 . similar arrangements can be made for the elongated member 130 . one of the many uses of the clamping apparatus 2 of fig5 is illustrated in fig7 . a tapered shim plate 157 has been attached to the elongated member 128 with the relatively thick edge 168 in an upper location so as to reduce the included angle between the planar surfaces 132 and 134 . if the included angle between the planar surfaces 132 and 134 is to be increased , the tapered shim plate 156 is attached to the elongated member 128 with the relatively thick edge 168 in the reversed lower location . also , if desired , a tapered shim plate 157 can be attached to the elongated member 130 . a coiled spring 170 having arms 172 bearing against the inner surfaces of the handles 110 and 112 functions to urge the first and second jaw means 114 and 116 together . pressure is applied to the handles 110 and 112 to move the first and second jaw means 114 and 116 apart and therefore to move the planar surfaces 132 and 144 and the planar surfaces 134 and 146 apart . a relatively thin workpiece 174 is inserted between the planar surfaces 132 and 144 . if desired , an edge ( not shown ) of the relatively thin workpiece 174 may be positioned against a planar surface 176 of a stop member 178 secured to the elongated member 128 . a relatively thick workpiece 180 in inserted between the planar surfaces 134 and 146 . if desired , an edge ( not shown ) of the relatively thick workpiece 180 may be positioned against a planar surface 182 of a stop member 184 secured to the elongated member 130 . the planar surfaces 176 and 182 lie in a common plane . the end portions 177 and 179 of the surfaces 176 and 180 are recessed so that when the clamping apparatus 2 is being used in a gluing operation , there is a space for excess glue to pass through . in the use illustrated in fig6 an edge 186 of the relatively thick workpiece 180 abuts against a surface 188 of the relatively thin workpiece 174 . the pivotal and linear movement of the pair of elongated spaced apart members 140 and 142 is the same as the movement of the pair of elongated spaced apart members 76 and 78 explained above . it is understood that other means can be used to vary the angular relationship of the workpieces . one such means would include a pair of spaced apart threaded bolts on each of the members 128 , 130 , 140 and 142 extending out from the planar surfaces 132 , 134 , 144 and 146 in non - aligned locations . in fig7 there is illustrated a holding plate 190 having a generally rectangular base 192 and outwardly projecting parallel longitudinally extending flanges 194 and 196 . pairs of arcuately shaped recesses 198 and 200 and pairs of triangularly shaped recesses 202 and 204 are formed in the flanges 194 and 196 . a pair of spaced apart threaded openings 206 and 208 are provided in the base 192 . the holding plate 190 is used to hold shaped workpieces , such as a round rod ( not shown ) against a planar surface 132 . a similar holding plate 190 could be used at the same time to hold a round rod against planar surface 134 . in use , a holding plate 192 would be attached to the member 128 or 130 by the threaded bolts 162 and 164 . a rod would be positioned between the holding plate 192 and the planar surface 132 or 134 with portions of the rod in a pair of the recesses 198 or 200 . the thread bolts 162 and 164 would then be tightened to hold the rod securely in place . another embodiment of the clamping apparatus 2 of this invention is illustrated in fig9 - 12 and comprises a pair of handles 210 and 212 having a first jaw means 214 attached to the handle 210 and a second jaw means 216 attached to the handle 212 . as viewed in fig9 a pair of spaced apart projections 218 and 220 extends downwardly from the handle 210 and a projection 220 extends upwardly from the handle 212 . pivot means 222 pivotally connect the projections 218 and 220 . pivot means 224 pivotally connect the handle 212 to the second jaw means 216 so that movement of the handle 212 moves lever 213 connected between the handle 212 and the handle 210 which causes movement of the handle 210 and first jaw means 214 around the pivot means 222 and movement toward and away from the second jaw means 216 . handles 210 and 212 and first and second jaw means 214 and 216 have generally parallel longitudinal axes which are perpendicular to the axis of the pivot means 222 and 224 . the first jaw means 214 provide the first part of the holding means and comprise a first pair of elongated spaced apart members 226 and 228 having generally planar surfaces 230 and 232 extend outwardly in a longitudinal direction from the handle 210 . the elongated spaced apart members 226 and 228 can be formed integral with the first jaw means 214 or may be secured thereto by suitable means such as by welding 234 . the planar surfaces 230 and 232 are at a fixed relative angular relationship which in the embodiment illustrated in fig8 is 90 degree . a 90 degree angle reinforcing bar 236 is secured to the elongated spaced apart members 226 and 228 adjacent to the free ends thereof . a 90 degree angle reinforcing bar 236 is secured to the elongated spaced apart members 226 and 228 adjacent to the free ends thereof . however , other fixed angular relationships may be utilized if desired . a second part of the holding means comprises a second pair of elongated spaced apart members 238 and 240 having generally planar surfaces 242 and 244 and have longitudinal axes generally parallel to the longitudinal axes of the elongated spaced apart members 226 and 228 . a 90 degree angle reinforcing bar 246 is secured to the elongated spaced apart members 238 and 240 adjacent to the free ends thereof . a pivot rod 248 extends between the elongated spaced apart members 238 and 240 and is secured thereto by suitable means such as by welding . the pivot rod 248 passes through an opening 250 in the second jaw means 216 . there is sufficient clearance between the pivot rod 248 and the opening 250 to permit rotation of the pivot rod 248 in the opening 250 and linear movement in each direction of the pivot rod 248 through the opening 250 . the clamping apparatus 2 of fig9 - 11 is provided with force applying means 252 to ensure that sufficient clamping force is being applied at areas adjacent to the free ends 254 of the elongated members 226 , 228 238 and 24 . a force appyling plate 256 extends between the elongated spaced apart members 238 and 240 and is secured thereto by suitable means such as by welding . a lever 258 is secured to the force applying plate 256 by suitable means such as by welding and has threaded opening 260 extending therethrough and spaced a small distance from its free end 262 . a threaded bolt 264 extends through the threaded opening 260 and is in threaded engagement therewith . the threaded bolt 264 has one end 266 in engagement with a fixed bearing plate 268 . the other end of the threaded bolt 264 is provided with an enlarged head 270 with a knurled surface 272 thereon . a socket 273 for receiving a wrench is also provided . rotation of the threaded bolt 264 causes rotation of the pivot rod 248 and therefore rotation of the elongated spaced apart members 238 and 240 . one of the many uses of the clamping apparatus of fig9 is illustrated in fig1 . the handles 210 and 212 are moved to an open position so that the planar surface 230 is spaced from the planar surface 242 and the planar surface 232 is spaced from the planar surface 244 . a workpiece 274 is positioned between the planar sufaces 230 and 242 and a workpiece 276 having the same thickness as the workpiece 274 is positioned between the planar surfaces 232 and 234 . the handles 210 and 212 are moved to a closed position so that the workpiece 274 is clamped between the planar surfaces 230 and 242 and the workpiece 276 is clamped between the planar surfaces 232 and 244 . the threaded bolt 264 is then adjusted to ensure an equal distribution of the clamping forces between the planar surfaces 230 and 242 and the planar surfaces 232 and 244 . since the workpieces 274 and 276 have the same thickness , the center of the pivot rod 248 and the center of the opening 250 coincide . when the clamping apparatus 2 of fig9 is going to be used for purposes such as forming a t - joint between workpieces , the 90 degree reinforcing bars 236 and 246 are removed . in fig1 , there is illustrated a guide bar 278 which may be secured to the elongated spaced apart members 226 or 228 by a threaded bolt 280 secured in a threaded opening 282 in the elongated spaced apart members 226 or 228 and a threaded opening 284 in the guide bar 278 . in fig1 , there is illustrated a pair of elongated spaced aparat members 286 and 288 , which have cylindrical surfaces , secured to a u - shaped member 290 , similar to the u - shaped members 84 and 148 . when the elongated spaced apart members 286 and 288 are used , there is no need for the pivot means 86 and 88 or 150 and 152 . however , when the elongated members 286 and 288 are used , only line contact with the workpiece is obtained . it is contemplated that the invention concepts herein described may be variously otherwise embodied and it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art . | 1 |
the embodiments discussed hereinafter illustrate the dynamic use of look ahead predicate generation ( dynamic lpg ) after a query has begun processing to improve the query &# 39 ; s performance . embodiments consistent with the invention may have applicability with practically any type of query that may benefit from lpg . dynamic lpg can generate or build at least one predicate at least one time throughout the processing of the database query . dynamic lpg may also generate one or more than one predicate at the same time . the query optimizer may determine when an additional predicate may be used . dynamic lpg may be implemented in a number of manners consistent with the invention . for example , one or multiple predicates can be generated based upon whether a threshold has expired . a threshold consistent with this invention may be represented using a number of different metrics , e . g ., an input / output cost , a comparison of input / output costs , processing cost , a comparison of processing costs , a time frame , a sliding scale value , a system resource , etc . the threshold may be an exact value such as zero , an estimate , and / or a percentage . the threshold may involve a calculation . for example , the calculation may involve comparing the percentage of actual processing time used to an estimated time and determining if the actual processing time used is a threshold percentage worse than the estimated time . the threshold may also be global to the whole database query or the threshold may be isolated to at least one portion of the database query . additionally , more than one threshold may also exist for the database query . when multiple thresholds exist , the query optimizer may determine which specific predicate or predicates will be generated by which threshold . for example , the query optimizer may prioritize between multiple predicates based on selectivity and / or cost to generate the predicates . moreover , determining which specific predicates may be built can be decided before or after a threshold expires . thus , determining which specific predicates to generate and the actual generation of the predicates may be done separately . furthermore , the determination need not be dependent on the threshold and / or the determination can be made more than once consistent with the invention . dynamic lpg may also generate at least one predicate in parallel with the processing of the database query , i . e ., concurrently with at least one record being fetched from a database by the database query . thus , dynamic lpg can generate predicates as the database query is being simultaneously processed without predicates . embodiments consistent with this invention may also use dynamic lpg to generate at least one predicate at the same point in time the database query begins processing . in the alternative , processing of a query may be temporarily suspended while a predicate is being generated . additionally , embodiments consistent with the invention may also dynamically terminate the generation of at least one predicate . the same or similar considerations used to generate predicates with dynamic lpg may be used to terminate the generation of at least one predicate while the database query is processing in parallel . for example , a threshold can also be used to terminate lpg . moreover , if the processing of the database query completes before a predicate is generated by dynamic lpg , there may no longer be a need to continue generating the predicate , and dynamic lpg can be terminated . embodiments consistent with this invention may therefore generate and / or terminate generating at least one predicate at any time throughout the database query &# 39 ; s processing . additionally , embodiments consistent with the invention may also improve optimizer performance by storing , updating , and retrieving lpg information from cached query access plans . lpg information consistent with this invention may be any information useful to dynamically initiate and / or terminate dynamic lpg , e . g ., an indication that look ahead predicate generation should be performed , an indication that look ahead predicate generation should not be performed , an indication of whether or not performing look ahead predicate generation for the database query improved the processing time for the database query , a result of the look ahead predicate generation , a predicate , a threshold , etc . therefore , the optimizer can use the cached access plan of a database query in determining whether to use lpg for the database query . turning now to the drawings , wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views , fig1 illustrates an exemplary hardware and software environment for an apparatus 10 suitable for implementing a database management system incorporating query optimization consistent with the invention . for the purposes of the invention , apparatus 10 may represent practically any type of computer , computer system or other programmable electronic device , including a client computer , a server computer , a portable computer , a handheld computer , an embedded controller , etc . moreover , apparatus 10 may be implemented using one or more networked computers , e . g ., in a cluster or other distributed computing system . apparatus 10 will hereinafter also be referred to as a “ computer ,” although it should be appreciated that the term “ apparatus ” may also include other suitable programmable electronic devices consistent with the invention . computer 10 typically includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 12 including one or more microprocessors coupled to a memory 14 , which may represent the random access memory ( ram ) devices comprising the main storage of computer 10 , as well as any supplemental levels of memory , e . g ., cache memories , non - volatile or backup memories ( e . g ., programmable or flash memories ), read - only memories , etc . in addition , memory 14 may be considered to include memory storage physically located elsewhere in computer 10 , e . g ., any cache memory in a processor in cpu 12 , as well as any storage capacity used as a virtual memory , e . g ., as stored on a mass storage device 16 or on another computer coupled to computer 10 . computer 10 also typically receives a number of inputs and outputs for communicating information externally . for interface with a user or operator , computer 10 typically includes a user interface 18 incorporating one or more user input devices ( e . g ., a keyboard , a mouse , a trackball , a joystick , a touchpad , and / or a microphone , among others ) and a display ( e . g ., a crt monitor , an lcd display panel , and / or a speaker , among others ). otherwise , user input may be received via another computer or terminal , e . g ., via a client or single - user computer 20 coupled to computer 10 over a network 22 . this latter implementation may be desirable where computer 10 is implemented as a server or other form of multi - user computer . however , it should be appreciated that computer 10 may also be implemented as a standalone workstation , desktop , or other single - user computer in some embodiments . for non - volatile storage , computer 10 typically includes one or more mass storage devices 16 , e . g ., a floppy or other removable disk drive , a hard disk drive , a direct access storage device ( dasd ), an optical drive ( e . g ., a cd drive , a dvd drive , etc . ), and / or a tape drive , among others . furthermore , computer 10 may also include an interface 24 with one or more networks 22 ( e . g ., a lan , a wan , a wireless network , and / or the internet , among others ) to permit the communication of information with other computers and electronic devices . it should be appreciated that computer 10 typically includes suitable analog and / or digital interfaces between cpu 12 and each of components 14 , 16 , 18 , and 24 as is well known in the art . computer 10 operates under the control of an operating system 26 , and executes or otherwise relies upon various computer software applications , components , programs , objects , modules , data structures , etc . for example , a database management system ( dbms ) 28 may be resident in memory 14 to access a database 30 resident in mass storage 16 . moreover , various applications , components , programs , objects , modules , etc . may also execute on one or more processors in another computer coupled to computer 10 via a network , e . g ., in a distributed or client - server computing environment , whereby the processing required to implement the functions of a computer program may be allocated to multiple computers over a network . in general , the routines executed to implement the embodiments of the invention , whether implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application , component , program , object , module or sequence of instructions , or even a subset thereof , will be referred to herein as “ computer program code ,” or simply “ program code .” program code typically comprises one or more instructions that are resident at various times in various memory and storage devices in a computer , and that , when read and executed by one or more processors in a computer , cause that computer to perform the steps necessary to execute steps or elements embodying the various aspects of the invention . moreover , while the invention has and hereinafter will be described in the context of fully functioning computers and computer systems , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments of the invention are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms , and that the invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of computer readable signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution . examples of computer readable signal bearing media include but are not limited to recordable type media such as volatile and non - volatile memory devices , floppy and other removable disks , hard disk drives , magnetic tape , optical disks ( e . g ., cd - roms , dvds , etc . ), among others , and transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links . in addition , various program code described hereinafter may be identified based upon the application within which it is implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention . however , it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature that follows is used merely for convenience , and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and / or implied by such nomenclature . furthermore , given the typically endless number of manners in which computer programs may be organized into routines , procedures , methods , modules , objects , and the like , as well as the various manners in which program functionality may be allocated among various software layers that are resident within a typical computer ( e . g ., operating systems , libraries , api &# 39 ; s , applications , applets , etc . ), it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the specific organization and allocation of program functionality described herein . those skilled in the art will recognize that the exemplary environment illustrated in fig1 is not intended to limit the present invention . indeed , those skilled in the art will recognize that other alternative hardware and / or software environments may be used without departing from the scope of the invention . fig2 next illustrates in greater detail the principal components in one implementation of dbms 28 . the principal components of dbms 28 that are generally relevant to query execution are a structured query language ( sql ) parser 40 , query optimizer 42 and database engine 44 . sql parser 40 receives from a user ( or more typically , an application executed by that user ) a database query 46 , which in the illustrated embodiment , is provided in the form of an sql statement . sql parser 40 then generates a parsed statement 48 therefrom , which is passed to optimizer 42 for query optimization . as a result of query optimization , an execution or access plan 50 is generated . once generated , the execution plan is forwarded to database engine 44 for execution of the database query on the information in database 30 . the result of the execution of the database query is typically stored in a result set , as represented at block 52 . to facilitate the optimization of queries , dbms 28 may also include a statistics manager 54 . statistics manager 54 may be used to gather , create , and analyze statistical information used by the query optimizer 42 to select an access plan . the access plan may or may not include lpg . however , the query optimizer 42 may also create a database query access plan that contains the knowledge that lpg may be dynamically performed at least once throughout the query &# 39 ; s processing . the query optimizer 42 may also store , update , and / or retrieve information from the database query &# 39 ; s cached access plan . additionally , the database engine 44 may monitor the performance of the database query &# 39 ; s processing and may generate and / or terminate lpg predicates . database 30 may detect and report changes to any tables in the query to the database engine 44 . it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art , however , that the optimizer 42 , database 30 , database engine 44 and / or statistics manager 54 may be accorded different functionality to implement dynamic lpg in other embodiments consistent with the invention . moreover , components may be added and / or omitted in other embodiments consistent with the invention . those of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that the exemplary implementation of dbms 28 illustrated in fig2 is not intended to limit the present invention . indeed , those skilled in the art will recognize that other alternative hardware and / or software environments may be used without departing from the scope of the invention . fig3 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method illustrating the dynamic use of look ahead predicate generation ( lpg ) in accordance with the principles of the present invention . in block 60 , the optimizer determines if lpg should be clearly used or not used to process a given query . lpg should be clearly used when running and / or the estimated cost of running the database query with lpg is much lower than the estimated cost of running the database query without lpg and the statistical confidence for the estimate is very high . lpg should be clearly not used when running and / or the estimated cost of running the database query with lpg is much higher than the estimated cost of running the database query without lpg and the statistical confidence for the estimate is very high . the query optimizer may also determine whether lpg should be clearly used or not by retrieving information from the database query &# 39 ; s cached access plan about prior run times . if block 60 determines that lpg clearly should or should not be used , control passes to block 61 to process the query with or without lpg as appropriate , completing this exemplary method . however , if it is unclear whether lpg should be clearly used or not , then control passes to block 62 , which initiates both a non - lpg and a lpg task for the database query . the non - lpg and lpg tasks run in parallel and respectively pass control to blocks 64 and 74 . the parallel tasks allows the processing of a database query to begin without lpg and for predicates to be dynamically generated at least once during the query &# 39 ; s processing . turning to block 74 , the lpg task may dynamically start building at least one predicate when a threshold has expired or been met . a threshold consistent with this invention may be represented using a number of different metrics or indicators not limited to those referenced above . the threshold may be continuously checked until the database query has finished processing . if the threshold has expired , then control passes to block 76 to build lpg predicates . block 76 may build at least one predicate . the specific predicate or predicates to be built by block 76 may be determined before the threshold in block 74 expires as well as after the threshold expires . next , the lpg predicate or predicates are added to the fetching query in block 78 . the fetching query is the database query which may have been fetching records from the database in the parallel non - lpg task without any predicates . embodiments consistent with this invention need not add all the predicates built in block 76 to the fetching query at the same time . after at least one predicate is added , the query can then fetch additional records using the predicates to improve the performance of the query . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the threshold and / or predicates can also be stored and / or updated in the query &# 39 ; s cached access plan . turning to block 64 , a record may be fetched without lpg predicates according to the parallel non - lpg task . then , in block 66 , it is determined if the query has finished fetching all the records meeting the query parameters . if more records need to be fetched by the query , then control returns to block 64 to fetch more records without the use of predicates . however , blocks 64 and 66 may also be used to fetch records using lpg predicates . for example , if lpg predicates were added to the query by the parallel lpg task in block 78 , then the query may be fetching and determining records meeting the query parameters in blocks 64 and 66 using at least one lpg predicate . nonetheless , when the query is done fetching , it is determined in block 68 if predicates are still being built by the parallel lpg task . given that the non - lpg and lpg tasks are running in parallel , determining if lpg is still building in block 68 refers to predicates being generated by the parallel lpg task . if lpg is still building , then control passes to block 72 which terminates the building of any predicates by the parallel lpg task . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that if the query has already finished fetching all the records meeting the query parameters in block 66 , then the need may no longer exist to continue building predicates to process a query that has already finished . therefore , unless the lpg task has ended , the lpg task may be terminated in block 72 . however , embodiments consistent with this invention may not terminate the lpg task . instead , for example , an embodiment may continue building predicates already in progress and / or may store and / or update any information ( e . g ., threshold , partially generated predicates , predicates that have not been added to the fetching query , etc .) relevant to the lpg task in the cached access plan for the database query prior to terminating the lpg task in block 72 . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that although the query may have finished processing before the lpg task completed , this approach may be useful to future queries and also lead to improved query performance and improved decision making by the query optimizer . returning to block 68 , if the lpg task is not building predicates , then control passes to block 70 . if the lpg task is not building , this may mean that the lpg task ended and the predicates were already added to the query . block 70 updates the cached access plan for the database query with whether or not lpg improved the processing of the query . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the benefits of updating the query &# 39 ; s cached access plan , for example , if the same query needs to be processed , the optimizer can read the cached access plan and clearly determine if lpg should be used before processing begins in block 60 . additionally , other information ( e . g ., a result of the look ahead predicate generation , a predicate , a threshold , etc .) may also be stored and / or updated in the cached access plan for the database query consistent with the invention . the following example demonstrates the advantages of the illustrated embodiments over conventional lpg methodologies . in this example , the query optimizer may receive a query such as : fact . d 1 id = d 1 . id and fact . d 2 id = d 2 . id and d 1 . flag = y and d 2 . status = 200 upon receiving this query , the optimizer may not be precisely clear as to whether lpg should be used before processing of the query commences . the optimizer may determine that the cost of generating the predicates and processing q 1 with the predicates is higher than the costs of processing q 1 without the predicates . thus , the optimizer may commence processing of q 1 without lpg by joining in a left to right manner and probing the fact table as shown in table i , the d 1 table as shown in table ii , and the d 2 table as shown in table iii . table i fact table d1id d2id 1 a 1 b 2 c 2 d 3 e 3 f 4 g 4 h 5 i 5 j 6 a 6 b 7 c 7 d 8 e 8 f 9 g 9 h 10 i 10 j by not using lpg , there may be twenty sequential probes into the fact table and twenty probes into the d 1 table , with ten probes finding a match on d 1 &# 39 ; s selection . furthermore , the ten values may be used to probe the d 2 table . thus , without lpg , fifty probes may be required to return the three records that met the parameters of q 1 as shown in table iv . table iv result fact . d1id fact . d2id 2 d 3 e 3 f however , instead of incurring the cost of the fifty probes , lpg predicates may be dynamically generated after processing of q 1 has begun with the illustrated embodiment to reduce the number of probes . moreover , if the optimizer was not certain if lpg should be clearly used or not before processing a database query , or additional factors relevant the processing of the query arose after processing began , the lpg task may dynamically build predicates and add the predicates to the query . using the same example , eighteen total probes may have been used to process records ( 1 , a ) through ( 3 , f ) inclusive from the fact table by the non - lpg task . the threshold may have expired due to the eighteen probes . as a result , at least one predicate , fact . d 2 id in (‘ d ’,‘ e ’,‘ f ’), may be built and added to q 1 . while the predicate is building , the non - lpg task may continue to process the next record , ( 4 , g ), from the fact table . once the predicate is done building , it may be added to q 1 . q 1 may be internally rewritten as : fact . d 1 id = d 1 . id and fact . d 2 id = d 2 . id and d 1 . flag = y and d 2 . status = 200 and fact . d 2 id in (‘ d ’,‘ e ’,‘ f ’) after the predicate has been added to q 1 , starting with record ( 4 , h ), q 1 may process much faster from that point onwards since most of the remaining records in the fact table may be discarded if they are not in (‘ d ’,‘ e ’,‘ f ’). if q 1 , which now includes one predicate , is still not processing fast enough according to some threshold , the lpg task may build another predicate , fact . d 1 id in ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ), and add it to q 1 . q 1 may be internally rewritten as : fact . d 1 id = d 1 . id and fact . d 2 id = d 2 . id and d 1 . flag = y and d 2 . status = 200 and fact . d 2 id in (‘ d ’,‘ e ’,‘ f ’) and fact . d 1 id in ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) the second predicate will additionally enhance the performance of q 1 by discarding additional records not in ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ). where the conventional approach required the choice of whether to use lpg or not before processing of the query began , dynamic lpg provides a more flexible and intelligent approach such that the number of probes by conventional techniques , fifty probes , may be reduced after processing of the database query has begun . therefore , the dynamic use of lpg allows the processing of q 1 to be altered in light of sub - optimal decision - making and additional factors arising after processing of the query has begun , resulting in a reduced number of probes and improved query performance . various additional modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . therefore , the invention lies in the claims hereinafter appended . | 8 |
referring now to the figures , a commission free auction system 10 ( hereinafter system 10 ) and method are shown . the system 10 is a computer based auction system . the system 10 will allow a plurality of different users 12 to participate in the auction . the users 12 may be in any location around the world . the number of users 12 is only limited by the size of the auction web server 14 . each user 12 will log on to the internet by using a computer . the computer may be at home , an internet cafe , a library , etc . any computer may be used as long as the computer has internet access . the user 12 may directly access the auction web server 14 or the user may access the auction web server 14 via another web server 16 . once a user 12 accesses the auction web server 14 , the user 12 will be asked to enter a user name and a password . if the user 12 does not have a user name and password , the user 12 may register for one . when a person registers , the person will enter a user name and a password . the user name and password will be compared with all current registered users 12 stored in the database 18 . if the user name and password are not being used , the new user name and password will be accepted and added to the database 18 . the user 12 must then enter some further personal information such as the user &# 39 ; s actual name , current address , phone number , email address , credit card information , etc .). once the credit card information is entered , the credit card information needs to be verified . the auction web server 14 will contact the corresponding bank system 20 to verify the credit card information . if the user 12 is authorized to use the credit card number entered , the user 12 will be registered with the auction web server . the credit card may then be used to make purchases and to charge membership dues which are paid to remain active in the system 10 . membership dues may be required , monthly , semi - annually , annually , etc . it should be noted that other payment methods may be used for the payment of membership fees and purchased items . for example , cash transfers , checks , money orders , and the like may be used . the listing of the above methods should not be seen as to limit the scope of the present invention . the system 10 will have a mail server 22 . the mail server 22 is coupled to the auction web server 14 . the mail server will send out an email message to a user 12 when the user has either sold or purchased an item . the email server 22 is just used for notification purposes . the system 10 may further have a firewall 24 . the firewall 24 is used to protect the auction web server 14 from unauthorized access . the firewall 24 is used to prevent people from hacking into the auction web server 14 and gather personal information of the user 12 . as stated above , a user 12 will gain access to the internet and will access the auction website . the user 12 may directly access the auction web server 14 or the user may access the auction web server 14 via another web server 16 . once a user 12 accesses the auction web server 14 , the user 12 will be asked to enter a user name and a password . if the user 12 does not have a user name and password , the user 12 may register for one . when a person registers , the person will enter a user name and a password . the user name and password will be compared with all current registered users 12 stored in the database 18 . if the user name and password are not being used , the new user name and password will be accepted and added to the database 18 . the user 12 must then enter some further personal information such as the user &# 39 ; s actual name , current address , phone number , email address , credit card information , etc .). once the credit card information is entered , the credit card information needs to be verified . the auction web server 14 will contact the corresponding bank system 20 to verify the credit card information . if the user 12 is authorized to use the credit card number entered , the user 12 will be registered with the auction web server . the credit card may then be used to make purchases and to charge membership dues which are paid to remain active in the system 10 . membership dues may be required , monthly , semi - annually , annually , etc . once a user 12 has entered a valid user name and password , the user 12 will gain access to the auction web site . the auction website will ask the user 12 whether the user wished to buy or sell an item . if the user 12 wishes to buy an item , the user 12 will be transferred to a buy web page . the buy web page will have a listing of the different categories of items that are for sale . the user may then select a category and be transferred to another webpage which will display different items in the selected category . each item displayed will have a link which will show further information related to the item . for example , some of the information that may be displayed includes , but is not limited to , a written description of the item , notice of when the auction will begin and end , a minimum bid price , current bid price , bid increment , and other similar information . if the user 12 wishes to place a bid , the user 12 will select a link which will allow the user 12 to enter a bid price . when the bid link is selected , the user 12 will then enter and submit a dollar bid amount . the user 12 may continuously update to increase his / her bid amount . however , once a bid is entered , it cannot be retracted . when the auction of an item has ended , the highest bid price will be declared the winner . the funds of the user 12 who is places the highest bid will be verified . if the user 12 has a sufficient amount of funds , the user &# 39 ; s credit card may be charged for the purchase . it should be noted that alternative payment methods may be used besides credit card payment ( i . e ., cash transfers , checks , money orders , etc .). an email will then be sent out to the winner notifying the user 12 that he / she has won . the item will then be sent to the winning user 12 . if a user 12 wishes to sell an item , the user will be sent to a sell webpage . the user will then enter information regarding the product to sell . for example , the user will enter a file with a photo of the item , a brief description of the item , a minimum bid price , bid increments , start and end of the auction , and similar information . the user 12 will further add contact information should a buyer have any questions regarding the item for sale . the user 12 must then enter this information into the system 10 . once the auction is completed , the seller must then ship the item to the user 12 having the highest bid . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
the invention provides a method for producing a virus and / or viral proteins , other than adenovirus or adenoviral proteins , for use as a vaccine comprising : providing a cell with at least a sequence encoding at least one gene product of the e1 gene , or a functional derivative thereof , of an adenovirus ; providing the cell with a nucleic acid encoding the virus or the viral proteins ; culturing the cell in a suitable medium and allowing for propagation of the virus or expression of the viral proteins ; and harvesting the virus and / or viral proteins from the medium and / or the cell . heretofore , few ( if any ) human cells have been found that were suitable to produce viruses and / or viral proteins for use as vaccines in any reproducible and scalable manner , in sufficiently high yields , and / or easily purifiable . we have now found that cells having adenoviral e1 sequences ( preferably in their genome ) are capable of sustaining the propagation of viruses in significant amounts . a preferred cell according to the invention is derived from a human primary cell , preferably a cell which is immortalized by a gene product of the e1 gene . in order to be able to grow a primary cell , it , of course , needs to be immortalized . a good example of such a cell is one derived from a human embryonic retinoblast . in cells according to the invention , it is important that the e1 gene sequences are not lost during the cell cycle . it is , therefore , preferred that the sequence encoding at least one gene product of the e1 gene is present in the genome of the human cell . for safety reasons , care is best taken to avoid unnecessary adenoviral sequences in the cells . it is thus another embodiment of the invention to provide cells that do not produce adenoviral structural proteins . however , in order to achieve large scale ( continuous ) virus production through cell culture , it is preferred to have cells capable of growing without needing anchorage . preferred cells according to the invention have that capability . to have a clean and relatively safe production system from which it is easy to recover and , if desired , purify the virus , it is preferred to have a method according to the invention wherein the human cell comprises no other adenoviral sequences . the most preferred cell for the methods and uses of the invention is the previously identified per . c6 cell or a derivative thereof . thus , the invention provides a method of using a cell , wherein the cell further comprises a sequence encoding e2a or a functional derivative , analogue or fragment thereof , preferably a cell wherein the sequence encoding e2a or a functional derivative , analogue or fragment thereof is present in the genome of the human cell and , most preferably , a cell wherein the e2a encoding sequence encodes a temperature - sensitive ( ts ) mutant e2a . furthermore , as previously stated , the invention also provides a method wherein the human cell is capable of growing in suspension . the invention also provides a method wherein the human cell can be cultured in the absence of serum . a cell according to the invention , in particular per . c6 , preferably has the additional advantage that it can be cultured in the absence of serum or serum components . thus , isolation is easy , safety is enhanced , and the system has good reliability ( synthetic media are the best for reproducibility ). the human cells of the invention and , in particular , those based on primary cells , particularly ones based on her cells , are capable of normal ( for humans ) post - and peri - translational modifications and assembly . this means that they are very suitable for preparing viral proteins and viruses for use in vaccines . thus , the invention provides a method wherein the virus and / or the viral proteins comprise a protein that undergoes post - translational and / or peri - translational modification , such as glycosylation . a good example of a viral vaccine that has been cumbersome to produce in any reliable manner is influenza vaccine . the invention provides a method wherein the viral proteins comprise at least one of an influenza virus neuraminidase and / or a hemagglutinin . other viral proteins ( subunits ) and viruses ( wt to be inactivated ) or attenuated viruses that may be produced in the methods according to the invention include enterovirus ( such as rhinovirus , aphtovirus , or poliomyelitis virus ), herpes virus ( such as herpes simplex virus , pseudorabies virus or bovine herpes virus ), orthomyxovirus ( such as influenza virus ), a paramyxovirus ( such as newcastle disease virus , respiratory syncytial virus , mumps virus or a measles virus ), retrovirus ( such as human immunodeficiency virus or a parvovirus or a papovavirus ), rotavirus or a coronavirus ( such as transmissible gastroenteritis virus ), a flavivirus ( such as tick - borne encephalitis virus or yellow fever virus ), a togavirus ( such as rubella virus or eastern -, western -, or venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus ), a hepatitis - causing virus ( such as hepatitis a or hepatitis b virus ), a pestivirus ( such as hog cholera virus ), a rhabdovirus ( such as rabies virus ), or a bunyaviridae virus ( such as hantavirus ). in one embodiment , a cell of the invention is useful in the generation of an influenza virus strain that does not grow very efficiently on embryonal eggs . the invention also includes the use of a human cell having a sequence encoding at least one adenoviral e1 protein or a functional derivative , homolog or fragment thereof in its genome , which cell does not produce structural adenoviral proteins for the production of a virus , or at least one viral protein for use in a vaccine . of course , for such a use , the cells preferred in the methods according to the invention are also preferred . the invention also provides the products resulting from the methods and uses according to the invention , especially viral proteins and viruses obtainable according to those uses and / or methods , especially when brought in a pharmaceutical composition comprising suitable excipients and , in some formats , inactivated viruses , subunits , or adjuvants . dosage and ways of administration can be sorted out through normal clinical testing in so far as they are not yet available through the already registered vaccines . thus , the invention also provides a virus or a viral protein for use in a vaccine obtainable by a method or by a use according to the invention , the virus or the viral protein being free of any non - human mammalian proteinaceous material and a pharmaceutical formulation comprising such a virus and / or viral protein . the invention further provides a human cell having a sequence encoding at least one e1 protein of an adenovirus or a functional derivative , homolog or fragment thereof in its genome , which cell does not produce structural adenoviral proteins and having a nucleic acid encoding a virus or at least one non - adenoviral viral protein . this cell can be used in a method according to the invention . in a preferred embodiment , the invention provides influenza virus obtainable by a method according to the invention or by a use according to the invention . in another embodiment , the invention provides influenza vaccines obtainable by a method according to the invention or by a use according to the invention . in another aspect , the invention provides a kit for determining activity of a protease in a sample comprising at least one viral protein or virus obtainable by a method or a use of the invention , the virus or the viral protein being free of any non - human mammalian proteinaceous material . this aspect of the invention is useful particularly for determining protease activity in culture medium . culture medium is noted for being a difficult context for determining activity of a protease . however , by using a viral protein or a virus of the invention as a target for the protease , it is possible to accurately determine activity of the protease also in culture medium . in a preferred embodiment , therefore , the protease activity is determined in a sample comprising culture medium . in a preferred embodiment , the protease comprises trypsin . in a preferred embodiment , the viral protein comprises ha0 . in yet another aspect , the invention provides a method for concentrating influenza virus under conditions capable of , at least in part , preserving virus infectivity , comprising obtaining a cell - cleared supernatant comprising the virus from a culture of cells , and ultra - filtrating the supernatant under low shear conditions . influenza virus preparations harvested from embryonal eggs typically need to be purified for the preparation of a vaccine . purification typically entails at least one concentration step of the virus . current technologies for the concentration of influenza virus from such relatively crude preparations of influenza virus are cumbersome . using a method of concentration of the invention , it is possible to concentrate influenza virus preparations under conditions that maintain , at least in part , infectivity of the virus . preferably , virus is concentrated that is or can be made infectious . “ can be made infectious ,” as used herein , means the generation of infectious virus through cleavage of ha0 . in a preferred embodiment , the concentration is performed using a hollow fiber . a hollow fiber is particularly suited to concentrate under low shear conditions . in a preferred embodiment , the culture of cells comprises in vitro cultured cells . particularly suited for concentration using a method of the invention is supernatant from in vitro cultured cells , particularly when the supernatant comprises serum - free culture medium . in a preferred embodiment , the ultra - filtration is performed with a filter allowing single proteins to pass while retaining the virus . preferably , the filter comprises a cut - off of 500 kd . more preferably , the filter comprises a cut - off of 750 kd . in a particularly preferred embodiment , the concentration further comprises at least a partial removal of proteins comprising a molecular weight smaller than 500 kd and , more preferably , smaller than 750 kd . preferably , the purification is achieved using a mentioned filter . in yet another aspect , the invention provides infectious influenza virus or derivatives thereof concentrated with a method of the invention . a derivative of an infectious influenza virus of the invention typically is a virus , virus particle , or viral protein or part thereof that can be used for immunization purposes . typically , this entails a virus infectivity inactivation step . to further illustrate the invention , the following examples are provided , which are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . mdck cells were cultured in dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle &# 39 ; s medium ( dmem , life technologies breda , nl ) containing 10 % heat - inactivated fetal bovine serum and 1 × l - glutamine ( gibco - brl ), at 37 ° c . and 10 % co 2 . suspension cultures of per . c6 were cultured in excell 525 ( jrh biosciences ) supplemented with 1 × l - glutamine , at 37 ° c . and 10 % co 2 , in stationary cultures in six - well dishes ( greiner ) or in 490 cm 2 tissue culture roller bottles ( corning costar corp .) during continuous rotation at 1 rpm . direct immunofluorescence assays for the detection of influenza virus infection were carried out using the imagen ™ influenza virus a and b kit ( dako ) according to the standard protocol of the supplier . samples were viewed microscopically using epifluorescence illumination . infected cells were characterized by a bright apple - green fluorescence . cell pellets were resuspended in 300 μl of cold pbs / 0 . 5 % bsa + 5 μl of propidium iodide ( concentration 50 μg / ml ) in pbs / fcs / azide solution known to persons skilled in the art . viable and dead cells were then detected via flow cytofluorometric analysis . in general , hemagglutination assays for influenza virus titers were performed according to methods known to persons skilled in the art . here , 50 μl of a two - fold diluted virus solution in pbs was added to 25 μl pbs and 25 μl of a 1 % suspension of turkey erythrocytes ( biotrading benelux b . v .) in pbs and incubated in 96 - well microtiter plates at 4 ° c . for one hour . the hemagglutination pattern was examined and scored and expressed as hemagglutinating units ( haus ). the number of haus corresponded to the reciprocal value of the highest virus dilution that showed complete hemagglutination . in general , obtained influenza viruses were disrupted in a laemmli buffer according to methods known in the art and different volumes of obtained protein mixtures were separated using 10 % sds / page gels . in brief , blots were blocked for 30 minutes at room temperature with block solution ( 5 % nonfat dry milk powder ( biorad ) in tbst supplemented with 1 % rabbit serum ( rockland ), followed by three washes with tbst . then , the blots were incubated with the anti - a / sydney / 5 / 97 ha antiserum ( 98 / 768 nibsc ) diluted 1 / 500 in 1 % bsa / tbst with 5 % rabbit serum ( rockland ) o / n at room temperature . again , the blots were washed eight times with tbst . finally , the blots were incubated with the rabbit anti - sheep antiserum ( hrp - labeled , rockland ) 1 / 6000 diluted in block solution for one hour at room temperature . after eight washes with tbst , the protein - conjugate complex was visualized with ecl ( amersham pharmacia biotech ), and films ( hyperfilm , amersham life science ) were exposed . the antisera were obtained from the nibsc ( uk ) and applied in dilutions recommended by the nibsc . the concentration of hemagglutinin in supernatants , derived from influenza virus infected - per . c6 cells , was determined by the single radial immunodiffusion ( srid ) test as previously described ( wood et al . 1977 ). the assay was performed using standard nibsc ( uk ) antigens and antisera reagents . a total of 1 ml of ten - fold serially diluted viral supernatants were inoculated on mdck cells which were grown until 95 % confluence in six - well plates . after one hour at 35 ° c ., the cells were washed twice with pbs and overloaded with 3 ml of agarose mix ( 1 . 2 ml 2 . 5 % agarose , 1 . 5 ml 2 × mem , 30 ml 200 mm l - glutamine , 24 ml trypsin - edta , 250 ml pbs ). the cells were then incubated in a humid , 10 % co 2 atmosphere at 35 ° c . for approximately three days and viral plaques were visually scored . titration of infectious virus was performed on mdck cells . in brief , cells were seeded in 96 - well plates at a density of 4 × 10 4 cells / well in dmem supplemented with 2 mm l - glutamine . twenty - four hours later , cells were infected with 100 μl of ten - fold serially diluted culture supernatants , in quadruplicate , in medium containing trypsin - edta at the concentration of 4 mg / ml . two hours after infection , cell monolayers were washed two times in pbs and incubated in medium containing trypsin for seven days at 35 ° c . supernatants from these cultures were then tested in an ha assay . tcid 50 titers were calculated according to the method of karber ( 1931 ). for inactivation of the viruses to obtain whole - inactivated virus for the generation of vaccines derived from per . c6 , a mutation protocol known to persons skilled in the art was performed using b - propiolactone . b - propiolactone is a very effective agent widely used for the inactivation of viruses and well known in the art for its mutating effects . it modifies nucleic acid bases of the viral genome and the host cell genome and blocks replication thereafter . following an established protocol used to prepare the whole inactivated influenza vaccine prepared on embryonated eggs , the amount of virus corresponding to approximately 400 mg of ha per strain was inactivated and used for the final vaccine formulation . briefly , one volume of 0 . 3 m sodium phosphate buffer was added to nine volumes of influenza virus preparation . inactivation of the viruses was carried out adding one volume of 10 % of b - propiolactone ( newall design , uk ) to 100 volumes of phosphate - buffered virus preparation and incubated at 20 ° c . for 24 hours . inactivation of the viruses was checked by plaque assay and no plaques were detected for any of the inactivated batches ( data not shown ). cell line per . c6 , or derivatives thereof , were used . cell lines were banked by a two - tier cell bank system . the selected cell line was banked in a research master cell bank ( rmcb ) which was stored in different locations . from this rmcb research , working cell banks ( rwcb ) were prepared as follows : an ampoule of the rmcb was thawed and cells were propagated until enough cells are present to freeze the cells by using dry ice . up to 500 ampoules containing 1 ml ( 1 - 2 × 10 6 cells / ml ) of rwcb were stored in the vapor phase of a liquid n 2 freezer . one ampoule containing 5 × 10 6 per . c6 cells of the wcb was thawed in a water bath at 37 ° c . cells were rapidly transferred into a 50 ml tube and resuspended by adding 9 ml of the suspension medium excell 525 ( jrh biosciences ) supplemented with 1 × l - glutamine . after three minutes of centrifugation at 1000 rpm in a tabletop centrifuge , cells were resuspended in a final concentration of 3 × 10 5 cells / ml and cultured in a t80 tissue culture flask at 37 ° c . 10 % co 2 . two to three days later , cells were seeded into 490 cm 2 tissue culture roller bottles ( corning costar corp . ), with a density of 3 × 10 5 per ml and cultured in continuous rotation at 1 rpm . per . c6 as a human cell was not known for its ability to sustain influenza virus infection and replication . it was , therefore , determined whether per . c6 cells are permissive for influenza virus infection in comparison with the dog cell line mdck that served as a positive control . on the day before infection , 2 × 10 5 mdck cells per well were seeded in six - well plates . twenty - four hours later , 4 × 10 5 seeded per . c6 and the mdck cells per well were infected with the h1n1 strain a / puerto rico / 8 / 34 ( titer 3 . 6 × 10 7 pfu / ml ) ( obtained from dr . e . claas , leiden university medical center , the netherlands ). infection was performed at various multipliticies of infection ( mois ) ranging from of 0 . 1 to 10 pfu / cell . after about two hours of incubation at 37 ° c ., the inoculum was removed and replaced by fresh culture medium . a direct immunofluorescence assay for the detection of influenza virus infection was performed 24 and 48 hours post - infection . the experiment showed permissiveness of per . c6 for influenza infection , with percentages of positive cells moi - dependent and comparable with mdck ( fig1 ). it was verified whether replication and propagation of influenza virus could be supported by per . c6 . on the day of infection , per . c6 cells were seeded in 490 cm 2 tissue culture roller bottles with the density of 2 × 10 5 cells / ml in a final volume of 40 ml in the presence of 5 μg / ml of trypsin - edta ( gibco - brl ). cells were either mock inoculated or infected with the h3n2 strain a / shenzhen / 227 / 95 ( titer 1 . 5 × 10 6 pfu / ml ) ( obtained from dr . e . claas , leiden university medical centre , the netherlands ). infections were performed at moi 10 − 4 and 10 − 3 pfu / cell . after one hour of incubation at 37 ° c ., the inoculum was removed by spinning down the cells at 1500 rpm and resuspending the cells in fresh culture medium + 5 μg / ml of trypsin - edta . harvest of 1 . 3 ml of cell suspension was carried out each day , from day 1 to day 6 post - infection . supernatants were stored at − 80 ° c . and used for hemagglutination assays . cell pellets were used for direct immunofluorescence tests and for propidium iodide staining . to further investigate the permissiveness of per . c6 for propagation of various influenza strains , an infection by using the h1n1 vaccine strains a / beijing / 262 / 95 and its reassortant x - 127 , obtained from the national institute for biological standards and control ( nibsc , uk ), was performed . on the day of infection , per . c6 cells were seeded in 490 cm 2 tissue culture roller bottles with the density of approximately 1 × 10 6 cells / ml in a final volume of 50 ml . cells were inoculated with 5 μl ( 10 − 4 dilution ) and 50 μl ( 10 − 3 dilution ) of virus in the presence of 5 mg / ml trypsin - edta . in order to establish if trypsin was indeed required , one more infection was carried out by inoculating 5 μl of the strain a / beijing / 262 / 95 in the absence of the protease . after approximately one hour of incubation at 37 ° c ., the inoculum was removed by spinning down the cells at 1500 rpm and resuspending them in fresh culture medium ± 5 mg / ml of trypsin - edta . at day 2 and day 4 post - infection , more trypsin was added to the samples . harvest of 1 . 3 ml of cell suspension was carried out from day 1 to day 6 post - infection . supernatants were stored at − 80 ° c . and used for hemagglutination assays and further infections ; cell pellets were used for direct immunofluorescence tests . results obtained with the above - mentioned immunofluorescence and hemagglutination assays are shown in fig4 and 5 , respectively , illustrating the efficient replication and release of the viruses . it was verified whether the viruses grown in per . c6 were infectious and if adaptation to the cell line could increase virus yields . virus supernatants derived from per . c6 infected with the strains a / beijing / 262 / 95 and its reassortant x - 127 ( dil . 10 - 3 ) and harvested at day 6 post - infection were used . at the day of infection , per . c6 were seeded in 490 cm 2 tissue culture roller bottles , with the density of approximately 1 × 10 6 cells / ml in a final volume of 50 ml . cells were inoculated with 100 μl and 1 ml of virus supernatant in the presence of 5 mg / ml trypsin - edta . in order to establish if trypsin was still required , one more infection was carried out by inoculating 100 μl of the strain a / beijing / 262 / 95 in the absence of the protease . after approximately one hour of incubation at 37 ° c ., the inoculum was removed by spinning down the cells at 1500 rpm and resuspending them in fresh culture medium ± 5 mg / ml of trypsin - edta . at day 2 and day 4 post - infection , more trypsin was added to the samples . harvest of 1 . 3 ml of cell suspension was carried out from day 1 to day 6 post - infection . supernatants were stored at − 80 ° c . and used for hemagglutination assays and further infections ; cell pellets were used for direct immunofluorescence tests . results obtained with the above - mentioned immunofluorescence and hemagglutination assays are shown in fig6 and 7 . data obtained with the present experiment showed infectivity of the viruses grown in per . c6 as well as an increase in virus yields . the presence of cell surface receptors for influenza virus on per . c6 propagation of human influenza a and b strains in embryonated chicken eggs leads to a selection of receptor - binding variants that harbor amino acid substitutions at the distal portion of the ha globular head in the exposed and functionally important regions of the molecule . because of these mutations , the egg - adapted strains can differ from the original human viruses in their antigenic and immunogenic activities , as well as their virulence . human influenza viruses isolated from mdck cells usually present an ha protein that is identical to the ha protein present on the virus of the original clinical sample . a recent study ( govorkova 1999 ) clarified the molecular basis for the selection of variants in chicken eggs and the absence of this variant selection phenomenon in mdck cells . all human influenza a and b strains isolated from mdck cells were found to bind with high affinity and specificity for alpha2 , 6 sialic acid - galactose linkages present in oligosaccharides present in cell surface receptors , whereas their egg - grown counterparts showed an increased affinity for the alpha2 , 3 sialic acid - galactose linkages in cell surface receptors carrying oligosaccharides ( sia2 - 3 gal ). using specific lectins , it was demonstrated that only sia2 - 3 gal - containing receptors were present on the surface of chicken embryonic cells , whereas mdck cells expressed both sia2 - 6 gal and sia2 - 3 gal . the expression of the sia2 - 3 gal and sia2 - 6 gal moieties on the surface of per . c6 cells was studied by facs analysis , using two different digoxigenin - ( dig -) labeled lectins : sambuca nigra agglutinin ( sna ) that specifically recognizes sia2 - 6 gal linkages and the maackia amurensis agglutinin ( maa ), that specifically recognizes sia2 - 3 gal linkages . fig8 a shows the recognition of the sna and maa lectins and their binding to the glycosylation sites . furthermore , fig8 a shows the schematic interaction between the fitc - labeled anti - dig antibody and the dig - labeled lectin that recognizes the specific sialyl bond in the glycosylation backbone of the receptor present on the cell surface . both lectins were taken from the glycan differentiation kit ( boehringer - la roche ). the experiment was carried out on per . c6 cells in suspension and adherent mdck and cho cells . mdck and cho cells were released from the solid support using trypsin - edta ( gibco - brl ). the cell suspensions were then washed once with mem - 5 % fbs and incubated in this medium for one hour at 37 ° c . after washing with pbs ( gibco - brl ), the cells were resuspended to a concentration of approximately 10 6 cells / ml in binding medium ( tris - buffered saline , ph 7 . 5 , 0 . 5 % bsa , and 1 mm each of mgcl 2 , mncl 2 and cacl 2 ). cell aliquots were incubated for one hour at room temperature with the dig - labeled lectins sna and maa . after one hour , lectin - treated cells were washed with pbs and incubated for an additional hour at room temperature with fitc - labeled anti - dig antibody ( boehringer - mannheim ). finally , the cells were washed with pbs and analyzed by fluorescence - activated cell sorting using a fac - sort apparatus ( becton dickinson ). the results shown in fig8 b demonstrate that per . c6 cells were stained by both lectins showing the presence of the sia2 - 6 gal as well as the sia2 - 3 gal receptors . in the same experiment , mdck cells were used as positive control for both the sialylated receptors , whereas cho cells , due to the absence of the alpha 2 - 6 sialyltransferase glycosylation enzyme in these hamster cells , represented a negative control for the sia2 - 6 gal moiety . the upper panels show results with the sna lectin and the lower panels showing results with the maa lectin . from these results , it can be concluded that per . c6 expresses cell surface proteins that have both sia2 - 3 gal and sia2 - 6 gal linkages in their oligosaccharide chains . effect of different concentrations of trypsin - edta on the viability of per . c6 cells , on the influenza virus production in per . c6 cells and on the ha protein derived thereof due to the absolute trypsin requirement for the propagation of influenza viruses in cell cultures , the effects of different concentrations of trypsin - edta on per . c6 cell viability and virus replication in per . c6 cells after infection using several influenza strains were investigated . infection with influenza virus strain a / sydney / 5 / 97 in the presence of low concentrations of trypsin on the day of infection , per . c6 cells were seeded in 490 cm 2 tissue culture roller bottles at a density of 1 × 10 6 cells / ml in the presence of trypsin - edta at final concentrations of 0 . 5 , 1 , 2 , 3 and 5 mg / ml . these trypsin concentrations did not interfere with the growth characteristics of the cells and their viability ( data not shown ). cells were either mock infected or infected with per . c6 - grown influenza virus a / sydney / 5 / 97 at an moi of 10 − 4 pfu / cell . the viral production was monitored by direct immunofluorescence ( data not shown ), hemagglutination assays , single - radial - immunodiffusion ( srid ) above and plaque assays , all as described above . results from this experiment are depicted in fig9 and show that the ha content as measured by srid , as well as the biological activity of the virus expressed in hau , were highest when a trypsin concentration of 1 mg / ml was used . fig9 also shows that by using a plaque assay the highest number of plaque forming units ( pfu ) per ml was observed in the sample corresponding to cells grown in medium containing 2 mg / ml of trypsin . on the day of infection , per . c6 cells were seeded in 490 cm 2 tissue culture roller bottles at a density of 1 × 10 6 cells / ml in the presence of different concentrations of trypsin - edta ranging from 1 to 5 mg / ml . cells were infected with per . c6 - grown virus b / harbin / 7 / 94 at an moi of 10 − 3 pfu / cell . production of the virus was monitored by direct immunofluorescence , hemagglutination and plaque assays as shown in fig1 . the infectability of per . c6 at day 2 increased with the concentration of trypsin . at day 3 , however , no significant difference was observed in the percentage of infected cells when 1 , 2 . 5 or 5 mg / ml trypsin was present . in the absence of trypsin ( 0 μg / ml ), no influenza virus infection was detected . at the day of the last harvest ( day 4 post - infection ), the biological activity of the virus , as measured by hemagglutination assay , did not differ significantly . interestingly , the infectivity assay performed in samples that were taken at days 3 and 4 after infection showed a difference in the production of the virus . the highest titers were obtained at day 3 and day 4 when a trypsin concentration of 2 . 5 to 5 ( day 3 ) and 1 mg / ml ( day 4 ) were used . on the day of infection , per . c6 cells were seeded in t25 tissue culture flasks at a density of 1 × 10 6 cells / ml in the presence of different concentrations of trypsin - edta ranging from 0 to 7 . 5 mg / ml . cells were infected with per . c6 - grown virus x - 127 ( egg - reassortant for the strain a / beijing / 262 / 95 ) at an moi of 10 − 4 and 10 − 3 pfu / cell . viral growth was monitored by direct immunofluorescence , hemagglutination and plaque assays . as shown in fig1 and fig1 , hau titers were identical between samples , independent of the trypsin concentration and the initial moi that was used . furthermore , no significant differences were observed in the infectivity titers as measured by plaque assay . infection of per . c6 with influenza virus strain a / sydney / 5 / 97 in the presence of high concentrations of trypsin to test the effect of increasing concentrations of trypsin on viability of the cells and virus replication , per . c6 cells were seeded in roller bottles at a density of 1 × 10 6 cells / ml in the presence of various concentrations of trypsin - edta ranging from 0 to 12 . 5 μg / ml . cells were either mock infected or infected with per . c6 - grown virus a / sydney / 5 / 97 virus at an moi of 4 × 10 − 5 pfu / cell . hau &# 39 ; s presence in the obtained batches were determined as described . importantly , data depicted in fig1 clearly show that trypsin concentrations up to 10 μg / ml do not interfere with the cell viability . moreover , the biological activity of the virus obtained at day 4 after infection as measured by hau was higher when a trypsin concentration of 2 . 5 to 5 μg / ml was used . furthermore , the tcid 50 was measured ( fig1 , graph portion a ) and plaque assays were performed ( data not shown ). no relevant differences were found in these plaque assays , in the infectivity titers ( tcid 50 ), in the ha cleavage and quantity ( approximately 10 μg / ml ) as determined by western blot analysis shown in fig1 b . influenza virus production on per . c6 cells in a hollow fiber - perfusion bioreactor system the scalability of influenza virus production in suspension growing per . c6 cells was studied by using 3 - liter ( total volume ) bioreactors containing a 2 liter cell suspension volume in serum - free medium , which is also free of animal - or human - derived proteins ( excell 525 , jrh biosciences ). influenza infection was carried out at a cell density of approximately 3 × 10 6 cells / ml . cells were inoculated with per . c6 - grown a / sydney / 5 / 97 virus , at an moi of 10 − 4 pfu / cell . samples of 5 to 10 ml of cell suspensions were taken every day to perform general cell counts , to determine the viability of the cells , for glucose concentration measurements , for direct immunofluorescence , for hemagglutination and for infectivity assays . the results of these experiments are shown in fig1 . to investigate the presence and the status of the ha protein western blots using two different anti - ha antibodies obtained from nibsc were used . srid assays as described above were also performed . the results depicted in the two western blots in fig1 show that the influenza virus batch produced in this bioreactor yielded an ha content of an estimated concentration of 15 μg / ml which was confirmed by srid assays . the ha produced is comparable to reference nibsc ha in terms of subunit composition and immune reactivity with the reference subtype - specific antisera . infection of per . c6 with a / sydney / 5 / 97 in a 15 liter bioreactor followed by a specific down stream process ( dsp ) suspension growing per . c6 cells was incubated at 37 ° c . in a 15 - liter bioreactor hollow fiber perfusion system , with a cell suspension volume of 10 liters in serum - free excell 525 medium ( jrh biosciences ). influenza infection was carried out at 35 ° c . at a cellular density of approximately 3 . 3 × 10 6 cells / ml in medium containing 5 mg / ml trypsin - edta ( life technologies ). cells were inoculated with per . c6 - grown a / sydney / 5 / 97 virus ( passage number 3 ) at an moi of 10 − 4 pfu / cell . perfusion with serum - free excell 525 medium containing trypsin - edta was continued during the first 24 hours upon infection . two days post - infection , cells were fed with a fed - batch solution containing glucose , essential amino acids and extra glutamine : 82 ml per liter suspension containing 50 m / v % glucose ( npbi - the netherlands ), 50 × essential ammino acids without gln ( gibco - brl - life technologies ) and 200 mm glutamine ( gibco - brl - life technologies ). cell suspension samples of 10 ml were taken every day in order to perform standard cell counts ( results shown in fig1 , left graph ), glucose concentration measurements ( results shown in fig1 , right graph ), direct immunofluorescence ( fig1 ), hemagglutination ( fig1 ) and infectivity assays ( data not shown ). furthermore , the ha protein was investigated by western blot analysis and compared to an nibsc standard ha control ( fig2 ). on the day of the final harvest of the entire cell suspension ( 92 hours post - infection ), a cell debris clarification was performed in a continuous flow at 20 , 000 g using the powerfuge ™ separation system ( carr , j m separations ) according to the protocols provided by the manufacturer . clarified supernatant was then concentrated twenty - fold using a hollow fiber membrane cartridge of 500 kd cut - off ( a / g technology , jm separations ). the results depicted in fig2 show that the quantitative recovery of live influenza virus after concentration by hollow fiber as measured by hemagglutination and infectivity assays is very significant . to determine the immunogenicity of per . c6 - grown influenza viruses , an in vivo study and challenging model in ferrets was designed . two batches of trivalent whole - inactivated influenza vaccine ( composed of a / sydney / 5 / 97 , a / beijing / 262 / 95 and b / harbin / 7 / 94 ), containing 15 μg ha of each of the three strains , were used . the first batch was obtained from fertile hens &# 39 ; eggs and the second was obtained from per . c6 cells . production , purification , inactivation and formulation of the trivalent whole - inactivated per . c6 - derived influenza vaccines were performed as described below . production of all three influenza viral batches were performed in three separate 3 - liter hollow fiber fed - batch bioreactor systems with cell suspension volumes of 2 liters . fed - batch was performed with the addition of the following solution : a total volume of 96 ml containing 50 m / v % glucose ( npbi ), 50 × essential amino acids without gln ( gibco - brl - life technologies ), 200 mm glutamine ( gibco - brl - life technologies ) and 7 . 5 m / v % nahco 3 ( merck ) was added once . influenza infections were carried out at cell densities ranging from 1 . 8 × 10 6 to 2 . 6 × 10 6 viable cells / ml , in excell 525 serum - free medium containing 5 mg / ml trypsin - edta . per . c6 cells were inoculated with the per . c6 - grown a / sydney / 5 / 97 , a / beijing / 262 / 95 and b / harbin / 7 / 94 virus batches at different mois : 10 − 4 ( a / sydney / 5 / 97 ) or 10 − 3 ( a / beijing / 262 / 95 and b / harbin / 7 / 94 ) pfu / cell . during the virus production period , samples of 10 ml were taken every day to perform standard cell and viability counts , glucose concentration measurements , direct immunofluorescence and hemagglutination assays . fig2 ( results from the a / sydney / 5 / 97 - infected per . c6 cells ) shows the total and viability cell counts after infection with the virus ( upper left panel ), the glucose consumption ( upper right panel ), the percentage of positive cells in the direct immunofluorescence detection ( lower left panel ) and the haus ( lower right panel ). fig2 ( results from the a / beijing / 262 / 95 - infected per . c6 cells ) shows the total and viability cell counts after infection with the virus ( upper left panel ), the glucose consumption ( upper right panel ), the percentage of positive cells in the direct immunofluorescence detection ( lower left panel ) and the haus ( lower right panel ). fig2 ( results from the b / harbin / 7 / 94 - infected per . c6 cells ) shows the total and viability cell counts after infection with the virus ( upper left panel ), the glucose consumption ( upper right panel ), the percentage of positive cells in the direct immunofluorescence detection ( lower left panel ) and the haus ( lower right panel ). virus - containing concentrates were stored at − 80 ° c . until dsp . in all three cases , the glucose consumption , viability and total cell counts of the per . c6 cells were comparable . also , the production levels of the three viruses , as measured by direct immunofluorescence , were similar . although the hau and infectivity titers differed between different strains , per . c6 sustained replication of all influenza viruses that were tested here . on the day of harvest of the entire batch ( either at day 3 or at day 4 post - infection ), viral supernatants were clarified by centrifugation at 2000 rpm in a table top centrifuge and concentrated ten - fold by ultra - filtration using a hollow fiber membrane cartridge of 750 kd cut - off ( a / g technology , jm separations ) following the protocols provided by the manufacturer . influenza viruses were purified from the concentrated supernatants via two subsequent density centrifugation steps : a 25 - 70 % block sucrose gradient ( 1 . 5 hours at 27k ) followed by a continuous 25 - 70 % sucrose gradient ( four hours at 23k ). viral bands were diluted in approximately 50 ml of a phosphate buffer and finally pelleted at 24 , 000 rpm in an ultracentrifuge . viral pellets were dissolved in 1 . 5 to 2 . 3 ml of a phosphate buffer , aliquoted and frozen at − 80 ° c . the formulation of inactivated influenza vaccines is based on the amount ( in micrograms ) of the “ immunologically active ” ha protein , as measured by the srid assay ( wood et al . 1977 ). the test was performed to characterize the ha content of the batches . at the same time , total amount of proteins was measured using the lowry - based dc - protein assay kit ( biorad ) following the procedures suggested by the manufacturer . it was found that ha constitutes about 20 to 30 % of the total protein content of the virus preparation . in vivo immunogenicity of inactivated vaccines produced in eggs and on per . c6 ferrets and mice represent two well - established animal models for studying influenza infection and have been used to determine the efficacy and immunogenicity of influenza vaccines . using the mouse model test system , the immunogenicity produced by the per . c6 and egg - derived trivalent vaccines containing a / sydney / 5 / 97 , a / beijing / 262 / 95 and b / harbin / 7 / 94 are compared by analyzing sera of vaccinated animals by hemagglutination inhibition assay . using the ferret infection model , immunization is followed by a challenge with a / sydney / 5 / 97 . virus recovery on mdck cells and hemagglutination inhibition assay performed on the sera are used to compare the immunogenicity and efficacy of the two vaccines . ninety female balb / c mice are divided into nine groups of ten mice . on day 0 , up to 100 ml of blood is collected . the serum is separated and stored at − 20 ° c . each mouse is then vaccinated with the appropriate vaccine according to the schedule in table i . on day 28 , a further 100 ml of blood is taken . serum is stored at − 20 ° c . each mouse is again vaccinated according to the schedule in table i . on day 42 , a 100 ml blood sample is taken and all mice are sacrificed . serum is separated and frozen at − 20 ° c . hemagglutination inhibition ( hi ) assays are conducted on serum samples from day 0 , 28 and 42 . all these assays are conducted in parallel for each day for both egg - and cell - grown viruses . table i immunogenicity test in mice . vacci - total group antigen immunization nation mg ha number type volume ( ml ) route per dose 1 egg trivalent 0 . 5 s . c . 9 . 0 whole virion 2 egg trivalent 0 . 5 s . c . 3 . 0 whole virion 3 egg trivalent 0 . 5 s . c . 1 . 5 whole virion 4 egg trivalent 0 . 5 s . c . 0 . 15 whole virion 5 per . c6 trivalent 0 . 5 s . c . 9 . 0 whole virion 6 per . c6 trivalent 0 . 5 s . c . 3 . 0 whole virion 7 per . c6 trivalent 0 . 5 s . c . 1 . 5 whole virion 8 per . c6 trivalent 0 . 5 s . c . 0 . 15 whole virion 9 pbs 0 . 5 s . c . 0 eighteen adult female ferrets ( albino or polecat ) were divided in three groups of six divided as follows : group 1 received the egg - derived test vaccine intramuscularly ( im ), the animals were challenged with a / sydney / 5 / 97 . group 2 received the per . c6 - derived test vaccine im , the animals were challenged with a / sydney / 5 / 97 . group 3 received the test vaccine diluent only and were challenged with a / sydney / 5 / 97 . on days 0 and 28 , the test vaccines were administered . on day 56 , all the ferrets were infected intranasally with 0 . 5 ml of the a / sydney / 5 / 97 challenge virus at tcid 50 10 3 . nasal washes were performed and inflammatory cell counts , temperature and weights of the ferrets were monitored once daily from day 57 to 63 . all animals were sacrificed on day 63 . serum was separated and stored at − 20 ° c . the nasal wash samples were stored on ice and a nasal wash recovery cell count was performed using trypan blue exclusion assay . the titer of the virus obtained from the nasal wash samples was determined by measuring the virus recovery on mdck cells . the spearman and karber ( 1931 ) calculation was used to calculate tcid 50 values . hemagglutination inhibition analyses were conducted on serum samples taken on day 0 , 28 , 56 and 63 . from this experiment , it was concluded that the per . c6 - derived test vaccine was effective . characterization of ha protein derived from influenza virus produced on per . c6 in order to study the glycosylation of ha in per . c6 cells , a batch of uncleaved ha ( ha0 ) was generated . per . c6 cells were infected with virus a / sydney / 5 / 97 ( passage number 5 on per . c6 ) at mois of 1 , 0 . 1 and 0 . 01 pfu / cell in excell 525 medium containing trypsin - edta at the final concentration of 5 mg / ml . after one hour of incubation at 35 ° c ., cells were washed twice with pbs to remove trypsin and incubated o / n at 35 ° c . and 10 % co 2 , in the absence of trypsin . the next day , cell suspensions were harvested and centrifuged ( 500 g ) and cell pellets were washed twice with medium . viral supernatants were frozen at − 80 ° c . and samples thereof were used in western blot assays as described to investigate the presence or absence of uncleaved ha protein . uncleaved ha protein ( ha0 ) consists of the two subunits : ha1 and ha2 , that are connected via a disulfide bond . since this disulfide bond can be disrupted by reduction with dtt , ha1 and ha2 can be separated and visualized on a reducing gel followed by western blots using antisera that recognize the subunits . if the ha protein consists only of ha0 , one band will be visible that migrates slower through an sds / page gel as compared to the ha1 subunit and the fastest migrating ha2 subunit . the results shown in fig2 suggest the presence of mainly uncleaved ha0 from per . c6 infections when compared to the egg - derived positive control that was obtained from the nibsc ( uk ). to confirm that the band detected was indeed uncleaved hemagglutinin , an ha0 sample was digested with different concentrations of trypsin ranging from 2 . 5 to 10 μg / ml in medium o / n at 37 ° c . the digested proteins were then loaded under reducing conditions on an sds / page gel followed by western blot analysis using the same antisera as described for fig1 . as shown in fig2 a , cleavage of the ha0 could be achieved , confirming the generation of uncleaved ha protein on per . c6 . based on these results , an assay to determine trypsin activity in culture medium , using influenza ha0 as substrate is developed . to determine whether trypsin , present in the culture medium of an influenza production run is still active , a trypsin activity assay has been developed . this assay is based on the measurement of the enzymatic activity of trypsin to cleave the substrate that is most relevant for influenza vaccine production : the ha0 . it was determined whether , in a culture of per . c6 inoculated with influenza b / harbin / 7 / 94 ( moi 10 − 3 / 10 − 4 pfu / cell ), the trypsin remained active over the entire production run . to this end , 10 μl of supernatant taken at day 1 , 2 and 3 post - infection were used to cleave 68 ng of the substrate that consisted of ha0 of influenza a sydney / 5 / 97 virus , o / n at 37 ° c . following digestion , protease inhibitors were added to a final concentration of 1 × ( complete protease inhibitor cocktail , boehringer mannheim ) in 3 × laemli buffer with 150 mm dtt ( fluka ). the samples were loaded on a 10 % tris - hcl sds / page gel ( biorad ) and run . the western blot was performed as described . the results are shown in fig2 b , and demonstrate that in cultures of per . c6 inoculated with influenza b / harbin virus , trypsin remained active during the entire production run as culture supernatants were able to cleave ha0 completely . the influenza virus ha protein is a glycoprotein that contains three to nine n - linked glycosylation oligosaccharide sites . the number of sites depends on the virus strain . the location of these sites is determined by the nucleotide sequence of the ha gene and since the viral genome of influenza is replicated by an error - prone rna polymerase , mutations that generate the addition or removal of glycosylation sites occur at high frequency . the composition and structure of the oligosaccharide chains present on the ha is then determined by the array of biosynthetic and trimming glycosylation enzymes provided by the host cell . since glycosylation of ha plays an important role in virulence and vaccine efficacy , the properties of ha produced on influenza infected per . c6 was investigated . a digestion of a / sydney / 5 / 97 uncleaved ha0 protein with the n - glycosydase f enzyme was performed using protocols provided by the manufacturer to remove the seven oligosaccharides expected to be present on the a / sydney / 5 / 97 ha polypeptide . influenza a / sydney / 5 / 97 was lysed with 1 % triton x - 100 ( merck ). protease inhibitor was added to an aliquot of this lysed virus corresponding to 68 ng of ha , to a final concentration of 1 × ( complete protease inhibitor cocktail boehringer mannheim ). this sample was incubated in the presence of 100 mm napo 4 ph 7 , 10 mm edta ( j . t . baker ), 1 % sds ( j . t . baker ) and 1 % b - mercaptoethanol ( merck ). this was incubated for ten minutes at room temperature . the sample was diluted five times in mm napo 4 ph 7 , 10 mm edta ( j . t . baker ), 0 . 625 % np - 40 and 1 % b - mercaptoethanol ( merck ). of this , 40 μl was used for the glyco - f digestion . for this , 2 μl 1 u / μl of glyco - f ( n - glycosidase f , boehringer ) was added and incubated for a minimum period of 16 hours at 37 ° c . then 3 × laemli buffer with 150 mm dtt ( fluka ) was added to a final concentration of 1 ×. the samples were run on a 7 . 5 % sds / page gel . the sds - page and western blot were performed as follows . in brief , the blot was blocked for 30 minutes at room temperature with block solution ( 5 % nonfat dry milk powder , biorad in tbst supplemented with 1 % rabbit serum ( rockland ) followed by three washes with tbst . then , the blot was incubated with the anti - a / sydney / 5 / 97 ha antiserum ( 98 / 768 nibsc ) diluted 1 / 500 in 1 % bsa / tbst with 5 % rabbit serum ( rockland ) overnight at room temperature . again , the blot was washed eight times with tbst . finally , the blot was incubated with the rabbit anti - sheep antiserum - hrp - labeled ( rockland ) 1 / 6000 diluted in block solution for one hour at room temperature . after eight washes with tbst , the protein - conjugate complex was visualized with ecl ( amersham pharmacia biotech ) and films ( hyperfilm , amersham life science ) were exposed . as shown in fig2 , treatment with the glycosidase - f enzyme clearly reduced the size of the protein with approximately 28 - 30 kd , being approximately the predicted loss of about 4 kd per oligosaccharide . the protein band depicted with an asterisk (*) is the de - glycosylated ha0 that migrates similarly to the ha1 subunit product obtained after cleavage of ha0 into ha1 and ha2 subunits ( right lanes ). the possibility of replacing the mammalian - derived trypsin - edta with non - mammalian or recombinant proteins was investigated . recently , a mixture of proteolytic and collagenolytic enzymes ( accutase ™, paa ) from invertebrate species became available for routine cell culture . due to its non - mammalian source , accutase is free of prions , parvovirus , and other components that potentially can contaminate trypsin - edta solutions . no information regarding the type of proteases present in accutase could be obtained to date . the cleavage of ha0 was studied using western blot analysis . a constant amount of ha0 protein , obtained by per . c6 infected with a / sydney / 5 / 97 at an moi 1 pfu per cell without trypsin , was digested with serial dilutions of accutase , o / n at 37 ° c . as a positive control , the same amount of ha0 digested with 100 ng of trypsin - edta was used . the digested proteins were then loaded on a 10 % sds - page gel , under reducing conditions , for western blot analysis . as shown in fig2 , digestion with 2 ml of accutase treatment resulted in complete cleavage of ha0 ; partial cleavage was observed using 0 . 2 ml . these results suggest that treatment with accutase during influenza replication and production can replace trypsin - edta during influenza infections on per . c6 . transmission electron microscopy studies were done on per . c6 cells that were infected with the influenza strain a / sydney / 5 / 97 , as well as on viral - containing supernatants and sucrose purified material , to determine the phenotype of this influenza virus produced on per . c6 . all methods that were used are well known to persons skilled in the art . fig2 shows that the last stages of the virus life cycle are represented by budding and release of enveloped virions from the cytoplasmic membrane . spikes corresponding to the ha and na viral proteins were detected , ornamenting the periphery of the virion particles . the figure also shows the characteristic pleiomorphism of influenza viruses . infection of per . c6 with a large variety of influenza a and b virus strains the use of per . c6 as a platform technology for the production of influenza vaccine would preferably require per . c6 to support the growth of a wide range of strains of different influenza subtypes . static suspension cultures of per . c6 cells that were grown in t25 flasks and / or in six - well plates in excell 525 medium , were infected at a cell density of 10 6 cells / ml with 16 different strains of influenza viruses ( fig3 a ). these strains comprised several h3n2 , h1n1 , b type and avian strains . infections were performed in the presence of 5 μg / ml of trypsin . the viruses were obtained from nibsc as egg - passaged wt or reassortant strains and are noted . infection was performed with a virus dilution recommended by the nibsc in the product sheets that were delivered with the different strains . all viruses tested were capable of propagation on per . c6 as visualized by immunofluorescence ( data not shown ) and titration of supernatant fluids in pfu assay ( fig3 b ). these results show that even influenza strains ( depicted by an asterisk ), such as a / johannesburg / 33 / 94 , b / beijing / 184 / 93 and a / duck / singapore - q / f119 - 3 / 97 , which are normally very difficult to produce on embryonated eggs , can replicate and be produced on per . c6 cells . generation of herpes simplex type 1 ( hsv - 1 ) virus , herpes simplex type 2 ( hsv - 2 ) virus and measles virus on per . c6 it was tested whether viruses other than influenza virus and adenovirus , for example , herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 and measles virus , could also replicate on per . c6 . vaccines that are derived from these per . c6 - grown viruses and that induce neutralizing effects in humans for protection against wt infections , are generated from the per . c6 - grown virus batches . the strains that were obtained from atcc and used for infection of per . c6 cells are depicted in table ii . the atcc and that were used for infection of per . c6 cells . to test whether hsv - 1 , hsv - 2 and measles viruses obtained from the atcc could replicate and be produced on per . c6 , passage number 46 cells were seeded in labtek chambers , coated with poly - l - lysine using known methods , at 10 5 cells / well . monkey - derived vero cells ( obtained from atcc ) were cultured at passage number 137 and were used as positive controls and seeded at a density of 2 . 5 × 10 4 cells / well . at day 0 , when wells with per . c6 cells were 60 % and vero cells 80 % confluent , cells were infected with different mois ( 10 − 3 , 10 − 2 , 10 − 1 and 1 tcid 50 per cell ). at daily intervals upon infection , cells were fixed and assayed in immunofluorescence using fitc - conjugated type - specific monoclonal antibodies using a kit ( imagen herpes simplex virus ( hsv ) type 1 and 2 , dako - and fitc - conjugated antibodies against the ha and matrix protein of measles virus ( measles ifa kit , light diagnostics ), following the procedures suggested by the manufacturer . the antisera are directed against hsv - 1 and - 2 and measles virus antigens . the results summarized in fig3 show that per . c6 is permissive for hsv - 1 ( fig3 , portion d ), hsv - 2 ( fig3 , portion e ) and measles virus ( fig3 , portion a ) infections . furthermore , the kinetics suggest that these viruses replicate on per . c6 in an moi - dependent manner . next , it was investigated whether hsv - 1 , - 2 and measles virus could be propagated on per . c6 . to this end , cells were infected with moi of 0 . 01 , 0 . 1 and 1 tcid 50 / cell for hsv - 1 ( fig3 lower portion ) and hsv - 2 ( fig3 upper portion ) and an moi of 0 . 001 tcid 50 / cell for measles virus ( fig3 middle portion ) ( passage number 1 ). at the occurrence of almost complete cpe , cells and supernatants were harvested , quickly frozen in liquid n 2 , and thawed . after this , clarified supernatants were passaged blindly using approximately 100 μl to per . c6 ( this is passage number 2 ). after reaching almost complete cpe again , a third passage ( passage number 3 ) was performed in a similar manner . the mois of the passage number 2 and 3 were determined in retrospect by tcid 50 assays . the results of these experiments show that herpes simplex virus type 1 and - 2 and measles viruses can be replicated on per . c6 and that replication and propagation can even occur when mois as low as 10 − 7 are used . to test whether per . c6 could also support the replication of a rotavirus , per . c6 cells were infected with a rhesus rotavirus ( mmu 18006 ; atcc # vr - 954 ; strain s : usa : 79 : 2 ; lot # 2181153 ). per . c6 cells ( passage number 41 ) were cultured at a density of 1 × 10 5 per ml and monkey - derived vero cells ( obtained from atcc , passage number 139 ) were cultured at a density of 2 . 5 × 10 4 per ml and subsequently seeded in labtek chambers that had been pre - coated with poly - l - lysine as previously identified . cells were infected with an moi of 1 tcid 50 / cell of rhesus rotavirus in the presence and absence of 2 μg / ml of trypsin - edta . after 90 minutes of infection , cells were washed with excell 525 medium and further incubated at 37 ° c . at 10 % co 2 in a humidified atmosphere . on five consecutive days following infection , samples of supernatants were harvested , clarified from cells and cell debris by centrifugation at 2000 rpm in a table top centrifuge and analyzed in an elisa specific for rotavirus ( ideia rotavirus , dako ). the results depicted in fig3 clearly show that rhesus rotavirus replicates on per . c6 . although the invention has been described with a particular amount of detail and with respect to particular examples , the scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims . bachmayer h . selective solubilization of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase from influenza virus . intervirology 1975 ; 5 : 260 - 272 . brands r ., a . m . palache , and g . j . m . van scharrenburg . madin darby canine kidney ( mdck )- cells for the production of inactivated influenza subunit vaccine . safety characteristics and clinical results in the elderly . in : brown l . e ., e . w . hampson , r . g . webster , editors . option for the control of influenza iii . amsterdam elsevier , 1996 . p . 683 - 693 . brands r ., a . m . palache , and g . j . m . van scharrenburg . development of influenza subunit vaccine produced using mammalian cell culture technology . in m . j . t . carrondo , b . griffths , j . l . p . moreira , editors . animal cell technology : from vaccines to genetic medicine . dordrecht : kluwer academic publishers , 1997 : 165 - 167 . gubareva l . v ., j . m . wood , w . j . meyer , j . m . katz , j . s . robertson , d . major , and r . g . webster . co - dominant mixtures of viruses in strains of influenza virus due to host cell variation . virol . 1994 ; 199 : 89 - 97 . govorkova e . a ., m . n . matrosovich , a . b . tuzikov , n . v . bovin , c . gerdil , b . fanget , and r . g . webster . selection of receptor - binding variants of human influenza a and b viruses in baby hamster kidney cells . virology 1999 15 ; 262 ( 1 ): 31 - 8 herrero - euribe l . et al . replication of influenza a and b viruses in human diploid cells . j . gen . virol . 1983 ; 64 : 471 - 475 . karber g . beitrag zur kollektiven behandlung pharmakologischer reihenversuche . exp . pathol . pharmakol . 1931 ; 162 , 480 - 483 . kodihalli s ., d . m . justewicz , l . v . gubareva , and r . g . webster . selection of a single amino acid substitution in the hemagglutinin molecule by chicken eggs can render influenza a virus ( h3 ) candidate vaccine ineffective . j . virol . 1995 ; 69 : 4888 - 4897 . kirstner o ., k . muller , and c . scholtissek . differential phosphorylatian of the nucleoprotein of influenza a viruses . j . gen . virol . 1998 ; 70 : 2421 - 2431 . marsha a . et al . pharmacotherapy 19 ( 11 ): 1279 - 1295 , 1999 : rotavirus disease and its prevention in infants and children . murphy b . r . and r . g . webster . orthomyxoviruses . in : fields virology , chapter 46 , 1397 . eds . b . n . fields , d . m . knipe , and p . m . howley , et al ., lippincott - raven publishers , philadelphia 1996 . newman r . w ., r . jenning , d . l . major , j . s . robertson , r . jenkins , c . w . potter , i . burnett , l . jewes , m . anders , d . jackson , and j . s . oxford . immune response of human volunteers and animals to vaccination with egg grown influenza a ( h1n1 ) virus is influenced by three amino acid substitutions in the hemagglutinin molecule . vaccine 1993 ; 11 : 400 - 406 . palache a . m ., r . brands , and g . j . m . van scharrenburg . immunogenecity and reactogenecity of influenza subunit vaccines produced in mdck cells or fertilized chicken eggs . j . infect . dis . 1977 ; 176 : s20 - s23 . robertson j . s ., p . cook , c . nicolson , r . newman , and j . m . wood . mixed populations in influenza vaccine strains . vaccine 1994 ; 12 : 1317 - 1320 . robertson j . s ., j . s . bootman , c . nicolson , d . major , e . w . robertson , and j . m . wood . the hemagglutinin of influenza b virus present in clinical material is a single species identical to that of mammalian cell - grown virus . virol . 1990 ; 179 : 35 - 40 robertson j . s ., j . s . bootman , r . newman , j . s . oxford , r . s . daniels , r . g . webster , and g . c . schild . structural changes in the hemagglutinin which accompany egg adaptation of an influenza a ( h1n1 ) virus . virol . 1987 ; 160 : 31 - 37 . schild g . c ., j . s . oxford , j . c . de jong , and r . g . webster . evidence for host - cell selection of influenza virus antigenic variants . nature 1983 ; 303 : 706 - 709 . schulman j . l ., and p . palese . virulence factors of influenza a viruses : wsn virus neuraminidase required for plaque production in mdbk cells . j . virol . 1977 ; 24 : 170 - 176 . sugiara a ., and m . ueda . neurovirulence of influenza virus in mice . i . neurovirulence of recombinants between virulent and avirulent virus strains . virol . 1980 ; 101 : 440 - 449 , 495 , 271 . tobita k ., a . sugiura , c . enomoto , and m . furuyama . plaque assay and primary isolation of influenza a viruses in an established line of canine kidney cells ( mdck ) in the presence of trypsin . med . microbiol . immunol . 1975 ; 162 : 9 - 14 . williams s . p ., and j . s . robertson . analysis of restriction to the growth of non - egg - adapted human influenza in eggs . virol . 1993 ; 196 : 660665 . wood j . m ., g . c . schild , r . w . newmann , and v . seagroatt . application of an improved single - radial - immunodiffusion technique for the assay of hemagglutinin antigen content of whole virus and subunit influenza vaccines . dev . biol . stand . 1977 1 - 3 ; 39 : 193 - 20 . | 0 |
the following detailed description is of example embodiments of the presently claimed invention with references to the accompanying drawings . such description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting with respect to the scope of the present invention . such embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the subject invention , and it will be understood that other embodiments may be practiced with some variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject invention . throughout the present disclosure , absent a clear indication to the contrary from the context , it will be understood that individual circuit elements as described may be singular or plural in number . for example , the terms “ circuit ” and “ circuitry ” may include either a single component or a plurality of components , which are either active and / or passive and are connected or otherwise coupled together ( e . g ., as one or more integrated circuit chips ) to provide the described function . additionally , the term “ signal ” may refer to one or more currents , one or more voltages , or a data signal . within the drawings , like or related elements will have like or related alpha , numeric or alphanumeric designators . further , while the present invention has been discussed in the context of implementations using discrete electronic circuitry ( preferably in the form of one or more integrated circuit chips ), the functions of any part of such circuitry may alternatively be implemented using one or more appropriately programmed processors , depending upon the signal frequencies or data rates to be processed . moreover , to the extent that the figures illustrate diagrams of the functional blocks of various embodiments , the functional blocks are not necessarily indicative of the division between hardware circuitry . a per is typically selected as a value where dut performance becomes sufficiently impacted to negatively affect the desired level of dut performance . however , by knowing the performance curve , i . e ., the packet error rate has a function of data packet signal power , one can use a different per value and extrapolate back to a desired per value . for example , a per of 50 % occurs at a point on the modulation curve ( per vs data packet signal envelope power ) where the slope of the function is usually greatest , as a result of which there are greater changes in measured per over the same change in data packet signal power variations than at the point on the function corresponding to a 10 % per . this will ensure that the tested per has high sensitivity to signal power variation . further , when starting from the 50 % per point , larger variations in per will occur for smaller variations in data packet signal power . as a result , fewer test data packets are needed , statistically , to determine a per with good testing accuracy . plus , fewer test data packets required translates to less testing time . having the 50 % per point available also enables tracking of manufacturing variations at least as well as the 10 % per point , since changes in dut performance will become evident more quickly . this is in contrast to retrieving a per rate at a data packet signal power level slightly higher than the sensitivity point . testing at the 50 % point will allow tracking of the influence of noise figure and other parameters . in contrast thereto , testing at a 0 % per point will indicate only that performance is better than certain desired level . as discussed in more detail below , in accordance with the presently claimed invention , the data packet signal power where a 50 % per occurs can be determined , thereby allowing , in conjunction with such value and the modulation curve for a dut , the dut &# 39 ; s prescribed sensitivity point to be determined more accurately . the 50 % per point represents a value that can be tracked during manufacturing and allow for easy extraction of a prescribed sensitivity point ( e . g . 10 %) by simply offsetting the 50 % per point . such offset can be obtained by a one - time characterization of the dut through traditional per sweep testing , where the traditional per measurement is implemented for many consecutive data packet signal power levels and a per versus data packet signal power level curve is extracted . an additional benefit is realized by the use of confirmation packets ( e . g ., acknowledgment , or “ ack ”, data packets ) in response to test data packets , thereby providing immediate feedback on each data packet being correctly received by the dut . hence , in accordance with the presently claimed invention , the 50 % per point can be found and used for tracking changes to the performance of a dut over time and to determine whether the dut meets a standard - prescribed sensitivity metric . further , by using confirmation data packets , it can be determined in real time whether a data packet has been correctly received . a one - time test can be performed at a prescribed sensitivity point after which the power level offset between such sensitivity point and the 50 % per point can be found . thereafter , when testing similar duts , such offset from the power level for the 50 % per point can be used to determine if the dut meets or exceeds the prescribed sensitivity point , as well as accurately track performance drift of the manufactured devices over time using variations about the 50 % per point . referring to fig1 , a typical testing environment for testing sensitivity of a data packet transceiver in accordance with the presently claimed invention includes a tester 10 coupled to a dut 20 via a signal path 22 c . the tester 10 includes one or more signal sources ( not shown ), such as one more vector signal generators ( vsg ), and signal analysis circuitry ( not shown ), such as a vector signal analyzer ( vsa ), to provide a receive signal 22 r in the form of a test data packet signal and to receive a dut transmit signal 22 t in the form of a return data packet signal , respectively . this signal path 22 c is typically a conductive signal path , e . g ., in the form of a radio frequency ( rf ) cable and connectors . referring to fig2 , an alternative testing environment can include a wireless signal path 22 w via which the receive 22 r and transmit 22 t data packet signals are conveyed by way of radiated electromagnetic energy using one more antennas 24 t coupled to the tester 10 and another one or more antennas 24 d coupled to the dut 20 . when testing a wireless transceiver or receiver to determine whether it meets or exceeds a sensitivity metric ( e . g ., as is often required by the underlining standard to which the dut is intended to adhere ), it is typically necessary to find a power level where one in ten of the detected data packets results in no confirmation data packet due to a disagreement between packet data and an appended check sum . in other words , one in ten detected data packets fails to be received correctly by the dut receiver . where a standard specification calls for a maximum per of 10 %, the tester 10 ( fig1 and 2 ) typically sends a number of test data packets and compares that number to how many data packets are correctly received based on the number of confirmation data packets that are returned by the dut 20 . with a per of 10 %, it becomes necessary to send a relatively large number of data packets before a variation in per measurements falls within the bounds of the standard - prescribed tolerances . further , because the slope of the modulation curve about the 10 % per point is approaching zero ( horizontal ), a small increase in signal power can push the measured per to 0 % while providing little or no additional useful information as power levels increase further . alternatively , it can be beneficial to find the power level where the per is 50 %, at which point changes in per are more sensitive to changes in power level , and there are greater ranges of per values on either side of that point , i . e ., at lower and higher power levels . consequently , a greater range of per values can be measured as the power level increases or decreases from that at which the per is 50 %. for example , whereas at the 10 % per point , increases in signal power , regardless of how large , can only cause the per to decrease to 0 %, i . e ., a change of 10 %, starting from the 50 % per point allows power increases to cause the per to also decrease to 0 %, but now resulting in a 50 % per change . accordingly , significantly more useful information about performance variations can be obtained when testing is centered about the 50 % per point rather than being centered about the 10 % per point . further , since the per curve is steep about the 50 % per point , often significantly more so than that about the 10 % per point , using fewer data packets for equivalent statistical testing accuracy will not impact results significantly , so extrapolation becomes simpler . advantageously , a variety of approaches , or algorithms , can be applied to adjust test signal power up or down , depending upon the confirmation data packet response of the dut to a set of test data packet signals , thereby converging to the 50 % per point . following an initial test on a dut model running a comprehensive 0 - 100 % per test , it can be determined which measured power level should be used to offset the power level measured later for the 50 % per point . accordingly , future testing need only measure the 50 % per point , from which the offset may be applied to extract a prescribed sensitivity point . referring to fig3 , as is well - known to one skilled in the art , the modulation curve 32 of the dut ( per as a function of signal power ) includes per values at a signal power 34 a where no packets are received correctly ( per = 100 %), as well as values 34 b where all packets are received correctly ( per = 0 %). however , this curve 32 is non - linear . at the point 34 c where the per is 50 %, per variation with signal power variation is generally at its sharpest . thus , the test signal power can be increased or decreased above and below the 50 % per point 34 c while measuring a range of per values of 50 % to 0 % and 50 % to 100 %, respectively . however , at a prescribed sensitivity point 34 d of 10 % per , very little additional power will drive the dut to a 0 % per , with further increases in power yielding no further useful per information . further , since the curve 32 is less steep ( lower slope ) at these points , more test data packets are required to collect a more statistically accurate number of confirmation data packets for the per at each power level . in other words , since most packets may be received , small numbers of data packets not received can significantly alter the reported per at a given input level , unless a large number of data packets is used for testing . referring to fig4 , in accordance with exemplary embodiments , determining the 50 % per point can be done as depicted . initially , testing begins 41 at a power level at which the 50 % per point is expected to be found . this includes sending some number x of test data packets 42 ( e . g ., one or more , and fixed or dynamically variable with each test loop ) and counting the confirmation data packets received in return , with the results being stored 43 as desired . ( among other test parameters , the signal power level at which the test data packets are transmitted can also be stored , e . g ., for keeping track of the number of times specific test data packet signal power levels have been used .) it is then determined 44 whether more than half of the data packets that have been sent have been correctly received . if more than half of the packets have been correctly received , the test to signal power is decreased 45 . if less than half of the data packets have been correctly received , the signal power is increased 46 . the signal power increases and decreases can be fixed at equal or different values , or variable together or independently , e . g ., with each test loop . ( the number of test data packets and size ( s ) of power increases and decreases are the primary factors affecting efficiency and accuracy of this test sequence , e . g ., with larger power increases and decreases allowing for faster convergence to 50 % per but with some loss in accuracy . current tests using one test data packet and 0 . 25 db power increases and decreases have produced good testing performance .) it is then determined 47 whether a 50 % per point can be derived from the results obtained so far , e . g ., either measured directly or computed by extrapolation . ( for example , if the collected test data includes 48 % and 52 % per values at test data packet signal power levels of p1 and p2 , an extrapolated 50 % per can be computed as the power level pe halfway between p1 and p2 , i . e ., pe =( p1 + p2 )/ 2 .) if so , the test is complete 48 . if not the previous steps are repeated . referring to fig5 , as a result of the testing operations 40 ( fig4 ), the effects on the test data packets and confirmation data packets can be depicted as shown . for example , during an initial time interval 52 , a set of test data packets 53 r is sent at an initially low power level , resulting in a number of return data packets 53 t indicative of a per of greater than 50 %. during a subsequent time interval 54 , test data packets 55 r are sent at a higher power level , resulting in confirmation data packets indicative of a per of 0 %. during the next time interval 56 , the test data packets 57 r are sent at an incrementally lower power level , resulting in confirmation data packets 57 t indicative of a per greater than 50 %. during the next time interval 58 , test data packets 59 r are sent at a incrementally higher power level , resulting in confirmation data packets 59 t now indicative of a 50 % per . as a will be readily recognized by one skilled in the art , the number of data packets 53 r , 55 r , 57 r , 59 r sent at each power level , their specific power levels , and the incremental changes in power levels ( in terms of magnitude and direction ) can vary with the specific testing algorithm used ( e . g ., in accordance with the general test flow depicted in fig4 ). referring to fig6 , an example of 1 , 000 test runs in accordance with an exemplary algorithm with a randomly chosen starting test data packet signal power level can produce results as shown . the test runs depicted here are test runs 1 , 30 , 88 , . . .. in each case , the starting power levels 62 ultimately resulted in an estimated sensitivity point 64 that converged at − 72 db for the power level corresponding to 50 % per after 100 - 200 test data packets have been sent in accordance with the selected sets and power levels of the algorithm . referring to fig7 , in accordance with another exemplary algorithm , another 1 , 000 test runs having different sets of test data packets and signal power increments 72 again resulted in convergence 74 at a power level of − 72 db as the power level producing a 50 % per . in this example , the number of tested data packets 6 per test run varied from less than 100 data packets to less than 140 data packets . a number of test data packets needed can be determined by the exit condition 47 of the exemplary algorithm depicted in fig4 . referring to fig8 , exemplary circuitry 110 for controlling signal envelope power of the data packet signal 111 provided by the tester 110 ( fig1 and 2 ) includes a power amplifier 112 with controllable ( e . g ., programmable ) signal gain 113 and control circuitry 114 for providing one or more control signals 115 to establish , vary and otherwise control the signal gain 113 . ( as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art , the controllable gain 113 can be implemented in at least two forms : variable gain circuitry as part of the amplifier circuitry 112 ; or variable attenuator circuitry ( not shown ) following the amplifier circuitry 112 , thereby allowing scaling of the output signal 22 r power while allowing the amplifier circuitry 112 to maintain a constant signal power .) as a result , the dut receive signal 22 r provided by the tester 10 using this amplifier 112 provides data packets having variable power levels , e . g ., as depicted in fig5 . for example , as further depicted in fig8 , the power levels of the data packets 53 r , 55 r , 57 r , 59 r during the time intervals 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 can be represented as shown . these relative signal levels of the control signal 115 represent the relative data packet signal power levels . the control circuitry 114 can be implemented in many ways well known to those skilled in the art . for example , data corresponding to the instructions for generating the appropriate control signals 115 can be stored in various forms of memory circuitry known in the art , and processed using digital processing or logic circuitry , such as a field programmable gate array ( fpga ), among many others known in the art , to implement algorithms for increasing and decreasing data packet signal power , e . g ., in accordance with sensitivity testing methods such as that depicted in fig4 and discussed above . as discussed above , once a 50 % per point is determined , different per points can then be extracted , including a standard - prescribed sensitivity point , by having first found an offset power value for the per point of interest and then applying such offset 35 ( fig3 ) to the power value resulting in 50 % per . additionally , such testing can also be used to track changes in sensitivity of a particular dut model over a period of time . using a 50 % per or the extracted sensitivity point , as opposed to using a per at a fixed power level , enables improved tracking of performance variations during manufacturing . in most cases , a per near 0 % prevents discovery of smaller changes in device performance , whereas a 50 % per point reveals changes quickly . various other modifications and alternations in the structure and method of operation of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention . although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments , it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments . it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the present invention and that structures and methods within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby . | 7 |
with reference to embodiments , the implementation and characteristics of the invention are described in details below , so that the spirit and effects of the invention can be more accurately understood . the embodiments are exemplary and not intended to limit the implementation scope of the invention . referring to fig1 , a integrated process for processing heavy oil provided in an embodiment of the invention is described in the followings : prefractionation of the heavy oil feedstock is firstly carried out . it can be subjected to atmospheric distillation or atmospheric / vacuum distillation according to the properties of oil feedstock , with the cut point temperature of distillates of 350 - 565 ° c . the oil feedstock is distilled in an atmospheric distillation tower 1 or a vacuum distillation tower 2 . the distillate oil is discharged from the top of the distillation tower . the substances from the bottom of the distillation tower are mixed with a main solvent ( an extraction mixer 3 can be arranged here ) as feed material and , then , enters into an extraction tower 4 to separate de - asphalted oil and asphalt phase . the asphalt phase is further extracted by an auxiliary solvent added from the bottom of the extraction tower 4 if desirable . the de - asphalted oil which is extracted during the second extraction is discharged from the top of the extraction tower . the obtained de - oiled asphalt including the extraction solvent is discharged from the bottom of the extraction tower , and mixed with a dispersing solvent in a transfer pipeline , and enters into a thermal cracking tower 6 to conduct thermal reaction . the prefractionation of the heavy oil feedstock may not be a necessary step , and whether conducting the prefractionation depends on the properties of the feedstock . for example , a heavy oil feedstock which does not contain lower than 350 ° c . distillate can omit the prefractionation of atmospheric distillation / vacuum distillation and be directly subjected to with the solvent deasphalting process as the feed material of the extraction tower 4 . the other conditions are that : the atmospheric distillation 1 and the vacuum distillation 2 also can be selectively used according to the properties of the feedstock oil ; that is , only the atmospheric distillation , or only vacuum distillation , or both of the two processes are carried out . the de - oiled asphalt discharged from the bottom of the extraction tower without separating the solvent is directly introduced into thermal cracking 6 after being mixed with a proper dispersing solvent . as there is certain pressure in the extraction tower 4 , the discharged asphalt enters into thermal cracking tower 6 in the form of mist spray . with good flowability and dispersing properties , the asphalt is dispersed in the thermal cracking tower 6 ( it is also called as a thermal cracking reactor ) in the form of liquid droplets and mixed with high - temperature media , with the heat of which , the de - oiled asphalt undergoes thermal reaction and reaction products are obtained . the solvents ( comprising extraction solvent and dispersing solvent ) entering into the thermal cracking tower 6 together with the asphalt are evaporized and flow out of the thermal cracking tower together with the thermal reaction products . the coke produced through the thermal reaction is discharged from the bottom of the thermal cracking reactor , and the reaction products flow out of the top of the thermal cracking tower and are transported into a separator 7 to carry out heat - exchange condensing separation . at the same time , part of the heavy oil feedstock ( for a process where atmospheric distillation / vacuum distillation is not carried out ), or part of substances from the bottom of the distillation tower that have been subjected to distillate cut is routed the separator 7 . the reaction products are absorbed at the bottom . the circulation amount of the heavy oil feedstock or the substances from the distillation bottom of the tower , or directly from the feedstock is controlled . the heavy gas oil in the reaction products is separated , circulated , mixed with the feed material and recycled back to the extraction tower 4 , thus extracting and removing impurities such as asphaltene , heavy resin and so on ( these impurities enter the thermal cracking tower together with the asphalt phase and eventually discharged together with the coke ). the oil components produced in the thermal reaction are also further extracted into the de - asphalted oil . gas , solvent and thermal cracking oil with the boiling point lower than 450 ° c . are obtained after the remaining thermal reaction products further go through heat exchange , condensation and separation . the gas is separated and purified , the sulfurous gas ( for example , h 2 s ) is recovered as gas products , and the purified gas is discharged . the solvent discharged together with the thermal cracking reaction products is cooled , separated , discharged out of the separator 7 and recycled back to the solvent deasphalting process to be recycled . the thermal cracking oil is discharged from the bottom of the separator 7 . the de - asphalted oil discharged from the top of the extraction tower 4 enters a supercritical solvent recycling device 5 and undergoes supercritical separation and then steam stripping to recover extraction solvent contained therein , and the extraction solvent is recycled back to the solvent deasphalting process to be recycled . the supercritical separation with which the extraction solvent is recovered is controlled under the condition that the density of the solvent is 0 . 15 - 0 . 20 g / cm 3 . the purpose of the supercritical separation process is to purify the de - asphalted oil and fully recover the extraction solvent at the same time . the distillate oil , the de - asphalted oil and the thermal cracking oil , which are formed through the abovementioned processes , are mixed to form the upgraded oil provided in the invention . compared with the heavy oil feedstock , the api of the upgraded oil is significantly increased , and the quality and flowablilty are greatly improved . according to the design requirements , the mixed proportions of the respective oil components can be changed , thus realizing the flexible adjustment and control for the upgraded oil . or the destination of the distillate oil components can be changed , thus , part or all of the distillate oil components also can independently be taken as oil feedstock for subsequent refining processes and not mixed into the upgraded oil . in fig1 , the upgraded oil obtained through the abovementioned integrated process also can be introduced into a fixed bed hydrotreating process 8 so as to obtain hydrotreating upgraded oil . the integrated processes adopted in the following embodiments all can refer to the abovementioned processes . according to the requirements of production objectives and design , the specific processes and their operating parameters can vary ; however , they all fall within the scope of the invention and can be understood by those skilled in the art without any uncertainty . canada cold lake oil sand bitumen : api : 10 . 2 ; sulfur content : 4 . 4 wt %; conradson carbon residue ( ccr ): 13 . 2 wt %; c7 asphaltene : 10 . 0 wt %; content of ni and v : 69 μg / g and 182 μg / g , respectively . the oil sand bitumen is firstly subjected to atmospheric distillation , 200 - 350 ° c . light gas oil ( 15 . 0 wt %) and substances ( residual oil ) from the bottom of the atmospheric tower with boiling point higher than 350 ° c . are obtained . the substances from the bottom of the atmospheric tower undergo a solvent de - asphalting process with iso - butane ( ic4 ) as extraction solvent . firstly , the substances from the bottom of the atomsphetic distillation tower as feed material are mixed with a main solvent and fed into an extraction tower 4 at the middle part or the upper part of the extraction tower . an auxiliary solvent is introduced into the extraction tower at the lower part of the extraction tower and undergoes countercurrent contact with de - oiled asphalt to enhance extraction to the asphalt phase which has been extracted with the main solvent : the temperature at the bottom of the extraction tower is about 120 ° c . ; the temperature at the top of the extraction tower is about 130 ° c . ; extraction pressure is about 4 . 3 mpa . the de - oiled asphalt is mixed with iso - butane ( ic4 ) again as a dispersing solvent after being discharged from the bottom of the extraction tower , thus the asphalt phase is introduced into a thermal cracking tower 6 under enhanced dispersing state . during the solvent deasphalting process , the ratio of the total mass solvents to oil feedstock is 4 . 6 : 1 ; the distribution proportion of the solvents is : main solvent : auxiliary solvent : dispersing solvent = 0 . 761 : 0 . 217 : 0 . 022 . the solvent in the de - asphalted oil discharged from the extraction tower 4 is firstly recycled under supercritical conditions of 4 . 2 mpa and 160 ° c . ( the solvent density is 0 . 129 g / cm 3 at this time ). the remaining solvent is further recycled by steam stripping . the de - oiled asphalt phase discharged from the extraction tower 4 , containing the extraction solvent and mixed with the dispersing solvent , is dispersed into the thermal cracking tower 6 by mist spray . the fed high - temperature heat providing media is high - temperature steam with a temperature of 570 ° c . the average temperature of the thermal cracking reaction is 470 ° c ., at this time , thermal reactions of the de - oiled asphalt occur . the formed solid coke is discharged from the bottom of the thermal cracking tower 6 , the solvent in the asphalt phase together with the reaction products flow out form the top of the thermal cracking tower 6 and enters a separator 7 . meanwhile , a proper amount of the above mentioned substances from the bottom of the atmospheric tower is routed into the separator 7 , thus heavy gas oil distillate with boiling point higher than 450 ° c . is absorbed and separated from the thermal reaction products , and recycled back to solvent deasphalting process 4 to be mixed with feed material and enters the extraction tower 4 to continue extracting and removing the asphaltene and heavy resin therein . gas , solvent and thermal cracking oil with boiling point lower than 450 ° c . are obtained after the remaining thermal reaction products are further subjected to heat exchange , condensation and separation . the solvent is recycled back to the deasphalting process 4 to be mixed with the main solvent and continue being used as solvent . the gas , which is purified by removing h 2 s , is recovered as gaseous product . the thermal cracking oil is led out and mixed with the light gas oil distillate obtained from atmospheric distillation and the de - asphalted oil to obtain upgraded oil , which serves as oil feedstock for subsequent processing . through tests , the upgraded oil has : yield : 81 . 36 wt % ( 85 . 41 v %); api : 18 . 1 ; carbon residue : 3 . 56 wt %; sulfur content : 3 . 51 wt %; content of ni and v : 8 . 4 μg / g and 20 . 8 μg / g ; yields of by - products gas and coke : 4 . 95 wt % and 13 . 68 wt %. the upgraded oil may further undergo fixed - bed hydrotreating process 8 under the conditions : hydrotreating process temperature : 385 ° c . ; pressure : 9 mpa ; hydrogen - oil ratio ( volume ratio ): 600 : 1 ; space velocity of the reactor : 2 . 5 h − 1 . the obtained hydrotreating upgraded oil has : oil yield : 78 . 14 wt % ( 86 . 94 v %); api gravity : 27 . 0 ; sulfur content : 0 . 25 wt %; carbon residue : 1 . 11 wt %; asphaltene : & lt ; 0 . 05 wt %; content of ni and v : 0 . 8 μg / g and 0 . 9 μg / g . distribution and properties of feedstock and products of upgraded oil are as follows : through the above integrated processes , the upgraded oil also can be obtained through mixing only the thermal cracking oil and the de - asphalted oil , and the upgraded oil and the light gas oil distillate from atmospheric distillate are separately stored for subsequent process , or the quality of the upgraded oil can also be adjusted and controlled through the control of proportion of the light gas oil distillate mixed therein so as to flexibly adjust and control the increase in api of the upgraded oil . all of the following examples can be processed in the same way . canada athabasca oil sand bitumen : api : 8 . 9 ; sulfur content : 4 . 60 wt %; conradson carbon residue ( ccr ): 13 . 0 %; c7 asphaltene content : 11 . 03 wt %; content of ni and v : 69 μg / g and 190 μg / g . through atmospheric distillation , 12 . 04 wt % of 200 - 350 ° c . light gas oil distillate is obtained ; the yield of substances ( residual oil ) from the bottom of the atmospheric tower is 87 . 96 wt %. the substance from the bottom of the atmospheric tower is subjected to with solvent de - asphalting process with nc4 - nc5 mixed solvent as extraction solvent . the components of the extraction solvents are : nc4 : nc5 = 50 : 50 ( wt / wt ). the operation of the solvent deaphalting process is the same as described in example 1 . however , the mass ratio of the total solvent to oil feedstock is : 3 . 95 : 1 ; main solvent : auxiliary solvent : dispersing solvent = 0 . 759 : 0 . 203 : 0 . 038 ; the temperature at the bottom of the extraction tower : 140 ° c . ; the temperature at the top of the extraction tower : 160 ° c . ; extraction pressure : 5 . 0 mpa . the solvent in the de - asphalted oil discharged from the extraction tower 4 is firstly recovered under supercritical conditions of 4 . 9 mpa and 196 ° c . ( the solvent density is 0 . 220 g / cm 3 at this time ). the remaining solvent is further recovered by steam stripping . the de - oiled asphalt phase discharged from the extraction tower 4 , containing the extraction solvent and mixed with the dispersing solvent , is dispersed into a thermal cracking tower 6 by mist spray . the thermal cracking reactions occur after the de - oiled asphalt phase contacts with 720 ° c . hot coke , and the average reaction temperature is 490 ° c . at this time , the de - oiled asphalt undergoes thermal reactions , and the product coke is discharged from the bottom of the thermal cracking tower 6 . the solvent in the asphalt phase together with the reaction products flows out of the top of the thermal cracking tower 6 and enters into a separator 7 . meanwhile , appropriate amount of the abovementioned substances from the bottom of the atmospheric tower is routed to the separator so as to facilitate heavy gas oil with boiling point higher than 450 ° c . to be absorbed and separated from the thermal reaction products , and recycled back to solvent deasphalting process 4 to be mixed with feed materials , and enters into the extraction tower 4 . the gas , solvent and thermal cracking oil with boiling point lower than 450 ° c . are obtained after the remaining thermal reaction products being distilled and separated . the gas , which is purified by removing h 2 s , is recovered . the solvent is recycled back to the deasphalting process and continues to be used as solvent ( it can be used as main solvent , auxiliary solvent and / or dispersing solvent ). the thermal cracking oil is led out and mixed with the above light gas oil distillate and the de - asphalted oil to obtain the upgraded oil . with the tests , the upgraded oil is : oil yield : 84 . 07t % ( 88 . 64 v %); api gravity : 16 . 5 ; carbon residue : 4 . 71 wt %; sulfur content : 3 . 55 wt %; content of ni and v : 12 . 9 μg / g and 29 . 3 μg / g . yields of the by - products gas and the coke : 4 . 15 wt % and 11 . 78 wt %. the abovementioned upgraded oil is further undergo with fixed - bed hydrotreating process 8 and hydrotreating upgraded oil can be obtained , wherein the hydrotreating process is conducted under the conditions : temperature : 395 ° c . ; reaction pressure : 10 mpa ; hydrogen - oil ratio ( volume ratio ): 600 : 1 ; space velocity of the reactor : 1 . 8 h 1 ; the yield of hydrotreating upgraded oil : 80 . 79 wt % ( 90 . 44 v %); api gravity : 25 . 7 ; sulfur content : 0 . 23 wt %; carbon residue : 1 . 71 wt %; asphaltene : & lt ; 0 . 05 wt %; content of ni and v : 1 . 1 μg / g and 0 . 9 μg / g . distribution and properties of raw material and products of upgraded oil are as follows : canada athabasca oil sand bitumen : api : 8 . 9 ; sulfur content : 4 . 6 wt %; conradson carbon residue ( ccr ): 13 . 0 %; c7 asphaltene content : 11 . 4 wt %; content of ni and v : 65 . 4 μg / g and 192 . 6 μg / g . through atmospheric and vacuum distillation , 12 . 04 wt % of 200 - 350 ° c . light gas oil distillate and 32 . 75 wt % of 350 - 500 ° c . straight - run gas oil are obtained ; the yield of the substances from the bottom of a vacuum tower ( residual oil with boiling point higher than 500 ° c .) is 55 . 21 wt %. the residual oil from the bottom of the vacuum tower is subjected to deasphalting process with n - pentane ( nc5 ) being used as extraction solvent . the specific operation is as described in example 1 . the mass ratio of total solvent to oil feedstock is 3 . 7 : 1 , wherein the main solvent : auxiliary solvent : dispersing solvent is 0 . 811 : 0 . 135 : 0 . 054 ; the temperature of the bottom of the extraction tower : 160 ° c . ; the temperature of the top of the tower : 170 ° c . ; extraction pressure : 5 . 5 mpa . the solvent in the de - asphalted oil discharged from the extraction tower 4 is firstly recovered under supercritical conditions of 5 . 4 mpa and 240 ° c . ( the solvent density is 0 . 196 g / cm 3 at this time ). the remaining solvent is further recovered by steam stripping . the de - oiled asphalt phase , discharged from the extraction tower 4 , including the extraction solvent and mixed with dispersing solvent , is dispersed into a thermal cracking tower 6 by mist spray . the thermal cracking reactions occur after the de - oiled asphalt phase contacts with 700 ° c . thermal bitumen sand . the average temperature of the reaction reaches 500 ° c . at this time , the de - oiled asphalt undergoes thermal reaction , and the formed solid coke is discharged from the bottom of a thermal cracking tower 6 . the solvent in the asphalt phase together with the reaction products flow out of the top of the thermal cracking tower 6 and is introduced into a separator 7 . meanwhile , appropriate amount of the abovementioned substances from the bottom of the vacuum tower is routed the separator so as to facilitate heavy gas oil with boiling point higher than 470 ° c . to be absorbed and separated from the thermal reaction products , and recycled back to solvent deasphalting process 4 to be mixed with feed , and entered into the extraction tower 4 to be extracted continuously . the gas , solvent and thermal cracking oil with boiling point lower than 470 ° c . are obtained after the remaining thermal reaction products are further distilled and separated . the gas , which is purified by removing h 2 s , is recovered . the solvent is recycled back to the deasphalting process 4 and continues to be used as solvent . the thermal cracking oil is led out and mixed with the above light gas oil distillate and the de - asphalted oil to obtain upgraded oil . through tests , the upgraded oil : yield : 86 . 62 wt % ( 90 . 4 v %); api : 15 . 0 ; carbon residue : 4 . 91 wt %; sulfur content : 3 . 73 wt %; content of ni and v : 16 . 9 μg / g and 46 . 5 μg / g ; yields of gas and coke which are by - products : 3 . 07 wt % and 10 . 3 wt %. the abovementioned upgraded oil is further subjected to fixed - bed hydrotreating process 8 and hydrotreating upgraded oil can be obtained . the hydrotreating process is conducted under the conditions : temperature : 400 ° c . ; reaction pressure : 11 mpa ; hydrogen - oil ratio ( volume ratio ): 800 : 1 ; space velocity of its reactor : 1 . 5 h − 1 . the obtained hydrotreating upgraded oil : yield : 83 . 41 wt % ( 93 . 80 v %); its api gravity : 26 . 4 ; sulfur content : 0 . 24 wt %; carbon residue : 1 . 78 wt %; asphaltene : 0 . 08 wt %; content of ni and v : 0 . 8 μg / g and 1 . 4 μg / g . distribution and properties of raw material and products of upgraded oil are as follows : the atmospheric and vacuum distillation oil ( light gas oil distillates and straight - run vacuum gas oil ), which are obtained through the abovementioned integrated process , also can be stored independently and used as feed in subsequent process , or mixed with thermal cracking oil in controlled proportion according to requirements to become the upgraded oil . canadian oil sand bitumen , which has the same properties as that of example 3 . the oil sand bitumen is firstly subjected to atmospheric and vacuum distillation , and 12 . 04 wt % 200 - 350 ° c . light gas oil distillate ; 28 . 75 wt % of 350 - 524 ° c . straight - run vacuum gas oil are obtained ; the yield of the substances from the bottom of the vacuum tower ( vacuum residual oil ) is 50 . 5 wt %. with the mixed solvent of n - pentane ( nc5 ) and cyclopentane being used , vtb is subjected to with deasphalting process . the specific operation is as described in example 1 . the composition of extraction solvent is : n - pentane : cyclopentane is 0 . 9 ( wt ): 0 . 1 ( wt ), the mass ratio of the total solvent to oil feedstock is 4 . 3 : 1 , wherein the main solvent : auxiliary solvent : dispersing solvent = 0 . 698 : 0 . 233 : 0 . 070 ; the temperature of the bottom of the extraction tower : 160 ° c . ; the temperature of the top of the tower : 170 ° c . ; extraction pressure : 5 . 5 mpa . the solvent in the de - asphalted oil discharged from the extraction tower 4 is firstly recycled under supercritical conditions of 4 . 85 mpa and 230 ° c . ( the solvent density is 0 . 195 g / cm 3 at this time ). the remaining solvent is further recycled by steam stripping . the de - oiled asphalt phase , discharged from the extraction tower 4 , including the extraction solvent and mixed with dispersing solvent , is dispersed into a thermal cracking tower 6 by mist spray . the temperature of the de - oiled asphalt reaches 505 ° c . after it contacts with hot coke , and then thermal reaction occurs to produce reaction products . the produced solid coke is discharged from the bottom of a thermal cracking tower 6 . the solvent in the asphalt phase together with the reaction products flow out of the top of the thermal cracking tower 6 and into a separator 7 . meanwhile , appropriate amount of the abovementioned substances from the bottom of the tower is routed the separator 7 so as to facilitate heavy gas oil with boiling point higher than 500 ° c . to be absorbed and separated from the thermal reaction products , and recycled back to solvent deasphalting process 4 to be mixed with residual oil feed , and entered into the extraction tower 4 to be extracted continuously . the gas , solvent and thermal cracking oil with the boiling point lower than 500 ° c . are obtained after the remaining thermal reaction products are further distilled and separated . the gas , which is purified by removing h 2 s , is recovered . the solvent is recycled back to the deasphalting process 4 and continues to be taken as solvent . the upgraded oil is obtained through mixing the thermal cracking oil , straight - run light gas oil and vacuum gas oil and the de - asphalted oil . through tests , the upgraded oil : yield : 88 . 54 wt % ( 91 . 96 v %); api : 14 . 3 ; carbon residue : 5 . 71 wt %; sulfur content : 3 . 84 wt %; content of ni and v : 20 . 0 μg / g and 57 . 9 μg / g ; yields of by - products gas and coke : 2 . 48 wt % and 8 . 98 wt %. the above upgraded oil is further subjected to fixed - bed hydrotreating process 8 and the hydrotreating upgraded oil is obtained . the hydrotreating process is conducted under the conditions : temperature : 400 ° c . ; reaction pressure : 13 mpa ; hydrogen - oil ratio ( volume ratio ): 1000 : 1 ; space velocity of reactor : 1 . 0 h − 1 . the obtained hydrotreating upgraded oil : yield : 85 . 16 wt % ( 95 . 46 v %); api gravity : 25 . 9 ; sulfur content : 0 . 26 wt %; carbon residue : 2 . 08 wt %; asphaltene : 0 . 08 wt %; content of ni and v : 1 . 5 μg / g and 1 . 2 μg / g . distribution and properties of raw material and products of upgraded oil are as follows : venezuela extra heavy oil : api : 8 . 7 ; sulfur content : 4 . 0 wt %; conradson carbon residue ( ccr ): 15 . 1 %; the content of ni and v : 111 μg / g and 487 μg / g . the extra heavy oil is firstly subjected to atmospheric and vacuum distillation , and 11 . 24 wt % of 200 - 350 ° c . light gas oil distillate ; 23 . 44 wt % of 350 - 524 ° c . vacuum gas oil distillate are obtained ; the yield of the substances from the bottom of the vacuum tower with boiling point higher than 500 ° c . is 65 . 32 wt %. with n - pentane ( nc5 ) being used as extraction solvent , the substances from the bottom of the vacuum tower is subjected to deasphalting process . the specific operation is as described in example 1 . the mass ratio of total solvent to oil feedstock : 4 : 1 , wherein the main solvent : auxiliary solvent : dispersing solvent = 0 . 714 : 0 . 238 : 0 . 048 ; the temperature of the bottom of the extraction tower : 170 ° c . ; the temperature of the top of the tower : 180 ° c . ; extraction pressure : 5 . 0 mpa . the solvent in the de - asphalted oil discharged from the extraction tower 4 is firstly recovered under supercritical conditions of 4 . 9 mpa and 250 ° c . ( the solvent density is 0 . 170 g / cm 3 at this time ). the remaining solvent is further recovered by steam stripping . the de - oiled asphalt phase , discharged from the extraction tower 4 , including the extraction solvent and mixed with dispersing solvent , is dispersed into a thermal cracking tower 6 by mist spray . the temperature of the de - oiled asphalt reaches 500 ° c . after contacting with hot coke , and then thermal reaction occurs to produce reaction products . the produced solid coke is discharged from the bottom of the thermal cracking tower 6 . the solvent in the asphalt phase together with the reaction products flow out of the top of the thermal cracking tower 6 and is introduced into a separator 7 . at the same time , appropriate amount of the above substances from the bottom of the tower is routed the separator 7 so as to facilitate heavy gas oil with boiling point higher than 470 ° c . to be absorbed and separated from the thermal reaction products , and recycled back to solvent deasphalting process 4 to be mixed with feed and continue to be extracted . the gas , solvent and thermal cracking oil with the boiling point lower than 470 ° c . are obtained after the remaining thermal reaction products being distilled and separated . the gas , which is purified by removing h 2 s , is recovered . the solvent is recycled back to the deasphalting process 4 and continues to be used as solvent . the upgraded oil is obtained through mixing the thermal cracking oil , vacuum gas oil distillate and the de - asphalted oil . through tests , the upgraded oil : yield : 80 . 83 wt % ( 84 . 94 v %); api : 16 . 0 ; carbon residue : 4 . 11 wt %; sulfur content : 3 . 23 wt %; content of ni and v : 9 . 6 μg / g and 41 . 9 μg / g ; the yields of by - products gas and coke : 4 . 67 wt % and 14 . 5 wt %. the above upgraded oil is further subjected to fixed - bed hydrotreating process 8 and the hydrotreating upgraded oil is obtained . the hydrotreating process : temperature : 400 ° c . ; reaction pressure : 15 . 0 mpa ; hydrogen - oil ratio ( volume ratio ): 1200 : 1 ; space velocity of reactor : 1 . 0 h 1 . the obtained hydrotreating upgraded oil : yield : 78 . 20 wt % ( 88 . 31 v %); api gravity : 27 . 1 ; sulfur content : 0 . 19 wt %; carbon residue : 0 . 80 wt %; asphaltene & lt ; 0 . 05 wt %; content of ni and v : 0 . 5 μg / g and 1 . 0 μg / g . distribution and properties of feedstock and products of upgraded oil are as follows : indonesia buton island oil sand bitumen : api : 7 . 8 ; sulfur content : 6 . 67 wt %; conradson carbon residue ( ccr ): 17 . 5 %; the content of ni and v : 47 . 5 μg / g and 144 μg / g . with atmospheric distillate and 350 ° c . of cut point , 6 . 49 wt % of 200 - 350 ° c . light gas oil distillate is obtained . the mixed solvent of n - pentane and n - hexane ( n - pentane / n - hexane = 80 : 20 ) is used as extraction solvent and the substances from the bottom of the atmospheric distillation tower is subjected to deasphalting process . the specific operation is as described in example 1 . the mass ratio of total solvent to oil feedstock is 3 . 7 : 1 , wherein the main solvent : auxiliary solvent : dispersing solvent = 0 . 676 : 0 . 270 : 0 . 054 ; the temperature of the bottom of the extraction tower : 160 ° c . ; the temperature of the top of the tower : 180 ° c . ; extraction pressure : 6 . 0 mpa . the solvent in the de - asphalted oil discharged from the extraction tower 4 is firstly recovered under supercritical conditions of 5 . 85 mpa and 260 ° c . ( the solvent density is 0 . 200 g / cm 3 at this time ). the remaining solvent is further recovered by steam stripping . the de - oiled asphalt phase , discharged from an extraction tower 4 , including the extraction solvent and mixed with dispersing solvent , is dispersed into a thermal cracking tower 6 by mist spray . after contacting with 680 ° c . hot coke particles , the temperature of the de - oiled asphalt reaches 500 ° c ., and then the thermal reaction occurs to produce reaction products . the produced solid coke is discharged from the bottom of the thermal cracking tower 6 . the solvent in the asphalt phase together with the reaction products flow out of the top of the thermal cracking tower 6 and is introduced into a separator 7 . at the same time , appropriate amount of the substances from the bottom of the abovementioned tower is routed the separator 7 so as to facilitate heavy gas oil with boiling point higher than 470 ° c . to be absorbed and separated from the thermal reaction products , and recycled back to deasphalting process 4 to be mixed with feed and continue to be extracted . the gas , solvent and thermal cracking oil with the boiling point lower than 470 ° c . are obtained after the remaining thermal reaction products are distilled and separated . the gas , which is purified by removing h 2 s , is recovered . the solvent is recycled back to the deasphalting process and continues to be used as solvent . the upgraded oil is obtained through mixing the thermal cracking oil , light gas oil distillate and the de - asphalted oil . through tests , the upgraded oil : yield : 79 . 30 wt % ( 83 . 04 v %); api : 15 . 2 ; carbon residue : 5 . 05 wt %; sulfur content : 6 . 55 wt %; content of ni and v : 8 . 14 μg and 23 . 65 μg / g ; the yields of by - products gas and coke : 4 . 77 wt % and 15 . 93 wt %. the above upgraded oil is further subjected to fixed - bed hydrotreating process 8 and hydrotreating upgraded oil can be obtained , wherein the hydrotreating process is conducted under the conditions : temperature : 400 ° c . ; reaction pressure : 15 mpa ; hydrogen - oil ratio ( volume ratio ): 1000 : 1 ; the space velocity of reactor : 0 . 8 h − 1 . the obtained hydrotreating upgraded oil : yield : 75 . 60 wt % ( 85 . 26 v %); api gravity : 26 . 5 ; sulfur content : 0 . 31 wt %; carbon residue : 1 . 85 wt %; asphaltene : 0 . 07 wt %; content of ni and v : 0 . 7 μg / g and 1 . 2 μg / g . distribution and properties of raw material and products of upgraded oil are as follows : the light gas oil distillates and upgraded oil , obtained through the above integrated process , also can be stored respectively and used as oil feedstock in the subsequent process . china inner mongolia oil sand bitumen : api : 7 . 8 ; sulfur content : 1 . 0 wt %; conradson carbon residue ( ccr ): 17 . 4 %; c7 asphaltene content : 27 . 2 wt %; the content of ni : 16 μg / g . as the oil sand bitumen does not include distillate with the temperature less than 350 ° c ., the mixed solvent of n - pentane and n - hexane ( n - pentane / n - hexane = 90 : 10 ) is directly used as extraction solvent and the oil sand bitumen is subjected to deasphalting process . the specific operation is as described in example 1 . the mass ratio of total solvent to oil feedstock is 4 . 3 : 1 , wherein the main solvent : auxiliary solvent : dispersing solvent = 0 . 733 : 0 . 222 : 0 . 044 ; the temperature of the bottom of the extraction tower : 160 ° c . ; the temperature of the top of the tower : 170 ° c . ; extraction pressure : 5 . 8 mpa . the solvent in the de - asphalted oil discharged from the extraction tower 4 is firstly recycled under supercritical conditions of 5 . 7 mpa and 240 ° c . ( the solvent density is 0 . 234 g / cm 3 at this time ). the remaining solvent is further recycled by steam stripping . the de - oiled asphalt phase , discharged from an extraction tower 4 , including the extraction solvent and mixed with dispersing solvent , is dispersed into a thermal cracking tower 6 by mist spray . after contacting with 680 ° c . hot coke particles , the temperature of the de - oiled asphalt reaches 500 ° c ., and then thermal reaction occurs to produce reaction products . the produced solid coke is discharged from the bottom of the thermal cracking tower 6 . the solvent in the asphalt phase together with the reaction products flow out of the top of the thermal cracking tower 6 and is introduced into a separator 7 . at the same time , appropriate amount of oil feedstock is routed the separator 7 so as to facilitate heavy gas oil with boiling point higher than 450 ° c . to be absorbed and separated from the thermal reaction products , and recycled back to deasphalting process 4 to be mixed with oil feedstock and continue to be extracted . the gas , solvent and thermal cracking oil with the boiling point lower than 450 ° c . are obtained after the remaining thermal reaction products are distilled and separated . the gas , which is purified by removing h 2 s , is recovered . the solvent is recycled back to the deasphalting process and continues to be used as solvent . the upgraded oil is obtained through mixing the obtained thermal cracking oil and the de - asphalted oil . the upgraded oil : yield : 72 . 65 wt % ( 76 . 52 v %); api : 16 . 1 ; carbon residue : 5 . 51 wt %; sulfur content : 0 . 74 wt %; the content of ni : 3 . 0 μg , the yields of by - products gas and coke : 7 . 9 wt % and 19 . 45 wt %. distribution and properties of feedstock and products of upgraded oil are as follows : | 2 |
reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention as described in the accompanying drawings . in implementing the interactive data entry system and method of the present invention , an adequate data base must be established with respect to standards , regulations and the acceptable practice in the art . preferably , an established product line is utilized when developing the data base . an established product line is extremely helpful since there exits significant information upon which to base relevant decisions . in developing the system and method of the present invention , the data and information available with respect to meter tubes is acquired from part files , drawings files , and the literature . the product line information is input into a computer as a data base . statistical analysis and evaluation is performed on the database . for example , the parts are placed in a matrix to determine the relationships between the various parts . these relationships are statistically analyzed . the relationships between the various parts included in the part files and the drawing files are critically analyzed to determine the relationships between each element of each file . such analysis enables a determination of what parts are used , what is the frequency of use for each part , and what the different use and temporal relationships are between parts . typically , actual experts in the area of meter tube design , engineering and fabrication are interviewed . also , the &# 34 ; working papers &# 34 ; of each interviewed meter tube expert are evaluated . the expert &# 39 ; s own reasons for designing specific systems are evaluated and compared to the results of the data base analysis to determine individual &# 34 ; rules .&# 34 ; in one embodiment of practicing the interactive data entry system of the present invention , a series of rules can be deciphered from the meter tube expert and confirmed or refuted by the results of the statistical analysis of the data base . the interview of the meter tube expert is to determine all of his / her empirical rules . the empirical rules are compared to the literature and the industry standards as well as the results of the data base analysis . exceptions to the comparisons are uncovered . the meter tube expert can be further interrogated with respect to the exceptions noted between the criteria for specific meter tubes . conflicting design characteristics can be resolved by a panel evaluation of a group of meter tube experts . the exceptions can be resolved to improve the design , or resolve the conflicting designs , or standardized the particular methodology . the results of such an analysis provide essential information , such as , formulas , limits with respect to minima and maxima , formula relationships , part relationships , design limits as well as general rules . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the interactive data entry system of the present invention for the design , engineering and manufacture of meter tubes . typically , an end user or customer has a proposed fluid transfer system which requires monitoring . the customer would approach the user of the present invention with the design criteria he desires for the particular fluid transfer system . a sales representative would accept the end user criteria for inclusion into a terminal 10 . the terminal 10 is interactive with a central processing unit ( cpu ) 12 . the central processing unit 12 utilizes as the criteria associated with the a . g . a . report no . 3 , user standard practice as determined from information acquired from actual experts and related industry standards . the cpu 12 communicates with the plotter 14 for producing the drawing 16 . the drawing 16 is an adapted fluid transfer system as proposed by the customer after the proposed fluid transfer system has been adapted to comply with all appropriate standards , criteria and restraints pursuant to the apparatus of the present invention . in fig1 the criteria calculated by the cpu 12 and embodied in the drawing 16 is transferred to the manufacturing facility 20 . in the manufacturing facility 20 , the required parts 22 are disbursed to the respective part fabrication components 24 . the part fabrication components 24 provide detailed machining to fabricate each part required to create the meter tube illustrated in the drawing 16 . the parts 22 are assembled by an assembly unit 26 for the manufacture of the meter tube 28 . the meter tube 28 provides all of the industry acceptable features requested by the end user for adaptation to the site specific fluid transfer system . fig2 is a flow diagram illustrating the relationship of manpower and material in the design of a meter tube . it is common practice in the prior art to design and redesign meter tubes at several different stages . a design for the proposed meter tube can initiate from the end user , from the sales personnel , from the engineering personnel and from the manufacturing personnel . generic input or order entry information is provided from the end user to the sales personnel . the sales personnel will typically provide a rough product design based upon the order entry information . also , the sales personnel provides a price quotation and an estimated delivery time . further , sales personnel typically provide a rough cost estimate with respect to the design , engineering and manufacture of the specific meter tube . the engineering of a meter tube would comprise the design of the product based upon all restraints , standards and general practices in the industry . an item master would be created and a bill of material would be generated . the bill material would be utilized to implement a drawing . based upon the design implemented for the particular situation , an estimated schedule and cost estimate could be prepared . with respect to manufacturing the meter tube utilizing the present invention , the detailed engineering data is used . for example , an item master bill of material and drawings can be adapted and implemented for the automated manufacturing of the meter tube . utilizing the product design , an accurate manufacturing cost can be estimated . also , a process plan can be created . based upon an evaluation of the manufacturing information scheduling of manufacturing time and shipment is readily prepared . it should be noted that the present invention provides for an interactive data entry system and method whereby meter tubes can be designed and manufactured in a process state rather than a batch state . it has been common practice in the art to utilize a batch technology in the sale , engineering and manufacturing of meter tubes . thus , many parts are required to be stocked , cost estimating is difficult and scheduling is unreliable . the utilization of the interactive data entry system and method of the present invention as illustrated in fig1 and fig2 greatly enhance the state of the art of designing and manufacturing meter tubes . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the computer design of a meter tube using the interactive data entry system or method of the present invention . fig3 can be the flow of responses which would be prompting the operator of the terminal 10 as illustrated in fig1 . initially , a terminal associated with the interactive data entry system of the present invention activates the software of the present invention . the activation of the software is represented by the start symbol 30 in fig3 . after the software is engaged , a user option screen 40 comes into view whereby the user has the option to exit or implement a meter tube design . if the user exits the software is terminated as indicated by the stop symbol 60 . if the user elects to continue the program , a user selection screen 100 is implemented . when the user selection screen 100 is implemented , the user is prompted to engage or disengage the plotting routine as illustrated as graphics 70 . a design of a meter tube , as illustrated in fig3 can be generally described . the selections are made based upon prior constraints . the software goes to the appropriate location to retrieve the part numbers and dimensional information of each element of the meter tube assembly . generally , the size of the component parts is maintained constant . the length of the pipe can be varied depending on the specific design . design restrictions are evaluated . for example , the aga design criteria are generally based on the size of the bore , if a vane exists , what the β - ratio is , and what the upstream and downstream lengths are . different conventions are readily applicable . the reference point for all length calculations can be the center of the meter tube , i . e ., at the orifice plate , or alternately at the extremities . the implementation and use of such information is readily available to those skilled in the art . rather than placing information that changes from time to time in active memory , databases are utilized . drawings are segmented and placed in a database for ready access . similarly , costing information is placed in a database . cost information must be frequently updated and the use of a database allows for such changes . a preferred software technique utilized in the present invention provide a &# 34 ; blackboard &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; traffic cop &# 34 ; approach to the design analysis . the software associated with &# 34 ; blackboard &# 34 ; decision software is generally termed hierarchal information schemes . the blackboard determines the sequence of events and selects the appropriate portions of the information to access . the blackboard acts to guide the present invention based on the attributes associated with the different parts of the knowledge base . the blackboard approach is known . the adaptation and use of the blackboard approach is within the skill of those in the art . the product part selection step 300 provides that the parts associated with the requested design criteria are selected . the calculation and design step 400 provides that the parts are implemented and designed pursuant to standard engineering practice and regulations . the display coupling zones step 500 provides that the coupling zones for the specific meter tube design are implemented . the select coupling placement step provides that the couplings can be automatically placed or manually placed or no couplings can be placed at all . the display final design results step 700 provides that the results of the specific meter tube design are provided to the user . the user then has the option to save the design criteria for transfer to the manufacturing facility , to prepare final drawings 80 , or to delete the design and reconfigure the meter tube . the step depicting the user selection screens 100 provides a series of prompts whereby the user responds . a user can adequately design a state of the art , site - specific meter tube without having any expertise in meter tube designs based solely upon the prompts received from the user selection screen 100 . plot request 102 provides a selection for the user to plot the ultimate meter tube or not . the select type of fitting prompt 104 provides that different types of fittings can be selected . for example , senior , simplex , junior or orifice flange union fittings could be selected . the select nominal size prompt allows the user to select the nominal size of the pipe being used . for example , two inch , three inch , four inch , six inch , eight inch , ten inch and twelve inch pipe could be selected . the select pressure prompt 108 provides the user a group of pressures from which to select . for example , the user can select from pressures ranging from 150 pounds to 1500 pounds . if the user has requested that a plot be made , at this time the plotter is authorized to plot the text or legend associated with the fitting , pipe size and pressure characteristics . the menu displayed on the user selection screens 100 always changes based upon prior selections . the subsequently viewed screen is selected based upon the answer to the prior questions . thus , the user selection screens 100 are constraint driven . the interactive data entry system of the present invention tells the operator what can be selected based upon what has previously been selected . simply stated , the selections offered at each menu are constrained by previous choices so that no bad choices can be made . the select bore prompt 110 provides that the user can select from a group of piping bores . the select bore prompt 110 leads into the select fitting connection prompt 112 . the select fitting connections prompt 112 provides the user with options for various fitting connections . for example , the user can select raised face flanged and raised face flangnek as well as variations of each . the software provides that the fitting end pipe structures are sent to the plotter via step 132 . the select fitting connections prompt 112 leads into the select trim prompt 114 . the select trim prompt 114 provides that , for example , either standard trim or sour gas trim could be selected . the plotter is then activated to print the associated text as represented in step 134 . the select trim prompt 114 leads into the select type of pipe prompt 116 . the select type of pipe prompt 116 provides that , for example , either domestic pipe or japanese pipe or honed pipe may be selected . once the type of pipe is selected the step 136 provides that the associated text is sent to the plotter . the select type of pipe prompt 116 leads into the select meter tube end connection prompt 118 . the select meter tube end connections prompt 118 provides that various end connections can be selected . for example , end connections available might be raised face weldneck flange , ring type joint weldneck flange , 125 rms raised face weldneck flange , raised face slip - on flange and weld in . when the user has selected the desired meter tube end connection , the plotter is activated to draw the appropriate end flange as indicated in step 138 . the select meter tube end connections prompt 118 leads into the select β - ratio prompt 120 . the β - ratio , as previously described , can be selected from a . g . a . standards or specific manufacture standards . when the β - ratio is selected , the plotter is activated and the associated text printed as illustrated in step 140 . the select β - ratio step 120 leads into the select a . g . a . figure prompt 122 . the appropriate figure depends on the specific situation in which the design criteria are being applied . typically , cases are restricted to fig4 , 6 , 7 and 8 of a . g . a . report no . 3 . once the desired figure is selected , the plotter is activated to print the associated text as indicated in step 142 . the select a . g . a . figure prompt 122 leads in the select type of vane prompt 124 . the select type of vane prompt 124 allows for the selection of various types of straightening vanes used in the upstream pipe prior to the fluid reaching the orifice meter . for example , the straightening vanes which might be utilized are flange - type vanes , line - type vanes or no vane at all . after the vane type is selected , the plotter is activated to insert the vane and associated text as indicated in step 144 . based on the location of the vanes , the cut length of the pipe can be calculated . after select type of vane prompt 124 , the enter up and down streams lengths prompt 126 is activated . at this point , the user is prompted with respect to a . g . a . minimums for the upstream length and the downstream length . also , the software calculates a . g . a . approved zones for the placement of couplings . the present invention utilizes zones which are used to inform the user of what can or cannot be done . the zones are presented in the information screens . during the implementation of the user prompts 102 , 104 , 106 , 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 , 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 , 124 and 126 , the blackboard 200 is utilized to segregate the needed hierarchal data from the unneeded hierarchal data . it is after the appropriate hierarchal information has been segregated that the part selection 300 and design 400 can be implemented . fig5 illustrates the various steps comprised in the calculation and design 400 of fig3 . first , the a . g . a . standard is calculated . for all practical purposes , it is considered that the a . g . a . standards are implemented as restraints . thus , no design is allowed fall outside the scope of the a . g . a . standards . after the a . g . a . standards have been appropriately calculated for the particular site - specific meter tube design , the a . g . a . design is implemented as indicated in step 104 . after the a . g . a . design step 104 , the manufactures design step 406 is implemented . the manufactures design step 406 is applicable when the design is required to differ from that of the a . g . a . design . after the design 400 is completely implemented , the coupling zones step 500 is implemented . fig6 illustrates the select coupling placement step 600 which follows the coupling zones step 500 . the select coupling placement step 600 has three basic paths : automatic , manual and no couplings . if no couplings are selected the software provides that the display final design results step 700 is implemented . in principle , fig6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the steps used in the calculation of the coupling placement depicted in fig3 including the various steps associated with the automatic placement and the manual placement of the couplings . constraints which have been included in the software of the present invention to properly place couplings are : checks for physical interference whether longitudinal or rotational , limits the number of upstream couplings to six and the number of downstream couplings to six based upon experience of the actual experts , places couplings beginning from the extremities toward the orifice plate , checks the placement of couplings to assure that no coupling is within four inches of another coupling in the same plane , places couplings no closer than four inches from a weld or an outer end , with couplings placed having the same rotational relationship with respect to the central axes of the meter tube , couplings are placed no closer than six inches , all aga and other applicable restricted zones are honored with respect to not placing couplings . fig6 illustrates , with respect to the automatic placement of couplings , four primary steps . first the prompt 602 requests that the user enter the number of upstream and the number of downstream couplings requested . the prompt 604 requests the type of coupling to be utilized . for example , the type of downstream couplings may be threadolet , sockolet or latrolet . further , as example only , if threadolet is selected for the downstream coupling , the size of the threadolet coupling must be determined . the select size of couplings prompt 606 provides that the user can select couplings sizes . for example , sizes may vary from one - half inch couplings to one inch couplings by increments of one - quarter inch . similarly , additional couplings may be selected by implementing the more couplings prompt 608 . thus , there may be several upstream couplings and several downstream couplings , if the standards and general practice in the art allows such couplings . also , fig6 depicts the steps associated with the manual selection of coupling placement . similar to the automatic selection , the inner number of upstream and downstream couplings prompt 610 requests the user to enter the number of couplings to be implemented in the site specific design . the select type of couplings prompt 612 and the select size of couplings prompt 614 correspond with the respective automatic prompts 604 and 606 . the select pressure prompt 616 provides that a pressure can be selected for the respective coupling placements . subsequent to the select pressure prompt 616 , a select linear location prompt 618 requires the user to select a linear location . subsequent to the linear location prompt 618 , the radial location prompt 620 requires that the user select the desired radial location . the more couplings calculation 622 provides that the prompts 612 , 614 , 616 , 618 and 620 are re - engaged until the number of couplings entered in prompt 610 have been manually placed . fig7 illustrates an example of the legend information which accompanies a plot of a site - specific meter tube which has been designed , engineered and manufactured according to the interactive data entry system and method of the present invention . the system and method of the present invention can additionally provide costing information based upon the parts as selected . the costs and associated parts can be readily accessed from a relational data base or other data retrieval mechanism . fig8 illustrates an example of the pictorial display which accompanies the plot of the meter tube designed and fabricated pursuant to the legend information of fig7 . each segment of the meter tube is drawn when enough information exists of the design to reach a conclusion with respect to the structure . for example , if a &# 34 ; senior &# 34 ; is selected , not enough information exists to initiate the drawing . additional information must be available for the type of connectors associated with the &# 34 ; senior .&# 34 ; thus , each drawing is comprised of a group of objects . as the objects are selected based upon the conclusions reached , the selected objects are drawn . in the present embodiment , a standard cad program was used to draw the figures and associated objects . the figures were sent to a file to capture the plotter language . thereafter , the figure or object can be readily drawn by accessing the captured file . appendix i is a print - out of a user consultation illustrating user interactions employing the present invention for a fully automatic consultation for the design of a meter tube . appendix ii is a print - out of a debugging consultation illustrating the user interactions utilizing the present invention for evaluating potential problems which might exist . more particularly , the debugging consultation mode provides an image of the interactive data entry process of the present invention . ## spc1 ## | 8 |
first , reference is made to fig1 to 3 , which show the lower part 11 of the container 10 . the container 10 is intended to receive solid , paste - like as well as flowable and particulate products , particularly food products , which are contained in the lower container part 11 . these containers are generally known as yogurt containers of plastic material or as containers for other milk products such has butter and cheese and for meat products such as lever pate { acute over ()} etc . since the basic design of such containers 10 is well known only specific details need to be clearly described for an understanding of the invention . the lower container part 11 has a container opening 14 , which is surrounded by a flange - like circumferential first collar 17 , which projects essentially rectangularly from the lower container part 11 . the lower container part as shown herein has slightly conical side - walls so that the angle between the collar 17 and the side - walls of the container is slightly different from 90 °. the lower container part 11 includes furthermore a second collar 18 , which is disposed at the free outer end 19 of the first collar 17 . the second collar 18 ( fig3 ) includes a cut - out 20 , which extends downwardly to the first collar 17 . the cutout 20 is adapted to accommodate a grasping flap 28 , see fig4 and 5 , as will be described below in greater detail . [ 0036 ] fig4 and 5 show the upper container part or lid 12 which forms , together with the lower container part 11 shown in fig1 to 3 , the container 10 according to the invention . the container lid 12 is provided with a foil 13 , which is connected to the container lid during injection molding by the known principle of “ immolded label ” ( iml ) procedure . the upper container part or lid 11 is essentially a planar element as shown in fig4 . the container lid 12 includes a circumferential rim area 21 , which is provided with a circumferentially extending recess 22 in the form of a groove 23 . the bottom of the recess 22 , see fig6 is formed by the foil 13 disposed on the container lid 12 . at its bottom side , the container lid 12 is provided with a web 25 , see fig4 and 6 , which projects downwardly toward the bottom part of the container . the web 25 extends completely around the container lid 12 at the bottom side thereof as it is shown schematically in fig5 and 6 . the foil 13 is provided with a grasping flap 28 , which consists of the same material as the foil 13 that is , it is practically an extension of the foil 13 projecting beyond the edge area 21 of the lid 12 . the grasping flap 28 extends through the cutout 20 , shown in fig3 . the outer edge area of the container lid 12 , see fig6 includes at least two opposite recesses 26 , 27 ; see fig5 and fig8 a and 8 b , which show the recesses 26 , 27 in detail . the container bottom part 11 , see fig1 - 3 and 6 and 7 , includes a flange - like first collar 17 with an upward projection 15 . the upward projection 15 is in the form of a tongue 16 , whereas the recess 22 is in the form of a groove 23 , as noted above . the inner bottom wall 24 of the groove 22 is formed by the foil 13 as already pointed out in the description of the container 10 . the actual connection between the container lid 12 and the lower container part 11 is established between the top surface of the projection 15 that is the tongue 16 , and the container lid top , which is formed in this area by the foil 13 . the connection may be established in various ways for example by a melt - weld connection , by ultrasound welding or by the use of special connecting means . for opening the container 10 , the container lid 12 is grasped at the grasping flap 28 between the finger and the thumb , see fig4 and 5 , and moved toward the right with respect to the representation of fig4 and 5 . as a result , in the container embodiment shown and described herein , the container lid 12 is first disconnected from the narrow side of the lower container part 11 , see fig3 and , with further pulling of the grasping flap 28 to the right , the foil is lifted over the total area of the container opening whereby the container 10 is then opened . the recesses 26 , 27 facilitate a non - destructive lifting of the container lid 12 since the container lid is weakened in these areas which is desirable to permit bending and to facilitate the lifting of the container lid 12 . the rupture of the foil 13 is on one hand avoided in this manner that is the foil remains joined to the container lid 12 during the process and the projection 15 and the groove 22 are not damaged so that , afterward , the container lid 12 can be used again for a provisional closing of the container opening 14 if part of the product remains in the container . | 1 |
an epihalohydrin , such as epichlorohydrin , is added to a solvent and a suspending agent is added thereto . the mixture is heated to a temperature of from about 25 ° c . to about 100 ° c . and a polyamine , such as triethylenetetramine and water , is added dropwise over a period of time while maintaining the temperature of the mixture at from about 25 ° c . to about 100 ° c . after the addition of the polyamine is completed , if desired , the mixture may be kept at a temperature of from about 25 ° c . to about 100 ° c . for up to about 4 hours and then heated to reflux . thereafter , the mixture is held at reflux for a period of time of from about 3 hours to about 12 hours to complete the reaction of polyamine with epihalohydrin . after the reflux period is complete , the solvents are removed and water is added to maintain a liquid level . it is at this stage , as a result of the reaction of the polyamine with the epihalohydrin , that secondary hydroxyl groups have been introduced into the polymer back bone . the reaction product is then cooled and is alkylated , using an alkylating agent such as formaldehyde and formic acid . during the alkylation , the temperature is maintained at from about 25 ° c . to about 95 ° c . after the addition is complete , the temperature of the slurry is kept between from about 25 ° c . to about 100 ° c . for a period of from about 1 hour to about 8 hours . the mixture is then held at a temperature of from about 90 ° c . to about 100 ° c . for about 2 hours and is then cooled , and washed with water . the product is now suitable for use in an ion exchange column . the epihalohydrin used may be any one of the epihalohydrins such as epichlorohydrin , epibromohydrin , epifluorohydrin , or epiiodohydrin . it is preferred , however , that epichlorohydrin be used because excellent results have thereby been obtained . any polyamine may be used which has a molecular weight of from about 60 to about 298 and which conforms to the general formula : wherein b is a number from 0 to 16 , c is a number from 0 to 16 , the sum of b plus c being 0 to 16 , d is from 0 to 5 , the sum of b plus c plus d being from 0 to 14 , f is from 2 to 3 , e is from 0 to 1 , and when b is 0 , e is 0 . in order for a polyamine to be useful in practicing this invention , it must conform to the general formula given above and have a molecular weight of from about 60 to about 298 . although e will always be 0 when b is 0 , e may be from 0 to 1 when c is 0 . among the polyamines which may be used are triethylenetetramine , pentaethylenehexamine , ethylene diamine , aminopropylethylenediamine , bisaminopropylethylenediamine , diethylene triamine , hexadecyldiamine , iminobisoctylamine , and the like . it is particularly preferred to use , as the polyamine , triethylenetetramine because excellent results have been obtained . when reacting the epihalohydrin , such as epichlorohydrin , with a polyamine , such as triethylenetetramine , it is important that the epihalohydrin be used in an amount of from about 2 / 3 the stoichiometric amount of about 11 / 2 times the stoichiometric amount . if less than 2 / 3 the stoichiometric amount is used , then the final ion exchange resin tends to be too weak for commercial use . if , however , more than 11 / 2 times the stoichiometric amount of epihalohydrin to polyamine is used then the final ion exchange resin tends to be too heavily crosslinked and breaks or shatters too easily . in addition , such an ion exchange resin prepared with more than 11 / 2 times the stoichiometric amount of epihalohydrin to polyamine , would exchange ions too slowly for commercial use and would tend to break upon regeneration of the resin in the column . the proper amount of epihalohydrin to polyamine can readily be calculated by one skilled in the art . each polyamine hydrogen which is connected to a nitrogen can theoretically react with 1 / 2 mole of an epihalohydrin . the epihalohydrin - polyamine condensation products may be prepared by dissolving the epihalohydrin in an organic solvent which is inert to the reactants and in which the polyamine is insoluble . a suspending agent is generally added to the solvent , prior to addition of the polyamine , in order to keep the aqueous polyamine solution in suspension when such polyamine solution is added to the epihalohydrin solution . the amount of solvent used for the epihalohydrin is not critical so long as sufficient solvent is used to keep the polyamine , which is subsequently added , in suspension . any suitable organic solvent which will not dissolve the polyamine and which is inert to the reactants , may be used . among the solvents which may be used are chlorobenzene , orthodichlorobenzene , propylene dichloride , ethylene dichloride , benzene , and the like . the choice of solvent is usually dictated by economic considerations and those considerations set forth above . any suitable suspending agent may be used which is able to maintain droplets of the aqueous polyamine solution in suspension and which will prevent the amine from dissolving in the system . among the suspending agents which may be used are an oil solution of polybutenylsuccinimide polyamine , a maleic anhydride adduct of polyisobutylene which is further reacted with n - hydroxyethyl morpholine and preferably any inert , oil soluble suspending agent and the like . the polyamine is added to the epihalohydrin solution as an aqueous solution . the polyamine should be dissolved in a sufficient amount of water to prevent the polyamine from dissolving in the organic solvent . if too much water is used , then the resultant epihalohydrin - polyamine reaction product will be granular in nature and will not be commercially useful . in addition , such epihalohydrin - polyamine reaction product will be too fragile during chemical regeneration to be useful as an ion exchange resin . generally speaking , the amounts of water used for the aqueous polyamine will vary from about 30 % to about 60 % of water based on the weight of the polyamine . the preferred amount of water will vary within the aforesaid range and is dependent upon the ratio used of epihalohydrin to polyamine . the hydrated amine is added to the epihalohydrin solution dropwise . the condensation reaction between the polyamine and the epihalohydrin is an exothermic reaction so that the polyamine is added dropwise at room temperature . in a preferred method , the reaction is heated to a temperature of from about 25 ° c . to about 50 ° c . for about 60 minutes and thereafter , the reaction mixture is kept at a temperature of from about 40 ° c . to about 50 ° c . for about 60 minutes and then heated to reflux and maintained at reflux in order to complete the reaction . preferably , the reflux will continue for a period of about 6 hours to about 8 hours to assure that the reaction has gone to completion . after the reaction has been completed , organic solvent is removed and water is added in order to maintain a fluid slurry . the amount of water added is not critical so long as sufficient water is added to maintain a fluid slurry . this fluid slurry is then cooled and organic solvent is siphoned from the slurry . the resultant epihalohydrin - polyamine condensation product is then alkylated to improve the oxidative stability of the product . the alkylation may be of two types . the condensation product may be reductively alkylated using formaldehyde and formic acid or it may be exhaustively alkylated using a suitable alkylating agent such as an alkyl halide , for example , methyl , ethyl and propyl chlorides , bromides and iodides ; unsaturated alkylating agents such as allyl chloride , bromide or iodide and the like ; and aromatic alkylating agents such as a benzyl halide , e . g ., benzyl chloride , bromide or iodide and the like . other exhaustive alkylating agents such as alkyl sulfates , alkylene oxides and the like may also be used . in addition , an epihalohydrin such as epichlorohydrin may also be used as an alkylating agent . it is preferred , however , to use reductive alkylation using formaldehyde and formic acid because excellent results have been thereby obtained . if reductive alkylation is to be used , such reaction is generally carried out at a temperature of from about 25 ° to about 100 ° c . and preferably from about 55 ° to about 90 ° c . alkylation , in the reductive manner , is carried out by adding , for example , formaldehyde to the aqueous slurry of the epihalohydrin - polyamine condensation product and allowing a period of from about 1 / 2 to about 2 hours for the formaldehyde to react with the condensation product . thereafter , formic acid is then added to the reaction mixture . the amounts of formaldehyde and formic acid used will generally be about 2 moles of formaldehyde and 2 moles of formic acid for each primary or secondary amine in the condensation product . after the formic acid has been added , the slurry will generally be heated within the aforesaid temperature range for from about 4 to about 14 hours to assure that alkylation is complete . if exhaustive alkylation is to be employed , then the alkylating agent is added to an aqueous slurry of the condensation product and heating is commenced at a temperature of from about 20 ° c . to about 125 ° c . if exhaustive alkylation is to be utilized , then a basic catalyst may be utilized to promote the reaction . whether exhaustive alkylation or reductive alkylation is used , a molar excess of the alkylating agent should be utilized in order to assure complete conversion of all primary and secondary amine groups to the tertiary or quaternary form . after alkylation is completed , the resin is removed from the reaction vessel , washed and dried and is now suitable for packing in an ion exchange column . in order to more fully illustrate the nature of this invention and the manner of practicing the same , the following examples are presented . 207 grams of epichlorohydrin , 1 , 004 grams of chlorobenzene and 5 . 2 grams of an oil solution of polybutenylsuccinimide polyamines are charged to a 3 neck , 2 liter , round bottom flask equipped with a stirrer and the mixture is stirred . while stirring the mixture , 109 . 5 grams of triethylenetetramine and 185 . 5 grams of water are added to the reaction vessel over a period of 30 minutes . the reaction mixture is heated to a temperature of 35 ° c . whereupon the exothermic nature of the reaction raises the temperature to 50 ° c . the reaction mixture is then maintained at a temperature of from 50 ° to 60 ° c . for 45 minutes and is then heated to reflux . the reaction mixture is then refluxed for 8 hours . reflux is then discontinued and the polymer dispersion is cooled , removed and washed . prior to alkylating the polymer , the non - alkylated polymer has the following properties . a sample of the non - alkylated polymer is removed for use in accelerated oxidative stability tests described later . the remainder of the polymer ( 131 . 0 grams ) is added to a 3 neck , 2 liter flask equipped with a stirrer and containing 100 grams of water . the mixture is stirred and 110 grams of a 37 % formaldehyde solution is added to the mixture over a period of 45 minutes . the reaction mixture is heated to 35 ° c . and 78 grams of an 88 % formic acid solution is added over a period of 45 minutes while maintaining the temperature of the reaction mixture of 35 °. after the addition of formic acid is completed , the reaction mixture is heated to 60 ° c . and maintained at that temperature for 12 hours . heating is then discontinued , the reaction slurry is then cooled and the alkylated polymer is removed and washed with 1 liter of water . the accelerated oxidative stability test procedure used consists of making a slurry of 25 grams of the resin , 512 grams of water and 2 grams of cuso 4 . 5h 2 o . to this slurry is added 128 milliliters of 30 % hydrogen peroxide . the slurry is stirred for 5 minutes at room temperature and the percent solids remaining is determined . this is then compared with the percent solids of the resin prior to the oxidative stability test . both the non - alkylated and the alkylated resin are subjected to the oxidative stability test described above . the results are as follows : ______________________________________ % solids % solids before after oxidative oxidative difference stability stability insample test test percentages______________________________________non - alkylatedexample 1 35 28 7alkylatedexample 1 31 . 4 30 . 1 1 . 3______________________________________ the above oxidative stability tests demonstrate that , despite the presence of secondary hydroxyl groups on the polymer resin , an alkylated polymer resin is much more oxidatively stable than a non - alkylated polymer resin . the procedure of example 1 for the preparation of the non - alkylated polymer resin is repeated except that 192 grams of epichlorohydrin , 146 grams of tri - ethylenetetramine , 198 . 5 grams of water and 1 , 100 grams of chlorobenzene are used . the resultant non - alkylated polymer resin has a solids content of 33 . 4 %. a sample of this non - alkylated polymer resin is reserved for oxidative stability test comparisons and the remainder is alkylated in the following manner . to a 3 neck , 2 liter flask equipped with a stirrer and containing 200 grams of water , is added 225 grams of the polymer resin of this example while stirring . formaldehyde , 188 . 9 grams of a 37 % solution , is added to the slurry over a 45 minute period while heating the reaction to a temperature of 35 ° c . formic acid , 132 . 6 grams of an 88 % solution , is then added over a 45 period while maintaining the reaction mixture at the aforesaid temperature of 35 ° c . after the completion of the addition of formic acid , the slurry is then heated to 75 ° c . over a period of 3 hours and is then maintained at 75 ° c . for an additional 12 hours . heating is then discontinued and the product is removed and washed with 2 liters of water . the oxidative stability test procedure set forth in example 1 is utilized for determining the oxidative stability of both the non - alkylated and the alkylated samples . the results are as follows : ______________________________________ % solids % solids before after oxidative oxidative difference stability stability insample test test percentages______________________________________non - alkylatedexample 2 33 . 4 26 7 . 4alkylatedexample 2 31 . 4 28 3 . 4______________________________________ the procedure of example 1 is repeated except that 94 grams of tetraethylpentamine and 116 grams of water are reacted with 176 . 8 grams of epibromohydrin in 400 grams of chlorobenzene . alkylation is accomplished in the manner of example 1 . a polymer resin suitable for use as an ion exchange resin is obtained . the procedure of example 1 is repeated except that 40 grams of ethylene diamine and 117 . 8 grams of water are reacted with 235 grams of epibromohydrin in 400 grams of chlorobenzene . alkylation is accomplished in the manner of example 1 . a polymer resin suitable for use as an ion exchange resin is obtained . the procedure of example 1 is repeated except that 117 grams of aminopropylethylene diamine and 134 . 8 grams of water are reacted with 197 . 6 grams of epichlorohydrin in 600 grams of chlorobenzene . alkylation is accomplished in the manner of example 1 . a suitable ion exchange resin is obtained . the purpose of example 6 is to illustrate the results of substituting a dihalide for the epihalohydrin which is part of this invention . to a 3 neck , 2 liter , round bottom flask equipped with a stirrer is added 100 grams of tetraethylene pentamine and 36 . 8 grams of propylene dichloride . the reaction mixture is heated to 90 ° c . and is held at this temperature for 6 hours . the reaction mixture is then cooled and the product is removed . a taffy - like polymer is isolated . this material is soluble in water and is unsuitable for use as an ion exchange resin and oxidative stability tests could not be determined because of the physical nature of this polymer . in a separate preparation , performed in the manner set forth above , 215 grams of triethylenetetramine and 560 grams of propylene dichloride are mixed in the presence of 71 grams of water . 2 grams of a sodium iodide catalyst and 1 . 3 grams of a suspending agent are added to the reaction mixture . the mixture is then poured into a pressure reactor and stirred and heated to 120 ° c . for 8 hours . the resultant polymer is cooled and an amorphous sticky material is obtained which is unsuitable for use as an ion exchange resin . because of the physical nature of this material , it is not possible to perform oxidative stability tests . while this invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments and illustrated by means of specific examples , the invention is not to be construed as limited except as set forth in the following claims . | 1 |
looking now at the drawings , there is shown a portable reverse isolation box ( prib ) 5 formed in accordance with the present invention . prib 5 comprises a main housing 10 . more particularly , main housing 10 comprises an airtight / watertight container 15 with a transparent lid 20 which allows the contents of the prib to be easily seen and manipulated . lid 20 is provided with a closure 25 for selectively closing off the interior of container 15 . container 15 is of a size which is adequate to accommodate the item which the user is trying to protect , and / or from which the user is trying to be isolated from . the interior of container 15 is the isolation bay 30 . for example , a prib designed to facilitate reading a paperback book in a tub or a bath , in or by the pool , or at the beach , without incurring cumulative water damage to the book , has an isolation bay 30 which is large enough to hold the desired book with the book open and to provide sufficient room to turn the pages easily . furthermore , isolation bay 30 of prib 5 is of an appropriate geometry so as to allow an item to be manipulated in the desired fashion . in a preferred construction , isolation bay 30 is also of an appropriate geometry to limit the ability of an item to shift or be moved in an undesirable fashion . for example , a prib 5 designed for a paperback book preferably has an isolation bay 30 of limited depth as a means of keeping the pages from flipping spontaneously , and as a means of keeping the book from spontaneously closing or flipping over when prib 5 is transported . it is important to note that , although main housing 10 of prib 5 is shown with a “ box - like ” geometry , any appropriate geometry may be used , with aspects of main housing 10 composed of rigid , semi - rigid , or flexible material to optimize a specific prib 5 for its intended use . integrated into one or more locations on main housing 10 of prib 5 are ports 35 ( fig1 ) into which disposable rubber gloves 40 or other disposable elements are attached in airtight / watertight continuity with isolation bay 30 . ports 35 are designed with features that allow gloves 40 or other disposable members 40 to be rapidly and easily changed , e . g ., such as when a glove becomes torn or damaged . by way of example but not limitation , ports 35 may comprise a rim 45 ( fig1 ) having threads 60 thereon . gloves 40 are inserted into ports 35 and their cuffs are stretched over rims 45 . then ring caps 50 are screwed over the cuffs of the gloves , whereby to secure gloves 40 inside ports 35 . on account of this construction , the user may pass their hand ( fig4 ) into the interior of prib 5 so as to manipulate objects within prib 5 while maintaining isolation therefrom . thus it will be seen that prib 5 is designed so that the airtight / watertight nature of the connection to isolation bay 30 is maintained after changing disposable rubber gloves 40 or other disposable elements 40 . in some iterations of prib 5 , one or two ports 35 with disposable gloves 40 attached allow an individual to insert one or two hands into the isolation bay of main housing 10 and manipulate an isolated item while visualizing the item through the prib &# 39 ; s transparent lid 20 . in other iterations of the prib , disposable elements 40 are designed to allow insertion of part or all of one or more fingers , or the distal half of one or both hands , but are not true “ gloves ” in the full sense of the word . in still other iterations , disposable elements 40 comprise one or more extended gloves that allow the hand , wrist , forearm , and elbow to be inserted into the isolation bay . and in still other iterations , multiple sets of disposable elements 40 allow two or more individuals to insert fingers , hands , and / or arms into a common isolation bay to allow for coordinated efforts between two or more individuals as may be required in some games or other endeavors . in other iterations , disposable elements 40 are designed to accommodate tools , implements , feet , or other appendages that could be used to manipulate items in the isolation bay 30 of prib 5 . different versions of prib 5 are designed for dedicated purposes to maximize function for a given task while optimizing size and geometry . examples of uses for which such dedicated pribs are designed include , but are not limited to the following constructions . several varieties of prib 5 may be configured to hold books , magazines , and / or other paper products . in one embodiment , prib 5 is configured to isolate a paperback or similar size book so as to allow the book to be read in a tub or sauna , at the beach , in or by the pool , in the rain or other hostile environments , while protecting the book from cumulative water and / or other damage . disposable elements 40 allow the pages to be turned effortlessly , and transparent lid 20 allows the book to be read through the prib . an ultra - bright white led or other light ( not shown ) may also be incorporated into the prib so as to facilitate visualization . the prib geometry and sizing keeps the book open to the desired page ( i . e ., by prohibiting the book from closing without opening the lid ), thereby providing additional functionality . the prib may be designed to be propped up on one &# 39 ; s knees in the tub . alternatively , the prib could have a floating base and / or a beveled isolation bay which holds the book at the optimal angle for reading in the water or other environment . in another embodiment , prib 5 is configured to isolate a larger book for reading in the tub or sauna , at the beach , by the pool , in the rain , or other hostile environments , while protecting the book from cumulative water and / or other damage . disposable elements 40 allow the pages to be turned effortlessly , and transparent lid 20 allows the book to be read through the prib . an ultra - bright white led or other light ( not shown ) may also be incorporated into the prib so as to facilitate visualization . the prib geometry and sizing keeps the book open to the desired page ( i . e ., by prohibiting the book from closing without opening the lid ), thereby providing additional functionality . the prib may be designed to be propped up on one &# 39 ; s knees in the tub . alternatively , the prib could have a floating base and / or a beveled isolation bay which holds the book at the optimal angle for reading in the water or other environment . in another embodiment , prib 5 is configured to isolate a book of antiquarian or historical value from cumulative stress and deterioration while being handled by users , and provide a non - stress , non - hostile environment for the book . the book is protected by the prib from atmospheric moisture , skin oil , and unanticipated spills , sneezes and / or other misadventures . in another embodiment , prib 5 is configured to hold a crossword puzzle or other work or game book , along with a pen , pencil , marker or other writing instrument , so as to allow the crossword puzzle or other work or game book to be used as intended in the tub , in the sauna , at the beach , by the pool , in the rain , or other hostile environments , while protecting the crossword puzzle or other work or game book from cumulative water and / or other damage . in another embodiment , prib 5 is configured to isolate a coloring book or other game or workbook , along with multiple colored markers , pens , paints or crayons , thus allowing the coloring book to be used as intended while protecting the environment from stains and marking by the pens . this is of value with small children and / or others for whom careful control of permanent markers and / or other potentially destructive writing and / or drawing implements is challenging . by virtue of the airtight and watertight construction of the prib , the markers or pens would never be lost and would dry out much more slowly if left uncapped than they otherwise would if left in the open air . the caps for the markers or pens may be permanently affixed to the inner aspect of the isolation bay in order to keep the markers or pens organized between uses or during use . the isolation bay may also have childproof features that prevent a child from opening the isolation bay without adult help . several coloring books or workbooks may be placed in the isolation bay at once , and the child could rearrange them to get to the desired book , open to the desired page , and color with markers , all within the prib isolation bay , without risk of marking or staining the environment . a prib of this type is valuable and entertaining for children during long drives in the car , where losing caps and markers and avoiding destructive marker mishaps is challenging . another potential use is in a pediatrician &# 39 ; s waiting room , where a fresh pair of disposable gloves allows a toddler or child to color without risk of transmission of infectious agents , avoids marker stains , avoids lost markers and caps , helps prevent markers from drying out , etc . in an alternative embodiment , prib 5 may be positioned on an easel ( not shown ) and could house a large tablet of paper held vertically and finger - paints . the paints would not dry out , and the child &# 39 ; s clothes and the environment are isolated and protected from artistic misadventure . other varieties of prib could be designed for food preparation in the kitchen so as to facilitate clean up after messy tasks and / or to isolate the user from noxious stimuli . in one embodiment of the present invention , prib 5 is designed for cutting or dicing onions . in this embodiment , base 55 ( fig5 ) of isolation bay 30 may be made of materials , and configured like , a cutting board and a knife or other cutlery may be placed in the box alongside one or more onions , cloves of garlic , or other noxious food . the airtight and watertight lid of the prib may then be secured , with the onions and knife in the isolation bay . the onions are then peeled , sliced , and diced inside the enclosure of the prib . the prib contains the noxious fumes and helps keep the diced onions fresh until such time as they are needed . in another embodiment of the present invention , prib 5 is configured to prepare freshly caught fish , oysters , clams , squid , shrimp , crabs and the like , or for skinning and / or cleaning small game . with the prib , the scales , shells , bones , viscera and such could be readily contained and disposed of with effectively no mess to clean up . in another embodiment of the present invention , prib 5 may be designed for marinating or breading food . by way of example , it is sometimes desirable to roll meat , poultry , or fish in flour , breadcrumbs , cornmeal , or other granular foodstuff . similarly , it is sometimes desirable to coat food in marinades or other sauces for prolonged periods of time . a prib of this variety would allow the user to place the meat , poultry , or fish in the isolation bay , along with the breading or sauce and a brush or other appliance to facilitate the even dispersal of the coating . the food may remain in the isolation bay with the marinade for prolonged periods of time , as is done with conventional marinade processes . with a prib of this variety , one is able to reposition the food that is being marinated or breaded , facilitating even dispersal , without touching either the food or sauce . accordingly this prib minimizes mess , facilitates clean - up , and allows the procedure to be performed , in some cases even without taking the prib out of the refrigerator . in another embodiment of the present invention , a prib may be optimized to facilitate projects in the home shop , including cleaning parts or removing glue or paint with noxious solvents or thinners , painting or coating objects in a dust - free environment , or assembling multiple small components without risk of dropping and / or loosing them . other pribs are designed with multiple ports 35 so as to allow multiple individuals to play cards or other games in the tub , in the sauna , at the beach , by the pool , in the rain or other hostile environments . one iteration allows a plurality of players to each insert two hands into a large floating circular prib so as to allow “ pool poker ” to be played . the isolation bay is loaded with chips and cards and then the lid is sealed . the entire game is played within the watertight and airtight isolation bay . a prib of this type also shelters cards from the wind so as to facilitate poker at the beach and / or other challenging environments . some of the unique and patentable features of the novel pribs include their low cost , ease of use , portability , and dedicated design for a specific task . features that maximize these aspects of function include a low - cost , injection - molded construction , small size and the incorporation of inexpensive , easily replaced , disposable gloves . unlike most currently available isolation hoods or tents , which are intended for use with radioactive materials , biohazards , infectious material , carcinogens , poisons , or caustic substances , etc , the ramifications of device failure with the pribs are substantially less . as such , the gloves can be inexpensive , disposable gloves 40 that are readily available , and which can be easily replaced as needed . alternatively , some types of pribs may require dedicated disposable members 40 , e . g ., either full arm - length gloves , partial hand gloves , or other geometries . these disposable elements 40 could be very cheaply fabricated due to the intended use and limited consequences of breach or leak . the prib of the present invention provides a fast , simple and reliable approach for replaceably attaching the gloves to the prib , e . g ., a threaded neck for receiving the wrist of the glove , and a threaded rim for capturing the wrist of the glove to the threaded neck . furthermore , because the isolation bay is watertight / airtight , it could be manipulated during closure of the lid to force an egress of air , such that after the forced egress of air is completed , the sealed isolation bay of the prib is at a sub - atmospheric pressure . thus , the prib can be “ burped ” like a tupperware container . the “ burping ” causes the disposable gloves or other disposable elements to inflate with room air or water ( whatever was outside the box ), which facilitates insertion and removal of one &# 39 ; s hands while accessing the contents of the prib . by way of example but not limitation , the prib can be formed out of a flexible plastic such that the prib can have its isolation chamber reduced in size ( e . g ., by pressing one or more walls inwardly ), closing the lid , and then allowing the isolation chamber to return to its normal size ( e . g ., by releasing the inward pressure on the one or more walls ). the arrangement will effectively cause the isolation chamber to have an interior air pressure which is lower that the exterior air pressure , so that the gloves will be automatically inflated . it will be understood that many changes in the details , materials , steps and arrangements of parts , which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention , may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles and scope of the present invention . | 0 |
[ 0023 ] fig1 , and 3 show one embodiment of the present invention . a finned damper 10 is made of a resilient , elastomeric material , such as rubber , elastomer , and elastic polymers . the damper 10 is molded into a base 11 with a series of fins 12 extending up from it . the embodiment shown in fig1 through 3 has a rectangular base 11 with a flat bottom 13 . for archery bow dampers , the finned damper can be roughly one inch wide , three inches long , and an inch high . these dimensions allow the damper to fit on various parts of the most common bows . for example , as shown in fig9 the finned damper 10 may be mounted to the limb 41 of an archery bow 40 , either on the inner 47 or outer 48 surface , and either close to the grip 42 , as indicated by 10 ′, or close to the pulleys 48 , as indicated by 10 ″. fins 12 extend up from the base 11 . the finned damper 10 may be fixed to an archery bow with conventional adhesives , such as glue or tape with adhesive on both sides . for example , fig3 shows the finned damper 10 with a layer of adhesive 14 on the bottom surface 13 . the adhesive is covered by a peel - off strip 15 . to fix the finned damper 10 to a bow limb , the strip 15 is peeled off , revealing the adhesive layer 14 , then the damper 10 is pressed to the bow limb until the adhesive 14 sticks . the finned damper 10 can be mounted to almost any surface of an archery bow . as additional examples , the finned damper 10 can be fixed on a conventional bow mounted quiver . [ 0024 ] fig4 , and 6 show another embodiment of the present invention . the finned wrap - around damper 40 is made of a resilient , elastomeric material , such as rubber , elastomer , and elastic polymers . a finned wrap - around damper 40 is molded to form a series of fins 22 on a base structure 21 . base structure 21 is further comprised of a distal lengthwise extension portion 23 , a middle portion 28 , and a proximal lengthwise extension portion 29 . distal lengthwise extension 23 is further divided into a top portion 24 and bottom portion 27 . top portion 24 is formed into a series of alternating raised ribs 25 and recessed grooves 26 . bottom portion 27 is a flat surface in this embodiment . proximal lengthwise extension 29 is further divided into a top portion 30 and bottom portion 31 . top portion 30 is a flat surface in this embodiment . bottom portion 31 is formed into a series of alternating raised ribs 32 and recessed grooves 33 . at the middle portion 28 of the wrap - around damper 20 , the bottom 36 is formed as a flat surface 34 , and the top portion 35 is formed into the series of fins 22 . [ 0025 ] fig5 is a bottom isometric view which shows the bottom 36 of base structure 21 in greater detail . bottom portions 34 and 27 are flat surfaces , and bottom portion 31 is formed into a series of alternating raised ribs 32 and recessed grooves 33 . fig6 is a front orthogonal view also showing the wrap - around finned damper 20 in detail , with its fins 22 , and extension portions 23 and 29 with their raised ribs 25 and recessed grooves 26 at the distal end 23 , and complimentary ribs 32 and grooves 33 at the proximal end 29 . the ribs 25 and grooves 26 at the distal end 23 are designed to engage the complimentary ribs 32 and grooves 33 at the proximal end . for example , fig9 shows various places on an archery bow 40 where the wrap - around finned damper 20 may be fixed . many bows 40 have mechanical dampers 43 , usually cylindrical in shape , mounted to the front 46 of the bow 40 near the grip 42 . thus , as shown in greater detail in fig7 the wrap - around finned damper 20 can be wrapped around a cylindrical surface , such as a mechanical damper 43 , and the distal 23 and proximal 29 ends can engage the complimentary ribs , 25 and 32 , and grooves , 26 and 33 . as an additional example , this same type of system can also be used to fix the wrap - around damper 20 to conventional archery bow counterweights ( not shown ), which are also usually cylindrically shaped . as with the finned damper 10 described above , the wrap - around finned damper 20 may also be fixed to a flat surface of a bow 40 . thus , flat bottom portions , 34 and 27 , can be used as surfaces to fix the damper 20 by means of glue or tape with adhesive on both sides . for example , fig6 shows an adhesive layer 37 , covered by a peel - off strip 38 , applied to the flat bottom portions , 34 and 27 . thus , the peel - off strip 38 can be removed and the damper 20 can be fixed to any part of the bow 40 , such as to a limb 41 , or to a mechanical damper 43 or a counterweight ( not shown ). glue or any other conventional adhesive may also be applied to the top 24 of the distal end 23 , or the bottom 31 of the proximal end 29 , or to both , so that the ribs 25 and grooves 26 at the distal end 23 engage the complimentary ribs 32 and grooves 33 at the proximal end and the glue holds the ends , 23 and 29 , together . [ 0026 ] fig8 a shows yet another embodiment of the present invention . the finned ring damper 50 is made of a resilient , elastomeric material , such as rubber , elastomer , and elastic polymers . a finned ring damper 50 is molded to form a series of fins 52 on a base structure 51 . base structure 51 forms a ring with an inner surface 53 . the ring damper 50 may be mounted to any object over which it can be stretched , such as a mechanical damper 43 , as seen in fig9 or a counterweight ( not shown ). the ring damper 50 can be held in place by the friction of stretching the rubbery material over an object or by fixing it to an object with adhesive or glue , as described above . [ 0027 ] fig8 b and 8 c show yet another embodiment of the finned ring damper . the finned ring damper 50 ′ is made of a resilient , elastomeric material , such as rubber , elastomer , and elastic polymers . a finned ring damper 50 is molded to form a series of fins 52 on a base structure 51 . base structure 51 forms a ring with an inner surface 53 . an mounting insert 55 fits into the inner surface 53 of the ring damper 50 ′. the mounting insert 55 is cup - shaped and has a mounting hole 56 . the mounting hole 56 can receive a bolt ( not shown ) to secure the damper 50 ′ to an object , such as an archery bow . for example , as shown in fig9 the limb bolts ( not shown ) that secure the bow limbs 41 to the grip structure 42 , can be used to mount the finned damper 50 ′ to the bow . in an additional embodiment , the cavity formed by the cup of the mounting insert 55 can be filled with a foam insert 57 , for increased damping . the present invention provides excellent damping . fig1 , 11 and 12 are graphs showing the results of experiments using an archery bow vibration testing rig at the university of idaho college of engineering . the testing rig holds a conventional compound archery bow and was set up to measure the duration and amplitude of vibrations generated by bowstring pulled back to its fully stretched position and released . the duration of vibrations is plotted on the horizontal axis and increments of 0 . 2 seconds are shown . the amplitude of vibrations is plotted on the vertical axis , measured electronically by potential and shown in increments of 0 . 5 volts . fig1 shows is a graph of a bow without any damper . it can seen that the duration of vibrations lasts about 04 . seconds and the amplitude spikes several times , with a measured maximum of almost 2 . 5 volts . fig1 is a graph of a currently available damper marketed and sold as an archery bow damper , substantially similar in design to the damper shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 362 , 046 , discussed above . the prior art damper was mounted to the test bow on the inner surface ( 47 in fig9 ) of the bow limb ( 41 in fig9 ), near the pulleys ( 48 in fig9 ). fig1 shows that the prior art damper reduces the duration of vibrations to under 0 . 3 second and reduces the maximum measured amplitude to just under 2 . 0 volts . fig1 is a graph of the preferred embodiment of the present invention , as shown in fig1 through 3 . the finned damper 10 of the present invention was mounted to the test bow in the same place as the prior art damper : on the inner surface ( 47 in fig9 ) of the bow limb ( 41 in fig9 ), near the pulleys ( 48 in fig9 ). fig1 shows that the finned damper of the present invention provides significantly greater damping than the prior art damper . the finned damper of the present invention reduces the duration of vibrations to about 0 . 15 second and reduces the maximum measured amplitude to just under 1 . 5 volts . the drawings and description set forth here represent only some embodiments of the invention . after considering these , skilled persons will understand that there are many ways to make a finned vibration damper according to the principles disclosed . the inventor contemplates that the use of alternative structures , which result in a finned vibration damper using the principles disclosed and the invention claimed , will be within the scope of the claims . | 5 |
turning now to fig1 - 8 , a mounting receptacle is generally indicated at 10 . as will be seen herein , mounting receptacle 10 is preferably made as a monolithic one - piece body made of a molded plastic material . the mounting receptacle 10 includes a plate - like hinged threshold 12 of modified triangular configuration . the threshold 12 has a front edge 14 and side edges 16 , 18 . mounting holes 20 , 22 are located at the corner of front edge 14 and side edges 16 , 18 . mounting receptacle 10 further includes a housing portion generally indicated at 30 , including side walls 32 , 34 and a recessed top wall 36 . the housing portion 30 includes a floor 38 ( see fig3 ) which preferably has a top surface lying in the plane of the top surface of threshold 12 . housing portion 30 defines an internal cavity 40 dimensioned to telescopically receive a panel support member such as the panel rib 42 illustrated in fig2 . in a preferred embodiment , the panel rib 42 is of conventional fiberglass construction and has a conventional flat rib shape with an elongated generally rectangular cross section . as can be seen in fig1 the side walls 32 , 34 extend above top wall 36 of housing portion 30 . the cooperating structure resembles a channel which , as will be seen , receives and supports a conventional strap 46 , as shown in fig7 and 8 , to maintain the rolled configuration of a message panel assembly which has been prepared for storage . as can be seen in fig1 - 3 , an extension 48 of floor 38 projects beyond an end wall 50 of housing portion 30 , between the rear portions of side walls 32 , 34 . a mounting aperture 52 is located in floor extension 48 . the bottom surfaces of threshold 12 , floor 38 and floor extension 48 form a continuous generally flat bottom surface 56 . as indicated in fig3 - 5 , the apertures 20 , 22 and 52 extend to the generally flat bottom surface 56 of the mounting receptacle . as indicated in fig3 - 5 , the apertures 20 , 22 and 52 have enlarged recessed portions 20a , 22a and 52a , respectively , extending from bottom surface 56 . the enlarged recessed portion 22a can be seen in fig5 and apertures 20 , 52 have recessed portions of similar size and shape . fig2 shows mounting receptacle 10 attached to a corner portion of a flexible message panel 60 . in the preferred embodiment , the cavity of housing portion 30 faces toward the middle of the message panel . as indicated in fig6 the flat bottom surface 56 of the mounting receptacle is positioned on one surface of the message panel 60 and conventional fasteners 64 , preferably rivets , secure the message panel 60 to the mounting receptacle . as can be seen by comparing fig4 and 5 , a portion of the message panel 60 is drawn into the enlarged recess to securely trap or clinch the message panel . as can be seen in fig1 and 2 , for example , it is generally preferred that the mounting receptacle be secured at three points to the message panel 60 . with reference to fig2 as support rib 42 is mated with the message panel assembly , the support rib passes over the front edge of threshold 12 . threshold 12 provides a guide surface for the support rib to help align the support rib 42 for entry into a housing pocket or cavity 40 . typically , mounting receptacle 10 is much smaller than the message panel to which it is attached . for example , with reference to fig2 the distance between front and rear edges 14 , 68 of the mounting receptacle is approximately 21 / 2 inches , whereas the message panels typically have square configurations , measuring 30 to 48 inches on a side . the support rib 42 is initially held close to the surface of the message panel as the message panel receives a stretching force imparted to it by the support rib , and is thereby approximately aligned with threshold 12 . typically , the reinforcing ribs of conventional flexible sign panels are joined together at the center so as to collapse with a scissors action , once one of the cross ribs is loosened from its attachment to the message panel . with the support ribs pivoted so as to overlie one another , the message panel is then rolled about the support ribs in the manner indicated in fig7 . as mentioned , the tether or strap 46 is attached in a conventional manner to the message panel so as to provide an outer wrap for the rolled package in the manner indicated in fig7 and 8 . accordingly , the mounting receptacle is pressed against the rolled package . referring to fig1 and 8 , the housing portion 30 is joined to the forward portion of plate 12 by a flexible portion or living hinge 72 . in the preferred embodiment , hinge 72 is conveniently provided by forming a groove in the upper surface of the threshold thereby reducing the thickness and increasing the flexibility of the threshold in the region immediately in front of the housing portion 30 . as can be seen in fig2 the hinge 72 lies in the mid - portion of the mounting receptacle . with reference to fig8 the hinge portion allows the mounting receptacle to bend about its mid - portion to more closely conform to the rolled sign panel . when the sign panel is tightly rolled , considerable stresses are required to secure the strap 46 . accordingly , it is desirable that the rolled sign panel be protected or cushioned from forces imparted by the strap 46 , and that the strap be constrained in a desired position . for example , with reference to fig7 it can be seen that the direction of rolling of the message panel results in a cross section resembling a triangle . accordingly , if strap 46 were allowed to shift toward the top or bottom of the rolled package , the desired tension in the strap would be lost and the integrity of the rolled package would be compromised . accordingly , the mounting receptacle of the present invention is provided with a recessed top wall 36 with the strapping received in the recess formed between side walls 32 , 34 as indicated in fig8 . the hinged threshold 12 also allows the housing portion to momentarily bend back , away from the desired flat plane of the message panel while the panel rib is initially aligned for eventual entry into the housing cavity . with the hinged connection , the upstanding housing portion can be readily grasped for application of a pulling force on the flexible message panel to properly tension the panel in preparation for insertion of the panel rib into the housing cavity . at times , considerable tension must be applied to the message panel to pull it flat and taut , to assume a planar configuration . the hinged connection allows a user to bend the housing portion ( located at the outermost corner of the message panel assembly ) at an angle to the message panel for a better grip on the panel . the hinge portion 72 , made of a tough plastic material , transmits the pulling force to the message panel in a safe manner . during this time , thumb pressure can also be applied to the upstanding housing portion while the free end of the support rib is placed against threshold 12 . thereafter , the hinge connection allows the housing portion to be rolled onto the free end of the support rib . bending of the housing portion also brings the housing portion into ready alignment if the support rib must be bowed , a practice which has become widespread . turning now to fig9 - 12 , an alternative mounting receptacle is generally indicated at 90 . receptacle 90 includes the housing portion 30 as described above . wing portions 92 , 94 contain apertures 96 , 98 , respectively , for mounting the forward end of receptacle 90 . if desired , the mouth 102 of cavity 40 can be flared in the shape of a funnel to help direct a support rib into the cavity , if desired . as a further alternative , the wing portions 92 , 94 can be omitted if a swiveling action of the mounting receptacle about the rivet connection in hole 52 is desired . as can be seen in fig9 - 12 , the overall depth of the mounting receptacle is made considerably shorter by omitting the threshold and hinge portions discussed above . it has been found that if the depth is made short within certain limits , that adequate support of the panel rib can still be provided , while avoiding interference with the rolled panel package ( see fig1 , for example ). if the overall depth of the mounting receptacle is too long without benefit of a hinge for any included threshold , then it will not be able to conform to the outer surface of the rolled package , but instead will rock along tangent lines to the rolled package &# 39 ; s circular cross - section . the following information is given for commonly available fiberglass panel ribs . table i__________________________________________________________________________cavity and receptacle relative sizes for fiberglass panel ribspanel sizeavg . max . rolled minimum rib cavity cavity relative receptacle relative ( unrolled ) circumference ( c ) size ( t , w ) depth ( d ) size ( d / w ) size__________________________________________________________________________ ( d / c ) 30 &# 34 ; × 30 &# 34 ; 8 &# 34 ; . 125 × 1 . 00 0 . 5 - 1 . 2 &# 34 ; . 50 - 1 . 2 6 . 25 %- 15 % 36 &# 34 ; × 36 &# 34 ; 10 &# 34 ; . 1875 × 1 . 25 0 . 625 - 1 . 5 &# 34 ; . 50 - 1 . 2 6 . 25 %- 15 % 48 &# 34 ; × 48 &# 34 ; 12 &# 34 ; . 25 × 1 . 25 0 . 625 - 1 . 5 &# 34 ; . 50 - 1 . 2 5 . 2 %- 12 . 5 % 24 &# 34 ; × 48 &# 34 ; 12 &# 34 ; . 1875 × 1 . 25 0 . 625 - 1 . 5 &# 34 ; . 50 - 1 . 2 5 . 2 %- 12 . 5 % __________________________________________________________________________ as can be seen from the above preferred arrangements for fiberglass ribs , the cavity depth ( d ) ranges between 50 % and 120 % of the rib width ( w ). preferably , with any type of rib , the cavity depth ranges between 50 % and 120 % of the rib width and most preferably the cavity depth ranges between 80 % and 100 % of the rib width . this allows the cavity depth ( d ) to range between 5 % and 15 % of the max . rolled circumference ( c ). most preferably the cavity depth ( d ) ranges between 7 % and 14 % of the max . rolled circumference ( c ). it is generally preferred that the mounting receptacle be made of plastic material so as to provide a degree of conformance to the flexible message panel during deployment of the message panel . further , the preferred plastic material can be readily adapted to form a living hinge coupling the housing portion to any threshold portion that may be provided with the mounting receptacle . as mentioned , the hinge provides an increased conformance to a message panel rolled into a compact form , and to relieve stresses which might be imparted to the mounting receptacle , preventing the stresses from being transferred to the message panel in a manner which would damage or otherwise deteriorate coupling of the mounting receptacle to the message panel . if desired , however , the mounting receptacle can be made of rigid materials joined together by a separate hinge . in the arrangement shown in fig9 for example , the threshold and consequently the hinge portion have been omitted . however , it may be desirable in certain applications to break the sidewalls 32 , 34 at points adjacent the housing portion rear wall 52 so as to provide an increased compliance , and so as to also provide a mounting receptacle which is temporarily bent adjacent its mid - portion to allow a user a better purchase or grip on the message panel as the message panel is being pulled taut in preparation for mating of the support rib with the mounting receptacle . the preferred line of bending is indicated by dotted line 104 in fig1 . preferably , the parting line would extend through sidewalls 32 , 34 from the upper surface , to a point adjacent the upper surface of floor extension 48 . turning now to fig1 - 16 , an alternative message panel assembly is generally indicated at 150 . a flexible message panel 60 has mounting receptacles 90 attached at the corners thereof , with panel ribs extending between the mounting receptacles . the arrangement illustrated in fig1 , the vertical panel rib is preferably made of two rib parts 152 , 154 , colinearly aligned , with their adjacent ends received in a central housing 156 . similarly , the horizontal rib preferably comprises rib parts 158 , 160 colinearly aligned with their adjacent ends received in central housing 162 . as can be seen in fig1 , the rib part 158 is received in an opening 164 formed in one end of central housing 162 . the rib part 158 is biased in an outward direction by spring member 168 . the other rib parts 152 , 154 and 160 are similarly spring loaded within their respective central housings , and the central housings 156 , 162 are pinned together at 172 for relative rotation . as explained above with reference to fig1 , panel ribs 42 are received within the pocket formed in mounting receptacle 90 . in use , it is customary to bend the panel rib 42 ( in the manner of bending an archer &# 39 ; s bow ) and to introduce the free end of the panel rib into the mouth of the receptacle pocket . by releasing the panel rib from its bent position the free end of the panel rib travels within the receptacle pocket . it has been found difficult , on occasion , to perform the above - described maneuver . for example , when flexible message panels are required to be installed along a roadside , dusty wind conditions and wind bursts from passing vehicles can generate very substantial sail forces , making it difficult to thread the free end of the panel rib in the receptacle pocket . with the arrangement shown in fig1 - 16 , the need for bending the panel ribs is avoided . rather , the panel ribs are translated in the direction of the arrows shown in fig1 , along their central axes so as to compress the bias springs 168 . as the free end of the panel ribs are lined up with the mouth of the respective receptacle pocket , the ribs are released so as to allow the springs 168 to extend , bringing the free ends of the ribs into more complete insertion within the mounting receptacle pockets . if desired , the panel ribs and biasing springs can be dimensioned so as to maintain a predetermined force on the rear wall of the panel receptacle pocket and to maintain the force on the mounting receptacle after the panel assembly is erected . this allows a flexible message panel to be maintained in a taut condition despite dimensional changes to the message panel caused by temperature . for example , when the flexible message panels are placed in intense sunlight and allowed to become heated , the material properties of the panels changes substantially , allowing the message panels to &# 34 ; grow &# 34 ;. with the arrangement of the present invention , in effect , the panel ribs will grow along with the message panel to maintain the desired predetermined taut condition . turning now to fig1 - 20 , an alternative mounting receptacle is generally indicated at 200 . receptacle 200 includes a floor 202 and an upper wall 204 having a recessed portion 206 . a hollow pocket 208 is formed between floor 202 and top wall 204 . as can be seen in the top plan view of fig1 , top wall 204 is cut out at 212 to expose a portion of floor 202 which serves as a landing or threshold to help align the panel rib with the hollow pocket . double walls 214 also help to orient the panel ribs at the mouth of pocket 208 . as can be seen in fig2 , mounting holes 218 have surrounding step depressions 220 to trap flexible message panel 60 by a step button - like fastener 224 . fastener 224 is compressed against floor 202 by rivet fastener 226 which is headed over after passing through washer 228 . turning now to fig2 - 30 , it will be seen that the flexible message panel assembly generally indicated at 250 can be rolled in one of two ways , the first illustrated in fig2 - 26 and the second illustrated in fig2 - 30 . advantages of the flexible message panel assembly 250 include its relatively light weight , and its ability to be readily collapsed and rolled in a small package ( see fig2 and 29 ) for storage . referring to fig2 , either the vertical or the rib is released from its mounting receptacles and rotated in the direction to bring the two ribs in overlying relationship as indicated in fig2 . preferably , the ribs of the flexible message panel assembly are pinned together at their central portions to allow the relative rotation . it is not necessary to release the second rib from its mounting receptacles and in practice , the second rib is preferably left connected to its respective mounting receptacles such that the flexible message panel remains stretched or taut in at least one linear direction . if desired , the second rib may be permanently joined to the flexible message panel . as indicated in fig2 and 22 , the lower corner of the flexible message panel 60 is folded underneath the major portion of the flexible message panel assembly . as illustrated in the figures , the reverse surface 60a , i . e . the surface contacting the support ribs and which does not typically carry the message indicate , is made visible . accordingly , as indicated in fig2 , the reverse surface 60b , normally carrying the message indicia is folded against itself , as can be seen in fig2 . in fig2 and 24 , the mounting receptacles are shown in phantom since they are hidden underneath the flexible message panel . fig2 shows the direction of rolling of the message panel in preparation for strap 46 to be wound about the rolled package , as indicated in fig2 . as mentioned above , fastening means are provided for securing strap 46 to the rolled package . preferably , strap 46 is provided with hook and loop fastener material and is of a length so as to completely encircle the rolled flexible message panel assembly , in the manner indicated in fig2 . referring now to fig2 , a first mounting receptacle 90a is located beneath a layer of flexible message panel 60 , and is secured by a rivet fastener 256 to a first free end of strap 35 . a strap 46 extends from the first mounting receptacle 90a to encircle the rolled package , passing over the top of a second mounting receptacle 90b and passing over the first mounting receptacle 90a before being joined at its free end 46a to an underlying layer of strap material . as can be seen in fig2 , the strap 46 is laid within the recessed upper surface 36 of the second mounting receptacle 90b . as can be seen in fig2 , and as explained above , the strap 46 is secured in the recessed portion 36 against inadvertent lateral dislodgement as when the rolled package illustrated in fig2 is slid end - first into a storage chamber so as to drag the strap 46 against the walls of the chamber or against materials previously deposited in the storage chamber . referring now to fig2 - 30 , the flexible message panel 60 is rolled in an opposite sense , such that its front surface 60b , the surface normally carrying the message indicia , is fully exposed after folding . the flexible message panel assembly is rolled in the manner of fig2 and strap 46 is rolled about the package and secured to itself to develop the completely rolled package as illustrated in fig2 . as can be seen in fig3 , the upper recess of the mounting receptacle 90a guides the strap 46 and retains the strap against inadvertent lateral dislodgement . as can be seen from the above , the mounting receptacles are disposed such that their upper recesses effectively guide the strap against inadvertent lateral misalignment no matter which direction the flexible message panel assembly is rolled . the drawings and the foregoing descriptions are not intended to represent the only forms of the invention in regard to the details of its construction and manner of operation . changes in form and in the proportion of parts , as well as the substitution of equivalents , are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient ; and although specific terms have been employed , they are intended in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purposes of limitation , the scope of the invention being delineated by the following claims . | 6 |
the present invention comprises several devices and methods for igniting charcoal or other fuel that incorporate features allowing the devices to be configured to provide a chimney for lighting of fuel and then reconfigured into or for use with grills . a first embodiment comprises a reconfigurable combination grill and lighting device . a second embodiment comprises a variation on the first embodiment , also comprising a combination grill and lighting device . a third embodiment is a reconfigurable lighting device for use with an existing grill . a fourth embodiment is a reconfigurable lighting device modification to an existing grill . the first embodiment comprises a device and method for igniting charcoal or other fuel that incorporates features allowing the device to be reconfigured to serve as a chimney for lighting of fuel and then reconfigured into a grill . the device is also reconfigurable into a generally flat profile that facilitates carrying and storage when not in use . from the flat position , handles incorporated into the device are pivoted or otherwise moved to a position approximately perpendicular to the two sides , and the two sides are in turn partially opened by pivoting upon , for example , hinges , so that the shape of the device forms a generally triangular shape . arranging the device in this configuration also holds in place a triangle shaped grill trap door inside the device , upon which charcoal or other fuel is placed and under which newspaper or another easily ignited initiator for the fuel is positioned . in operation , upon arrangement in the triangular configuration , the device is moved to an upright position , so that the device rests on one triangular end with the trap door toward the bottom and openings in one or more of the grill sides , also located near the bottom . in one embodiment , additional similarly located openings are also included in the grill bottom . the charcoal or other fuel is then placed into the device from the top , coming to rest on the trap door . the paper or other initiator is placed inside the device beneath the trap door . the paper is then lit through the openings at the base of the device . these openings , in addition to facilitating initial lighting of the paper , allow air to circulate freely , encouraging the efficient transfer of heat from the burning initiator to the charcoal or other fuel . when the charcoal is sufficiently lit , attached legs are opened , by for example pivoting the legs on hinges or pivots , such as bolts or screws , that attach the legs to the bottom side of the grill , and the device is reoriented to rest on the extended legs . using the handles , the two sides are pivotably or otherwise opened such that the sides are approximately perpendicular to the base , and the device thus assumes a generally u - shaped profile as formed by the sides and bottom of the grill , viewed from an end of the device . in an embodiment of the present invention , opening of the two sides also releases the trap door , allowing the trap door to collapse to a flat position against a bottom rack that contains the charcoal or other fuel when the grill is in the grilling configuration . the transfer of the fuel from the trap door to the bottom rack enables the charcoal or other fuel to be spread evenly over the bottom rack , facilitating even grilling . lastly , in one embodiment , a separate grill top surface is emplaced so as to span the two opened sides over the lit fuel , completing the reconfiguration of the grill in a cooking position . the second embodiment is a variation of the combination reconfigurable grill device of the first embodiment . the device of this embodiment includes two bottom tray portions coupled to each other via one or more pivotable couplings , such as hinges . attached to each of the bottom tray portions is a handle , a door portion ( also referred to as a side portion ), and a leg portion . pivotably attached to one of the bottom tray portions is a rack portion . the device also includes a separable top grill portion . as with the first embodiment , the device of the second embodiment is configurable into a first arrangement , a second arrangement , and a third arrangement , the first arrangement having a thin profile to facilitate handling and storage of the device . however , in the second arrangement , instead of forming a generally triangular cross - sectional shape , the second embodiment of the grill device of the present invention forms a generally square cross - sectional shape . when arranged into the third arrangement , the two bottom tray portions are latched or locked into a flat arrangement using , for example , a catch . in one embodiment , the catch includes a hooked extension on a first tray portion and a slit opening in a second tray portion , such that , in the latched position , the hooked extension fits into the slit opening to lock the trays in the flat position . the third embodiment of the present invention comprises a device and method for igniting charcoal or other fuel that incorporates features allowing the device to be configured to provide a chimney for lighting of fuel and then folded into an easily carried and stored configuration having a generally flat profile . from the flat position , a handle or handles incorporated into the device are pivoted or otherwise moved to a position approximately perpendicular to an adjacent side . the sides are then partially opened by pivoting upon , for example , hinges , so that the shape of the device forms a generally square cross - sectional shape bounded by the sides . arranging the device in this configuration also allows a square shaped grill trap door to be surrounded by the sides of the device . charcoal or other fuel is then placed on the trap door , and newspaper or another easily ignited initiator for the fuel is positioned beneath the trap door . a leg or other extension attached to the trap door holds the trap door in place generally perpendicular to the sides when the device is in the square shaped configuration . in operation , upon arrangement in the square cross - sectional configuration , the device is moved to an upright position , so that the device rests on one end with the trap door toward the bottom , suspended by the leg or other extension , and openings in one or more of the device sides , also located near the bottom . the device is placed inside a grill or at another location that will hold the charcoal upon being lit . the paper or other initiator is then placed inside the device beneath the trap door , and the charcoal or other fuel is placed into the device from the top , coming to rest on the trap door . the paper is then lit through the openings at the base of the device . these openings , in addition to facilitating initial lighting of the paper , allow air to circulate freely , encouraging the efficient transfer of heat from the burning initiator to the charcoal or other fuel . when the charcoal is sufficiently lit , the device is simply lifted by its handle , allowing the trap door to swing downward via , for example hinges attaching the trap door by one side . the leg or other extension , which is also pivotable , similarly swings downward , allowing the lit charcoal to dump from the bottom of the device into the grill or other location for containing the lit charcoal . the fourth embodiment is a reconfigurable lighting device modification to an existing grill . in this embodiment , the lighting device includes an initiator holding tray portion , a rack top trap door , and a two piece fuel containment portion . the two piece fuel containment portion includes two pivotably connected doors that are arrangeable within an existing grill having grill sides so as to form a containment area within the existing grill above the initiator holding tray . a trap door rack is located on the top of the initiator holding tray . in use , fuel initiator is placed within the initiator holding tray portion , which includes openings for allowing lighting of the initiator and air flow to the initiator . the trap door rack top for the initiator holding tray is placed or pivotably moved so as to cover the initiator holding tray portion , and the pivotably connected doors are arranged and connected to the existing grill sides so as to form a fuel containment area within a corner of the existing grill . in one embodiment , the pivotably connected doors are connected to the existing grill sides using one or more locator pins . fuel , such as charcoal , is then placed in the fuel containment area , and the initiator is ignited , such that the fuel is able to light . upon lighting of the fuel , the pivotably connected doors are repositioned , so that the lit fuel is dispersed within the existing grill and grilling can begin . in one embodiment , the existing grill is altered for use with the second embodiment of the lighting device of the present invention . in this embodiment , an opening is made , such as by cutting , in one corner area of the bottom of the existing grill . the initiator holding tray portion is then attached to the existing grill , so as to be suspended beneath the bottom of the existing grill . in one embodiment , the initiator holding tray portion is detachable , to allow , for example , more compact storage of the altered existing grill device . in one embodiment , the two pivotably connected doors are connected to the existing grill bottom by a second pivotable connection via one of the two doors . in this embodiment , the pivotably connected doors are moveable to two positions . in a first position , the two doors are pivoted so as to be perpendicular to the existing grill bottom . a first door is pivotably attached to the bottom , and the second door is pivotably attached to the first door . the second door is pivoted relative to the first door , so that the two doors are positioned at an approximately right angle to one another . the second door is attached to a side of the existing grill , and the two connected doors in conjunction with two adjacent sides of the existing grill form a generally square cross sectional containment subportion of the grill area in one corner of the existing grill bottom . in a second position , the first and second doors are coplanar , parallel to the grill bottom , and adjacent the grill bottom ; thus , the two doors rest on top of the grill bottom and adjacent one another in this position . references will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . fig1 presents the grill device of the first embodiment configured for grilling in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 the grill 1 , as arranged or configured for grilling , includes grill sides 2 , 3 and grill bottom 4 , handles 5 , 6 , legs 7 a , 7 b , a grill surface 8 , and a bottom rack 9 to support fuel , such as charcoal . in this embodiment , the grill 1 is arranged so that the legs 7 a , 7 b are extended to support the grill 1 , and the handles 5 , 6 are moved to a position extending approximately perpendicularly to the sides 2 , 3 , for example , to facilitate easy handling of the grill 1 . in one embodiment , the grill surface 8 comprises a separable component placeable in the position shown in fig1 when the grill 1 is arranged for grilling . in another embodiment , the grill surface 8 , is pivotably or otherwise movably linked to the grill 1 , such as by attachment to one or more of the grill sides 2 , 3 . in an embodiment of the present invention , the portions of the grill 1 , other than the grill surface 8 , are movably or pivotably linked , such as by bolts , hinges , or screws , to allow the grill 1 to be arrangeably configured in various positions , such as the grilling arrangement shown in fig1 . in one embodiment , the handles 5 , 6 and legs 7 a , 7 b are rotatably positionable and are held in place via , for example , frictional attachment devices , such as bolts and nuts or screws , and optionally further including features for locking the handles 5 , 6 and legs 7 a , 7 b in various positions , as appropriate for each of the various arrangements of the device , and extensions , brackets , or other features are included to support the various moveable or pivotable components when located in fixed positions for the various arrangements . in an embodiment of the present invention , the sides 2 , 3 , and optionally the bottom 4 include one or more openings 2 a , 2 b , 2 c and in one embodiment , some of the components , such as the legs and one or more pivoting grill portions , such as the grill surface 8 , are biasedly attached , such as by a spring , to facilitate movement or pivoting among positions . fig2 a and 2b present views of the grill configured for lighting of fuel , such as charcoal , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 a , the grill 1 is arranged such that the sides 2 , 3 , and bottom 4 form a triangular , closed unit , with openings 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 3 a , 3 b , 3 c oriented near the bottom of the standing grill device 1 , as shown in fig2 a . in the lighting arrangement , grill sides 2 , 3 are movably relocated , such as via pivoting devices , such that edges 2 a , 3 a of sides 2 , 3 are positioned in close proximity . fig2 b presents an overhead view of the grill arrangement of fig2 a . as shown in fig2 b , the triangular shape of this configuration of the grill 1 is formed by the sides 2 , 3 and the bottom 4 . a moveable fuel rack 10 , such as a triangularly shaped rack , as shown in outline in fig2 a and as shown in fig2 b , is positioned within the enclosed triangular grill arrangement above the position of the openings 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , as shown in fig2 a . in an embodiment of the present invention , the triangular shaped rack 10 is pivotably or otherwise moveable to the position shown in fig2 a and 2b , and is pivotably or otherwise moveable so as to be approximately parallel to the bottom rack 9 in the configuration shown in fig1 . in an embodiment of the present invention , the triangular rack 10 has attached pivots , hinges , or other devices for allowing pivoting or movement , these devices being located on one of the sides of the triangular rack 10 and also being attached to the bottom of the grill device 4 , and extensions , brackets , or other support devices are located on one or more of the sides of the grill device 2 , 3 in order to support the pivoted triangular rack 10 when in the lighting position shown in fig2 a and 2b . in operation for lighting of fuel , such as charcoal , in the arrangement shown in fig2 a and 2b , the fuel is placed on top of the triangular rack 10 , and ignition of the fuel occurs via use of the openings 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , such as by placement of an easily combustible fuel starter , such as crumpled paper beneath the triangular rack 10 , as shown in fig2 a . the fuel starter is ignited , such as by a match or other source of ignition , and the ignited fuel starter in turn ignites the fuel on top of the triangular rack 10 . the openings 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 3 a , 3 b , 3 c allow the fuel starter to be ignited , such as by inserting the match through one of the openings 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 3 a , 3 b , 3 c . the openings 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 3 a , 3 b , 3 c also enhance ignition of the fuel by allowing an air flow to the fuel . in an embodiment of the present invention , the grill handles 5 , 6 include an insulated section 5 a , 6 a , respectively , such as sections made of wood , to prevent burning during handling of the grill 1 following the lighting of the fuel . fig3 is a view of the grill in a folded configuration for carrying , storage , and other handling in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig3 the folded grill 1 has closed and overlapping sides 2 , 3 and handles 5 , 6 pivotably moved to the ends of the sides 2 , 3 , allowing , for example , reduced storage size and easy carrying and handling . in one embodiment , the separate grill surface 8 is contained within the interior of the folded grill . in an embodiment of the present invention , the grill includes latching devices or other features for biasedly maintaining the grill 1 in the folded configuration shown in fig3 . fig4 shows an overhead view of the two bottom tray portions of the second embodiment of the rearrangeable grill device of the present invention . as shown in fig4 the two bottom tray portions 21 , 22 are pivotably connected via one or more couplings 23 , 24 , such as hinges . fig5 a and 5b present views of the device of fig4 arranged into the second configuration for charcoal lighting . as shown in fig5 a , an overhead view of the device 20 , and fig5 b , a perspective view of the device 20 , the two bottom tray portions 21 , 22 have been arranged at an approximately right angle relative to each other , via the pivotable couplings 23 , 24 . attached to each of the bottom tray portions 21 , 22 , are handles 25 , 26 , respectively , door portions 27 , 28 , respectively , and leg portions 30 , 31 , respectively . each of the handles , 25 , 26 , the door portions 27 , 28 , and the leg portions 30 , 31 are movable relative to the bottom tray portions 21 , 22 . pivotably attached to one of the bottom tray portions 21 is a rack portion 32 . as further shown in fig5 a and 5b , the two bottom tray portions 21 , 22 and the two door portions 27 , 28 have been positioned so as to form a four sided closed shape . the rack portion 32 is pivotably moved so as to form a ledge within the grill device 20 , so as to support fuel placed on the rack portion 32 . in an embodiment of the present invention , the rack portion 32 , when placed so as to support fuel , rests on an extension extending from the second bottom tray portion 22 , the extension being , for example , a reversed hinge , the hinge being lockable in an extended position to support the rack portion 32 , and the hinge being further pivotable to a folded position against the second bottom tray portion 22 when the hinge is not extended to support the rack portion 32 . openings 35 a , 35 b , 35 c , 36 a , 36 b , 36 c facilitate lighting of fuel initiator placed below the rack portion 32 and allow air flow to the fuel initiator and the fuel . fig6 shows the device 20 of fig5 a and 5b arranged into the third configuration for grilling . as shown in fig6 the legs 30 , 31 provide support for the grill 20 , with handles 25 , 26 positioned as shown , and separate grill surface rack 40 spanning and supported by the door / side portions 27 , 28 . the two bottom tray portions 21 , 22 are aligned in the same plane via pivoting , and latched or locked together using , for example , a latch 39 . in one embodiment , the latch 39 comprises a bent metal extension attached to one of the bottom tray portions 21 via a first end of the latch 39 . the second end of the latch 39 includes a bent end portion that is insertable into an opening in the second bottom tray portion 22 when the two bottom tray portions 21 , 22 are arranged as shown in fig6 . the latch 39 thus latches the two bottom tray portion 21 , 22 together when in the third configuration . fig7 a and 7b present the latch and a closeup of the latch , respectively , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig7 a and 7b , the latch 39 includes a main body portion 39 a connected at a first end to one of the bottom tray portions 21 via a connector 39 b , such as a rivet , screw , or bolt . at the second end of the main body portion 39 a is a bent end portion 39 c for insertion into a slot 39 d in the second bottom tray portion 22 . also attached to the main body portion 39 a , is a handle portion 39 e . fig8 shows a side view of the device 20 of fig6 arranged into the first , folded configuration . as shown in fig8 the handle 25 is retracted , and the leg 30 is pivotably folded so as to abut the bottom tray portion 21 . in one embodiment , the handle 25 is held to the bottom tray portion 21 by two or more brackets 25 a , 25 b , 25 c , 25 d . the handle 25 is extendable and retractable relative to the bottom tray portion 21 via , for example , sliding within the brackets 25 a , 25 b , 25 c , 25 d . fig9 shows the device 20 of fig6 and 8 in a partially folded position between the third and first configurations . fig1 presents an end view of the folded configuration of the device 20 of fig6 and 8 . fig1 a presents the lighting device of the third embodiment of the present invention configured for lighting . as shown in fig1 a , the grill 51 , as arranged or configured for lighting , includes sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 handle 56 , and a trap door bottom rack 60 to support fuel , such as charcoal . the device 51 also includes openings 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 53 a , 53 b , 53 c in the sides 52 , 53 , as well as openings 54 a , 54 b , 54 c , 55 a , 55 b , 55 c in sides 54 , 55 , as best seen in fig1 a . in this embodiment , the device 51 is arranged so that the trap door bottom rack 60 , as shown in outline in fig1 a , is held generally perpendicular to the sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 by a leg or other extension 60 a . the handle 56 is moved so as to extend generally perpendicularly to adjacent side 52 , for example , to facilitate easy handling of the device 51 . in an embodiment of the present invention , the portions of the device 51 , are movably or pivotably linked , such as by bolts , hinges , or screws , to allow the device 51 to be arrangeably configured in various positions , such as the lighting arrangement shown in fig1 a . in one embodiment , the handle 56 is rotatably positionable and are held in place via , for example , frictional attachment devices , such as bolts and nuts or screws , and optionally further including features for locking the handle 56 in different positions , as appropriate for each of the various arrangements of the device , and extensions , brackets , or other features are included to support the various moveable or pivotable components when located in fixed positions for the various arrangements . fig1 b presents an overhead view of the device of fig1 a , as configured for lighting . as shown in fig1 b , the square shape of this configuration of the device 51 is formed by the sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , with an edge of side 52 and an edge of side 53 forming a corner . the moveable trap door fuel rack 60 , such as a square shaped rack , as shown in outline in fig1 a and as shown in fig1 b , is positioned within the enclosed square arrangement of the sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 above the position of the openings 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 53 a , 53 b , 53 c , as shown in fig1 a . in an embodiment of the present invention , the square shaped rack 60 is pivotably or otherwise moveable to the position shown in fig1 a and 11b , and is pivotably or otherwise moveable so as to be approximately parallel to one of the sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 upon the device 51 being placed in the folded , thin profile configuration . in an embodiment of the present invention , the square rack 60 has attached pivots , hinges , or other devices for allowing pivoting or movement , these devices being located on one of the edges of the rack 60 and also being attached to one of the sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 of the device 51 , and extensions , brackets , or other support devices are located on one or more of the sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 in order to support the pivoted rack 60 on one edge when in the lighting position shown in fig1 a and 11b . the pivoted rack 60 is also supported by a leg or other extension 60 a , as shown in outline in fig1 a . in operation for lighting of fuel , such as charcoal , in the arrangement shown in fig1 a and 11b , the fuel is placed on top of the rack 60 , and ignition of the fuel occurs via use of the openings 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 53 a , 53 b , 53 c , such as by placement of an easily combustible fuel starter , such as crumpled paper beneath the rack 60 , as shown in fig1 a . the fuel starter is ignited , such as by a match or other source of ignition , and the ignited fuel starter in turn ignites the fuel on top of the rack 60 . the openings 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 53 a , 53 b , 53 c allow the fuel starter to be ignited , such as by inserting the match through one of the openings 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 53 a , 53 b , 53 c . the openings 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 53 a , 53 b , 53 c also enhance ignition of the fuel by allowing an air flow to the fuel . in an embodiment of the present invention , the handle 56 includes an insulated section 56 a such as a section made of wood , to prevent burning of the user during handling of the grill 51 following the lighting of the fuel . fig1 is a view of the device of fig1 a and 11b in a folded configuration for carrying , storage , and other handling in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , the folded device 51 has a closed and overlapping side 52 and a handle 56 pivotably moved to the end of the side 52 , allowing , for example , reduced storage size and easy carrying and handling . in an embodiment of the present invention , the device includes latching or other features for biasedly maintaining the device 51 in the folded configuration shown in fig1 . fig1 a presents a view of the device 51 of fig1 a and 11b in a fully unfolded position with each of the sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 extended . as shown in the embodiment of fig1 a , the sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 include openings 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 53 a , 53 b , 53 c , 54 a , 54 b , 54 c , 55 a , 55 b , 55 c , respectively . fig1 b shows the reverse side of the embodiment of fig1 a , with rack 60 and attached leg 60 a extended from side 55 . fig1 c is an embodiment of the device 51 , in which angled slots 52 d , 52 e , 52 f , 53 d , 53 e , 53 f , 54 d , 54 e , 54 f , 55 d , 55 e , 55 f are provided is sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 for lighting and air flow , rather than round openings . fig1 shows the embodiment of fig1 a and 11b with the rack 60 and attached leg 60 a shown in the released position , occurring , for example , following the release of fuel after lighting . in the position shown in fig1 a , the attached leg 60 a supports the rack 60 in a position generally perpendicular to sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , with the device 51 resting on the ends of the sides 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , at the lower end of the device 51 , as shown in fig1 a . during lighting , fuel , such as charcoal , is placed above the rack 60 , as shown in fig1 a . to reach the position shown in fig1 , the device 51 is lifted by the handle 56 , and the rack 60 pivots to the position shown in fig1 , such that the rack 60 is generally approximately parallel with side 53 . attached leg 60 , also pivots , such that it extends downward , as shown in fig4 . the pivoting of the rack 60 and attached leg 60 a results in release of the fuel from the lower end of the device 51 , as shown in fig1 . fig1 presents a reconfigurable lighting device modification to an existing grill in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention . the lighting device 71 shown in fig1 includes an initiator holding tray portion 80 having openings 80 a to facilitate lighting of and airflow to fuel initiator contained in the initiator holding tray portion 80 . in one embodiment , the initiator holding tray portion is attachable and detachable to an existing grill device 71 , which includes , for example , sides 72 , 73 , 75 , 76 , and legs 77 a , 77 b . fig1 shows the reconfigurable lighting device modification to an existing grill in accordance with the embodiment of fig1 , but with a grill surface 78 placed atop the grill device 71 . this arrangement is useful for cooking food , for example , following lighting of fuel within the grill device 71 . fig1 and 18 present overhead views of configurations of the fuel lighting components of the device of fig1 and 16 . as shown in fig1 and 18 , these lighting components further include a rack top trap door 81 , and a two piece fuel containment portion 82 , 83 . the two piece fuel containment portion 82 , 83 includes two doors 82 , 83 pivotably connected by , for example , a hinge 86 , that are arrangeable within the existing grill sides 72 , 73 so as to form a containment area above the initiator holding tray 80 , as viewed in fig1 . in use , fuel initiator is placed within the initiator holding tray portion 80 , as shown in fig1 , which includes openings 80 a for allowing lighting of the initiator and air flow to the initiator . the trap door rack top 81 for the initiator holding tray 80 is placed or pivotably moved via , for example , one or more hinges 84 , so as to cover the initiator holding tray portion 80 , and the pivotably connected doors 82 , 83 are arranged and connected to at least one existing grill side 73 so as to form a fuel containment area within a corner of the existing grill 71 . in one embodiment , at least one pivotably connected door 83 is connected to the existing grill sides using at least one locator pin 87 , as further shown in the closeup perspective view of fig1 . fuel , such as charcoal , is then placed in the fuel containment area , and the initiator is ignited , such that the fuel is able to light . upon lighting of the fuel , the pivotably connected doors are repositioned , so that the lit fuel is dispersed within the existing grill and grilling can begin . in one embodiment , the existing grill 71 is altered for use with the second embodiment of the lighting device of the present invention . in this embodiment , an opening is made , such as by cutting , in one corner area of the bottom 79 of the existing grill 71 . the initiator holding tray portion 80 is then attachably suspended from the existing grill 71 , as shown in fig1 . in one embodiment , the initiator holding tray portion 80 is detachable , to allow , for example , more compact storage of the altered existing grill device 71 . in one embodiment , the two pivotably connected doors 82 , 83 are connected to the existing grill bottom 79 by a second pivotable connection 85 , such as one or more hinges , via one of the two doors 82 . in this embodiment , the pivotably connected doors 82 , 83 are moveable between two positions . in a first position , as shown in fig1 and 19 , the two doors 82 , 83 are pivoted so as to be perpendicular to the bottom 79 of the existing grill 71 . a first door 82 is pivotably attached to the bottom 79 , and the second door 83 is pivotably attached to the first door 82 by , for example , one or more hinges 86 . the second door 83 is pivoted relative to the first door 82 , so that the two doors 82 , 83 are positioned at an approximately right angle to one another . the second door 83 is attached to a side 73 of the existing grill 71 , and the two connected doors 82 , 83 in conjunction with portions of two adjacent sides 72 , 73 of the existing grill 71 form a generally square cross sectional containment subportion of the grill area in one corner of the existing grill bottom 79 . in a second position , as shown in fig1 , the first and second doors 82 , 83 are coplanar , parallel to the grill bottom 79 , and adjacent the grill bottom 79 ; thus , the two doors 82 , 83 rest on top of the grill bottom 79 and adjacent one another in this position . example embodiments of the present invention have now been described in accordance with the above advantages . it will be appreciated that these examples are merely illustrative of the invention . many variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . | 0 |
the term “ integrated circuit ” ( ic ) is defined as an integrated circuit chip and a package or module containing the ic . the term “ integrated circuit chip ” is defined as the semiconductor ( e . g ., silicon ) die containing devices such as transistors , diodes , capacitors , resisters and inductors and the wiring layers built up on the die that interconnect the devices into circuits . the term micro - electronic device includes an ic or an integrated circuit chip . in magnetic resonance imaging ( also called nuclear magnetic resonance ( nmr ) imaging )) a sample is positioned in a static magnetic field and subjected to a pulsed radio frequency ( rf ) signal to place the sample in an excited state . the magnetic field may be turned off or adjusted and a rf return signal is produced by the sample returning to a normal from the excited state is then recorded . in order to allow spatial encoding , the static magnetic field is superimposed with a gradient magnetic field . the term validation means the process by which an unknown micro - electronic device is “ imaged ” by nmr and the resulting data is compared to data from a known good or trusted micro - electronic that was nmr “ imaged ” and that the unknown ic micro - electronic device should be essentially identical ( i . e ., of identical design and within fabrication specification limits ) to . known good micro - electronic devices include those fabricated under secure conditions , those from trusted sources and those thoroughly tested and physically inspected after an nmr signature has been obtained . fig1 is a diagram of an exemplary magnetic resonance inspection system according of the present invention . in fig1 , a magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) system 100 includes a magnet unit 105 , a signal processing unit 110 and a computer 115 . magnet unit 105 of mri system 100 includes a gradient magnetic field coil 120 , a transmit coil 125 , a sample chamber 130 , a receive coil and a high gauss magnet 140 ( e . g ., a permanent magnet , coil magnet or super - conductive magnet ). signal processing unit 110 includes a driving circuit 145 , an rf power amplifier 150 , a preamplifier 155 , a sequence memory 160 , a modulation circuit 165 , an rf oscillator 170 , a phase detector 175 and an analog - to - digital ( a / d ) converter 180 . computer 115 includes a display 185 , an input ( e . g ., a keyboard , mouse , disk drive ) and an output ( e . g ., a display unit , a printer , a disk drive ). gradient magnetic field coil 120 , transmit coil 125 , receive coil 135 and high gauss magnet 140 are disposed so as to substantially surround sample chamber 130 . high gauss magnet 140 applies a static magnetic field having a constant strength to a sample in chamber 130 . gradient magnetic field coil 120 applies gradient magnetic fields selectively to mutually orthogonal x , y and z directions ( in imaging parlance , to a slice axis , phase axis and frequency axis ). transmit coil 125 supplies a pulsed rf signal for exciting spins of atomic nuclei within a micro - electronic device 200 in sample chamber 130 . receive coil 135 detects returned rf signals from the sample in chamber 130 generated when spins of atomic nuclei within micro - electronic device 200 return to a normal state from an exited state . gradient magnetic field coil 120 , transmit coil 125 , and receive coil 135 are operatively associated with driving circuit 145 , an rf power amplifier 150 , and a preamplifier 155 , respectively . sequence memory 160 operates driving circuit 145 based on a stored pulse sequence in response to instructions from computer 115 to thereby apply gradient fields from gradient magnetic field coil 120 in specific directions . sequence memory 160 also operates a modulation circuit 165 to modulate a carrier output signal from rf oscillator 170 into a pulsed rf signal of predefined timing and envelope shape . the pulsed rf signal is applied to rf power amplifier 150 and then the amplified pulsed rf signal is applied to transmit coil 125 . preamplifier 155 amplifies the return rf signal from micro - electronic device 200 in sample chamber 130 detected at receive coil 135 . preamplifier 155 amplifies the received rf signal and sends an amplified rf signal to phase detector 175 . phase detector 175 generates an analog phase - detect signal from the amplified rf signal using a carrier output signal from rf oscillator 170 as a reference signal , and supplies the phase - detected signal to a / d converter 180 . a / d converter 180 converts the phase - detected analog signal into a digital signal , which is supplied to the computer 115 . computer 115 reads and / or processes the data from a / d converter 1801 , and includes algorithms in the form of computer instructions which when executed perform various signal analyses and statistical analyses on the stored data as described infra . results of these analyses may be displayed on output unit 195 . computer 115 can also be responsible for overall control such as receiving information supplied from input 195 from an operator . mri system 100 includes an optional tester 205 , which is connected between a socket , or probe card ( not shown ) in sample chamber 130 and computer 185 . this allows voltage bias , analog signals , digital data patterns or combinations thereof to be applied to micro - electronic device 200 during the mri process . biasing , applying signals and test patterns serves two purposes . first it results in more complex return rf signals . second , if the biasing analog signals , digital data patterns are kept secure , it is very difficult for a an unauthorized party to place a masking circuit into an unauthorized micro electronic device , the purpose of the masking circuit being is to mask the presence of the unauthorized circuit and the masking circuit in the unauthorized micro - electronic device by altering the nmr image of the unauthorized micro - electronic device to mimic that of an authorized micro - electronic device . mri system 100 shown in fig1 is provided as an example , and it will be understood that embodiments of the invention are not limited to mri system 100 shown in fig1 . it will be understood that an mri system 100 according to aspects of the invention can include additional components to those shown in fig1 or may not include every component shown in fig1 . fig2 is a cross - section through an exemplary first type of integrated circuit . in fig2 , an ic 200 a includes an integrated circuit chip 210 physically and electrically connected to a module 215 by solder bumps 220 . wires 225 in module 225 connect solder bumps 220 to solder balls 230 . module 215 may be organic ( e . g ., fiberglass ) or ceramic and wires 25 may comprise one or more wiring layers . solder balls 230 are designed for surface mounting ic 200 a directly to a printed circuit board ( pcb ). solder balls 230 may be replaced by solder columns . solder balls 230 may be replaced with pins , which can be used to mount ics into sockets , which are mounted on a pcb or mounted directly to a pcb . ic 200 a is thus an example of an ic that uses flip - chip ( or c4 ) technology . fig3 is a cross - section through an exemplary second type of integrated circuit . in fig3 , an ic 200 b includes and integrated circuit chip contained within a plastic package 240 . wire bonds 245 electrically connect integrated circuit chip 235 to leads 250 . leads 250 are designed for surface mounting ic 200 b directly to a pcb . leads 250 may be replaced with pins , which can be used to mount ics into sockets , which are mounted on a pcb or mounted directly to a pcb . the leads on some plastic packages are designed to be mounted in sockets on a pcb . ic 200 b is thus an example of plastic packaging technology . fig4 is a top view of an exemplary integrated circuit chip for enhanced comparison according embodiments of the present invention . in fig4 , an exemplary integrated circuit chip 255 includes regions 260 a , 260 b , 260 c , 260 d , 260 e , 260 f , 260 g , 260 h , 2601 , 269 j and 260 k . there may be more or less regions than illustrated in fig4 . these regions often correspond to cores , which are pre - designed circuit functions . for example , a microprocessor may contain multiple processing cores , memory cores , arithmetic cores etc . formed , by way of example , in cores 260 b , 260 g , 260 i and 260 j are serpentine signal enhancing structures 265 which are not electrically connected to any wire or device ( e . g ., transistor , diode , resistor , capacitor or inductor ) of integrated circuit chip 255 . signal enhancing structures 265 may comprise an electrical conductor , a magnetic material , or an electrically conductive magnetic material . signal enhancing structures 265 are designed to interact with the magnetic fields from gradient magnetic field coil 120 and high gauss magnet 140 of mri system 100 ( see fig1 ) to generate a more complex return rf signal . fig5 is a top view of an exemplary integrated circuit chip for preventing or detecting comparison according embodiments of the present invention . in fig5 , an integrated circuit chip 255 a ( similar to integrated circuit chip 255 of fig4 ) includes a serpentine structure 265 a connected to a destruct circuit 270 . serpentine structure 265 a acts as an inductor which generates a current when subjected to a varying magnetic field . the current may be used by destruct circuit 270 to program fuses or activate transistors to render integrated circuit 155 a inoperable or to leave a signature that can later be read to indicate if an attempt at nmr imaging ” has been performed on integrated circuit chip 255 a . in one example , serpentine structure 265 a is designed to not be detectable by x - ray imaging . fig6 a is a cross - sectional view of an integrated circuit containing devices to flag an unauthorized comparison attempt according embodiments of the present invention . in fig6 a , an ic 200 c includes an integrated circuit chip 235 a in a plastic package body 240 a . a set ( two sets are shown in the example of fig6 a ) of three “ horseshoe ” magnets 275 a , 275 b and 275 c are placed in body 240 a . they are aligned so respective lines ( dashed lines ) passing through the poles of each magnet are mutually orthogonal . in fig6 a , the line passing through the poles of magnets 275 a and 275 c are in planes parallel to the top surface 272 of integrated circuit chip 235 a . other pole orientations are possible . in one example , only a single horseshoe magnet is used . horseshoe shaped magnets may be replaced by other shaped magnets such as bar magnets and disc magnets . fig6 b is a cross - sectional view of the integrated circuit of fig6 a after an unauthorized comparison attempt according embodiments of the present invention . when magnets 275 a , 275 b and 275 c are subjected to the intense magnetic field generated in an nmr machine , magnets 275 a , 275 b and 275 c are pulled / pushed by that field so strongly that cracks 280 are formed in body 240 a . fig7 is a flowchart of methods of comparison according to embodiments of the present invention . the steps of the flowchart of fig7 are performed first on a known or trusted micro - electronic device and then on an unknown ( or suspect ) micro - electronic device that and essentially identical to the known micro - electronic device ( i . e ., identically designed and within fabrication specification limits ). for the integrated circuit chip specification limits define allowable variations in material and structure and include , for example , the allowable differences in metal line widths and thickness differences in metal and insulating layers . for the package of the ic specification limits define allowable variations in material and structure and include , for example , package dimensions , size of solder bumps , positions and size of wire bonds , widths and thickness of land in modules . in step 300 an ic ( or integrated circuit is placed in the mri chamber . in step 305 the high gauss magnetic field is turned on . in one example , the high gauss magnetic field has a field strength of between about a 0 . 5 tesla and about 10 tesla and is applied in the z direction . the method can know follow one of two mutually exclusive paths . the first is the path ( 1 ) through steps 310 , 315 , 320 , 325 and 330 to step 335 . the second path ( 2 ) is through steps 315 a , 320 a and 325 a to step 335 . the unknown micro - electronic device advantageously follows the same path and is subjected to the same nmr conditions as the known micro - electronic device . in step 310 , a direction ( x , y or z ) is selected . in step 315 , a gradient magnetic field of , for example , 1 tesla is applied in the selected direction and in step 320 a rf pulse is directed to the ic . in step 325 the emitted ( returned ) rf signal is detected and information describing the return rf signal ( which is also a pulse ) is stored . the duration and time of reception of the return rf signal will vary . in step 330 , if another direction of the three possible directions ( x , y , z ) is selected and the method loops back to step 310 . this loop will repeat three times , once for each direction . in path ( 2 ) in step 315 a , gradient magnetic fields are applied in the x , y , and z directions simultaneously . each gradient field may have a same or a different field strength of between about 0 . 5 tesla and about 10 tesla . steps 320 a and 325 a are similar to steps 320 and 325 respectively . in steps 315 and 315 a , optional test conditions ( i . e ., voltage bias , analog signal , digital data pattern or combinations thereof ) may be applied to the micro - electronic device . in a first example , optional test conditions are applied only during step 315 ( or 315 a ). in a second example , optional test conditions are applied the only during steps 315 and 320 ( or 315 a and 320 a ). in a third example , the optional test conditions are applied the only during steps 305 , 310 , 315 and 320 ( or 305 , 315 a and 320 a ). in a fourth example , the optional test conditions are applied during steps 305 , 310 , 315 , 320 and 325 ( or 305 , 315 a , 320 a and 325 a ). in step 335 , the ic is removed from the mri chamber and it is determined whether the micro - electronic device was a known micro - electronic device or an unknown micro - electronic device . if the micro - electronic device was a known micro - electronic device then in step 340 analyses are performed and the analyses data is stored . if the micro - electronic device was an unknown micro - electronic device then in step 345 analyses are performed and the analyses is compared to analyses previously stored from a known micro - electronic device mri “ images ” under the same mri ( and bias / pattern ) conditions . if the compare is within predefined limits the unknown micro - electronic device is validated . it does not matter whether the known or unknown micro - electronic device is run first , but the comparison cannot be performed until both known or unknown micro - electronic devices have been run and the respective data analyzed . fig8 a and 8b illustrate a first method of data analysis for comparison according to embodiments of the present invention . fig8 a is a plot of the transverse component of the returned rf signal for a known micro - electronic device 350 and an unknown micro - electronic device 355 as relative rf strength versus time . direct comparison or statistical analysis of the difference between curves 350 and 355 is performed to determine if the unknown micro - electronic device is significantly different from the unknown micro - electronic device . in fig8 a , the difference between curve 355 relative to curve 350 is shown as a positive time shift . the shift may be negative . fig8 b is a plot of the longitudinal component of the returned rf signal for a known micro - electronic device 360 and an unknown micro - electronic device 365 as relative rf strength versus time . direct comparison or statistical analysis of the difference between curves 360 and 365 is performed to determine if the unknown micro - electronic device is significantly different from the unknown micro - electronic device . in fig8 b , the difference of curve 365 relative to curve 360 is shown as a negative time shift . the shift may be positive . fig9 a and 9b illustrate a second method of data analysis for comparison according to embodiments of the present invention . fig9 a is a plot of a fast fourier transform of the returned rf signal for a known ic ( or integrated circuit ) as rf amplitude versus rf frequency . element 370 is the returned signal and elements 370 a and 370 b are harmonic artifacts of element 370 . fig9 b is a plot of a fast fourier transform of the returned rf signal for an unknown ic ( or integrated circuit ) as rf amplitude versus rf frequency . element 375 is the returned signal and elements 375 a and 3750 b are harmonic artifacts of element 370 . element 370 and 375 are statistically compared in terms of amplitude of a given frequency range to determine if the unknown micro - electronic device is significantly different from the unknown micro - electronic device . in fig9 a and 9b , the amplitude of the returned rf signal has been transferred from a time domain to a frequency domain . fig1 a , 10 b and 10 c illustrate a third method of data analysis for comparison according to embodiments of the present invention . fig1 a is a plot of the returned rf signal as relative rf signal strength versus time for a known micro - electronic device . rf signal 380 has a fixed amplitude between times a and b measured from when the rf pulse signal terminated ( or other convenient time reference ). an unknown micro - electronic device may exhibit a signal that is offset ion amplitude , phase , frequency or combinations thereof . two simple examples are given in fig1 b and 10c . fig1 b is a plot of the returned rf signal as relative rf signal strength versus time for an unknown micro - electronic device having only a frequency shift . rf signal 385 a has fixed amplitude between times a ′ and b ′ measured from the same reference as a and b of fig1 a . the shift between a and a ′ and b and b ′ is statistically to determine if the unknown micro - electronic device is significantly different from the unknown micro - electronic device . fig1 c is a plot of the returned rf signal as relative rf signal strength versus time for an unknown micro - electronic device having only an amplitude shift . rf signal 385 b has a fixed amplitude between times a and b measured from the same reference as a and b of fig1 a . the change in amplitude between curve 380 of fig1 a and curve 385 b of fig1 c is statistically to determine if the unknown micro - electronic device is significantly different from the unknown micro - electronic device . it will be appreciated that a complete statistical analysis would compare time , amplitude , frequency and phase differences of the curves described in fig1 a , 10 b and 10 c . fig1 a , 11 b and 11 c illustrate a fourth method of data analysis for comparison according to embodiments of the present invention . fig1 a is a plot of the returned rf signal xy space ( at a selected z ) as a function of frequency for a known micro - electronic device . as such fig1 a is closer to what is may be considered an “ image .” fig1 b is a plot of the returned rf signal xy space ( at the selected z ) as a function of frequency for an unknown micro - electronic device . fig1 c is a plot of the delta between the plot of fig1 a and that of fig1 b . the amount of structure ( and optionally the position of the structures ) is statistically analyzed to determine if the unknown micro - electronic device is significantly different from the unknown micro - electronic device . fig1 c is fig1 a “ subtracted ” from fig1 a . thus the embodiments of the present invention allow for relatively quick and inexpensive validation of integrated circuit chips . the description of the embodiments of the present invention is given above for the understanding of the present invention . it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein , but is capable of various modifications , rearrangements and substitutions as will now become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . therefore , it is intended that the following claims cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
embodiments of the invention provide a method and device for generating a perspective image in which the form of inverse transformation is used according to the length , the height and the vanishing point of a required perspective image to obtain the coordinates in an original image corresponding to each of points in the perspective image and the point on the corresponding coordinates in the original image is duplicated onto a corresponding location in the perspective image , thereby generating the perspective image . since the area of the perspective image is smaller than that of the original image , the effort of calculation can be reduced , the speed at which the perspective image is generated can be improved and a cpu resource can be saved . as illustrated in fig2 , a method for generating a perspective image according to an embodiment of the invention includes the following steps . a step s 201 is to obtain length , height and a vanishing point of a required perspective image and length and height of an original image . the length of the perspective image refers to a difference between abscissas of points with the largest abscissa and with the smallest abscissa in the perspective image , the height of the perspective image refers to a difference between ordinates of points with the largest ordinate and with the smallest ordinate in the perspective image , and the vanishing point refers to a point where straight lines in the perspective image corresponding to horizontal lines in the original image intersect , similarly , the length of the original image refers to a difference between abscissas of points with the largest abscissa and with the smallest abscissa in the original image , and the height of the original image refers to a difference between ordinates of points with the largest ordinate and with the smallest ordinate in the original image . a step s 202 is to determine , for each of pixel points ( x ′, y ′) in the perspective image , coordinates ( x , y ) of a pixel point in the original image corresponding to the pixel point ( x ′, y ′), according to the length , the height and the vanishing point of the perspective image and the length and the height of the original image . a step s 203 is to duplicate the pixel point on the coordinates ( x , y ) in the original image onto a location in the perspective image corresponding to the coordinates ( x ′, y ′). thus the perspective image with a pattern of the original image is generated , and two perspective images of the original image toward the left and the right respectively are acquired and then spliced into a three - dimension patter which constitutes one of frames with an animation effect . more than ten frames to tens of frames are typically required for a full animation effect , and parameters of a perspective image , e . g ., a vanishing point , length and height thereof , are determined as preset for each of the frames , so the perspective image required for the frame can be generated simply by calculating according to the predetermined parameters . since the area of the perspective image is smaller than that of the original image , the effort of calculation when obtaining the coordinates of the corresponding point in the original image from the coordinates of the pixel point in the perspective image and then duplicating the corresponding point in the original image is much less than that when obtaining the coordinates of the corresponding point in the perspective image from the pixel point in the original image , and generally the height h ′ of the perspective image is equal to or slightly larger than the height h of the original image due to different angles of view , and when h ′ is slightly larger than h , h ′ is typically no more than 1 . 2 times of h for the sake of a good visual effect . in a practical application , h ′ is equal to h in most cases , and since the average length of the perspective image is ½ of the original image , the height w ′ of a trapezium is w / 2 and the short side thereof ranges from 0 to h ′ with h ′= h . as can be apparent from the trapezium area formula , the area of the perspective image ranges from ¼ to ½ of the original image , so the effort of calculation can be reduced to ¼ to ½ by obtaining the coordinates of the corresponding points in the original image from the coordinates of the pixel points in the perspective image . in the step s 202 , the coordinates ( x , y ) of the pixel point in the original image corresponding to the pixel point in the perspective image may be calculated with a preset function group the function group may be derived directly from the inverse function of due to visually different distances , the corresponding coordinate x ′ is nonlinearly increased by a decreasing amplitude when the coordinate x in the original image is linearly increased , and the corresponding coordinate x in the original image is nonlinearly increased by an increasing amplitude when the coordinate x ′ in the perspective image is linearly increased . thus it is sufficient to comply with this regularity of variation in the simplified formulas , which requires that the first - order derivative of the function x = f ( x ′) is larger than 1 and the second - order derivative thereof is larger than 0 . after transformation with the eligible simplified formulas , the resulting perspective image can be made very similar to a perspective image resulting from transformation in a conventional method . for example , a simple formula in compliance with the regularity is x = ƒ ( x ′)= x ′+ n × x ′ 2 , where the first - order derivative of the function is 1 + 2nx larger than 1 when x & gt ; 0 , and the second - order derivative of the function is 2n & gt ; 0 , thus complying with the foregoing condition , so this function may be used for transformation of the x coordinate , and then may be derived in the perspective image under a principle of triangle similarity and then rearranged into where h represents the height of the original image , h ′ represents the height of the perspective image , and p represents an abscissa of the vanishing point of the perspective image , as illustrated in fig3 , the vanishing point refers to the point where horizontal lines in the original image intersect in the perspective image , w represents the length of the original image , and w ′ represents the length of the perspective image . the parameters shall be calculated with a high precision typically above 2 − 8 and even with a precision of 2 − 16 for some of the parameters . since the arm cpu is not capable of performing calculation on a floating - point number , a floating - point operation on a floating - point number has to be simulated with relevant software , thus degrading the operation speed , and if a parameter is shifted left by the corresponding digits according to the required precision of the parameter prior to calculation and then subject to an integer operation and shifted right by the same digits after the integer operation , then the corresponding precision of the parameter can be maintained while avoiding a floating - point number operation to thereby further improve the operation speed . for example , if n shall be maintained with a precision of 2 − 16 , the numerator is shifted left by 16 digits prior to calculation thereof and then divided by w ′ 2 , and the calculated result is shifted right by 16 digits after multiplication and division operations relating to n are performed , thereby generating a calculated result with a precision of 2 − 16 . if two or more parameters are shifted in the same calculation process , the digits by which they are shifted shall be determined by the one of the parameters with a higher precision . for example , if both of parameters a and b are involved in the same calculation process but the precision of a is set as 2 − 8 and the precision of b is set as 2 − 10 , calculation is performed with the precision of 2 − 10 so that the required parameters are shifted left by 10 digits prior to calculation and subject to an integer operation and then shifted right by 10 digits . for calculation of n and x , they may be calculated in the following two formulas : and x = x ′+(( n × x ′ 2 )& gt ;& gt ; 16 ), thereby resulting in the value of n and the value of x with a required precision . furthermore , since calculation is performed for each of the pixel points in the perspective image and all the values of x , a and b are dependent upon only x ′ and independent of y ′ in an implementation and y ′ is introduced only when the value of y is calculated , x ′ may be selected as an outer layer of cyclical nesting for calculation of the coordinates ( x , y ) in an embodiment of the invention to thereby reduce the effort of calculation . for calculation , firstly for each value of x ′ in [ 0 , w ′] in the perspective image , the abscissa x in the original image corresponding to x ′ and the value of a and the value of b are determined , and then for each value of y ′ with respect to the value of x ′, that is , for each value of y ′ in the ordinate y in the original image corresponding to y ′ is determined , so that the coordinates in the original image corresponding to the pixel point in the perspective image can be obtained with a less effort of calculation . particularly as can be apparent from fig3 , for each value of x ′, a pixel point is present only with y ′ in the range of so it is sufficient to obtain the value of y ′ taking into account y ′ lying within the range of furthermore , since the perspective image resulting from perspective transformation is an isosceles trapezium which is symmetrical , that is , the perspective image is symmetrical about a symmetrical axis of y ′= h ′/ 2 , the coordinates in the original image corresponding to the pixel points in the perspective image may be calculated simply by calculating the coordinates for the part of y ′& gt ; h ′/ 2 or y ′& lt ; h ′/ 2 in the formulas and then deriving directly the coordinates in the original image corresponding to the pixel points in the other part of the perspective image due to the symmetry . for example , if the coordinates ( x , y ) of the pixel point in the original image corresponding to the coordinates ( x ′, y ′) of the pixel point in the perspective image are determined , the coordinates ( x , h − y ) of the pixel point in the original image corresponding to the pixel point ( x ′, h ′− y ′) may be determined directly , and undoubtedly the effort of calculation can be reduced and the speed of calculation can be improved greatly because the coordinates in the original image corresponding to a part of the pixel points in the perspective image are determined due to the symmetry . an embodiment of the invention provides a method and device for generating a perspective image in which the form of inverse transformation is used under the principle of the area of a perspective image being smaller than that of an original image to thereby reduce the number of calculated pixel points and thus greatly reduce the effort of calculation , improve the speed at which the perspective image is generated and save a cpu resource as compared with a forward operation . the effort of calculation can be reduced and the precision of calculation can be improved greatly by simplifying an operation function , shifting to obviate a floating - point operation , taking x ′ as an outer layer of cyclical nesting and obtaining directly the coordinates in the original image corresponding to the pixel points due to the symmetry , and as experimentally demonstrated , it takes less than 10 milliseconds for the arm9 cpu at 192 mhz to generate a perspective image with w = 240 , h = h ′= 400 , w ′= 120 and p = 1200 , which can fully accommodate a demand in practice . it shall be noted that the foregoing embodiments are merely illustrative of but not to limit the invention , the invention will not be limited to the examples described above and those technical solutions and modifications thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention shall be encompassed in the scope of the claims of the invention . | 6 |
fig1 represents an acoustic waves filter according to the present invention . this filter includes two solid bodies 1 , 2 having for example a parallelpiped shape and one face against the other so as to form an interface 3 situated inside a plane xoz . one 1 of the two solid bodies 1 , 2 is made of a piezoelectric material a , whereas the other is a piezoelectric material b , possibly identical to the material a or not piezoelectric . the crystallographic axes of the bodies 1 and 2 are selected so that if acoustic waves 5 are generated spreading in the direction ox close to the interface plane 3 , the energy of these waves decreases exponentially in the two bodies from the interface in a direction oy perpendicular to the latter , as shown by the 35 exponential curves 6 . thus , no energy comes outside the structure if the bodies 1 and 2 are sufficiently thick ( in the direction oy on fig1 ), namely about several ten times the wavelength of the acoustic waves . therefore , it is not necessary to provide a packaging to protect the component ( the filter ) from its environment . these waves , which are non - dispersive , can have two types of main polarizations : when the displacement vector 7 of the atoms of the material is situated solely inside the sagittal plane xoy , these are stoneley waves ( see reference [ 1 ]); when this displacement vector is situated solely along the direction oz perpendicular to the sagittal plane ( case of the wave shown on fig1 ), these are maerfeld - tournois transversal interface waves ( see references [ 2 ] et [ 3 ]). preferably , the filter of the invention uses transversal interface waves whose conditions of existence are less drastic than those of stoneley waves and whose speed of propagation is generally much greater . on fig2 the acoustic waves filter of the invention includes , placed at the interface 3 between the two materials a and b , a plane conductive filter structure , for example metallic , similar to that of the surface waves components , such as the interdigitised combs ( see reference [ 4 ]), the spudt transducers ( see reference [ 5 ]) or r - spudt transducers ( see reference [ 6 ]), and the acoustically coupled wave resonators ( see reference [ 7 ]) or those electrically coupled ( see reference [ 8 ]). this conductive structure makes it possible to generate acoustic waves , the shape and arrangement of this structure defining the characteristics of the filter . this structure may be constituted by a network of electric conductors obtained by a metal deposit formed at the interface between the two bodies 1 , 2 embedded in grooves hollowed in one of the two bodies 1 , 2 at the interface 3 , for example in the body 1 . it includes for example two reflectors constituted by conductor segments 9 , 9 ′ perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the acoustic waves and between the conductor segments 9 et 9 ′, a transducer constituted by interdigitised combs 10 by having a plurality of fingers . we are now going to for example examine successively in detail the cases where the two half - finished bodies 1 , 2 are piezoelectric and where only one of the two bodies is piezoelectric . when the two materials a and b are derived from the hexagonal crystallographic category with the axis c aligned along the axis oz perpendicular to the sagittal plane , the speed v cc of these acoustic waves is given by : ρ a v a 2 ( 1 - v cc 2 v a 2 ) 1 / 2 + ρ b v b 2 ( 1 - v cc 2 v b 2 ) 1 / 2 = e a 2 ɛ a + e b 2 ɛ b ( 1 ) when at the interface the piezoelectric charges are short - circuited by an extremely thin metal film . on the other hand , when at the interface 3 the piezoelectric charges are not short - circuited , the speed v nc of these waves is given by : ρ a v a 2 ( 1 - v nc 2 v a 2 ) 1 / 2 + ρ b v b 2 ( 1 - v nc 2 v b 2 ) 1 / 2 = ( e a ɛ a - e b ɛ b ) 2 1 ɛ a + 1 ɛ b ( 2 ) in these equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), ε a and ε b are the dielectric constants of the materials a and b , e a and e b are the coefficients ( e 15 ) a and ( e 15 ) b of the piezoelectric tensors , and v a and v b are the transversal propagation speeds of these acoustic waves in the materials a and b . if the two materials are identical and have the same orientation , ρ a = ρ b = ρ ; v a = v b = v s ; ε a = ε b = ε ; et e a = e b = e 15 . when at the interface the piezoelectric charges are short - circuited , the speed v cc of these waves is given by : ( 1 - v cc 2 v s 2 ) 1 / 2 = e 15 2 ɛρ v s 2 = k _ 2 ( 3 ) { overscore ( k )} 2 being the piezoelectric coupling coefficient of the material . if on the other hand the piezoelectric charges at the interface are not short - circuited , the interface wave is degenerate and is merged with the transversal wave with speed volume v s . in this case , the interface wave exists and is not degenerate and its speed v is close to the speed v cc . the coupling coefficient 2δv / v of this wave is then close to : 2 δ v v ≅ v s 2 - v cc 2 v s 2 = k _ 4 ( 4 ) so as to embody an interface acoustic filter in a single piezoelectric material , it is therefore necessary : to select an orientation of the crystallographic axes of the piezoelectric crystal according to the selected direction of propagation ox , the wave being purely transversal or whose transversal component of the displacement vector 7 being dominant , and so that this wave is piezoelectrically coupled , cut the crystal along a plane parallel to the transversal component of the displacement vector 7 and to the direction of propagation of the wave , and deposit or better still embed with the aid of the etched grooves with a thickness controlled by all the conventional methods relating to surface acoustic waves the plane filter structure with interdigitised , spudt , r - spudt combs or acoustically or electrically coupled resonators on the face obtained following cutting of one of the portions of the piezoelectric crystal which has been cut ( fig2 ), and replace according to the crystalline orientations the second portion of the crystal which has been cut on the first by means of a molecular adhesion or any other elastic adherence element . as regards the design of plane filters , this could be greatly simplified by noting that owing to the symmetry of its interface , the interface wave structure can be obtained via the mathematical superposition of two transversal surface wave half structures whose dielectric constants would be ε inside the piezoelectric body and ε 0 = 0 outside the piezoelectric body . by way of example for the pure transversal interface wave ( sh ), it is possible to take a piezoelectric material from the 6 mm hexagonal category whose crystallographic axis c is inside the plane of the interface perpendicular to the direction of propagation , such as lead titanate and zirconium ( pzt ). for the quasi - transversal wave ( q - sh ), it is possible to take cuts along the crystallographic axis y ( where y is orientated by a certain angle , for example 175 ° ) of lithium niobate ( yx - linbo 3 ) or lithium tantalate ( yx - litao 3 ), the propagation being effected on the crystallographic axis x . it is also possible to take the cut st from quartz , propagation being effected on the crystallographic axis x ( st - x quartz ). a purely transverse interface acoustic wave can exist between two materials where one is non - piezoelectric with a density ρ np and speed v np , and the other is piezoelectric with a density ρ p and speed v p , selected from the 6 mm crystalline category with the crystallographic axis c inside the plane xoz of the interface perpendicular to the direction of propagation ox of the wave ( fig1 ). the speed v of this wave is given by : ( 1 - v 2 v p 2 ) 1 / 2 + ρ np ρ p · ( v np v p ) 2 · ( 1 - v 2 v np 2 ) 1 / 2 = η 2 ( 5 ) η 2 being an effective piezoelectric coupling coefficient given by : η 2 = k _ 2 = e 2 ɛ p ρ p v p 2 ( 6 ) when at the interface the piezoelectric charges are short - circuited by an extremely thin metal film or by a non - piezoelectric conductor material , and by : η 2 = k _ 2 ( 1 + ɛ p ɛ np ) ( 7 ) in these equations , ε p and ε np are respectively dielectric constants of the piezoelectric body and of the non - piezoelectric body , e = e 15 is a coefficient of the piezoelectric tensor and { overscore ( k )} 2 is the piezoelectric coupling coefficient . so as to determine the conditions of existence of these interface waves , we examine the three terms of the equation ( 5 ). these terms need to be real and positive , the speed v is thus less than or at the most equal to the smallest of the speeds v p and v np . if v is equal to v np ≦ v p , the second term is cancelled and when v decreases , the first two terms increase . η 2 thus needs to be greater than the first term when v = v np . if the speed v is equal to v p ≦ v np , the first term is cancelled and when v decreases , the first two terms increase . η 2 thus needs to also be greater than the second term when v = v p . the conditions of existence are therefore given by the pair of the following inequalities : ( 1 - v np 2 v p 2 ) 1 / 2 ≤ η 2 pour v np v p ≤ 1 ρ np ρ p · ( v np v p ) 2 · ( 1 - v p 2 v np 2 ) 1 / 2 ≤ η 2 pour v np v p ≥ 1 ( 8 ) on fig3 for various values of η 2 ( 0 , 05 ; 0 , 1 et 0 , 3 ) the two curves v np / v p have been plotted according to ρ np / ρ p which delimit the field of existence of these waves , as defined by the inequalities ( 8 ). it can be observed here that these waves still exist regardless of ρ np / ρ p when v np = v p = v s . in these circumstances , their speed v is given by : ( 1 - v 2 v s 2 ) 1 / 2 = η 2 ( 1 + ρ np ρ p ) ( 9 ) it may also be observed here that the smaller ρ np is in relation to ρ p , the more the field of existence widens at speeds v np greater than v p . moreover , the larger η 2 will be and the smaller ρ np will be in relation to ρ p , the more the waves shall be localised close to the interface . the coupling coefficient 2δv / v of these waves can be easily calculated from the speed v cc when the interface is short - circuited or from the speed v nc when the interface is not short - circuited . when v np = v p = v s , there is the following : 2 δ v v ≅ v nc 2 - v cc 2 v s 2 = k 4 _ ( 1 + ρ np ρ p ) 2 [ 1 - 1 ( 1 + ɛ p ɛ np ) 2 ] ( 10 ) the coupling coefficient shall thus be much greater when { overscore ( k )} 2 is large , when ρ np shall be less than ρ p and when ε np is less than ε p . so as to aid in selecting material pairings able to spread these transversal 10 interface waves , details are shown in table 1 according to the transversal speed v of a certain number of materials and their density ρ and relative dielectric constant ε . to select an orientation of the crystallographic axes of the piezoelectric crystal so that along the selected direction of propagation the wave is purely transversal or for which the transversal component of the displacement vector 7 is dominant and so that this wave is piezoelectrically coupled , select an orientation of the crystallographic axes of the non - piezoelectric crystal so that along the direction of the selected direction of propagation the wave is purely transversal or for which the transversal component of the displacement vector 7 is dominant and so that this wave has a propagation speed equal to or greater than the speed of the transversal or quasi - transversal waves in the piezoelectric body , select if possible a non - piezoelectric crystal with a density lower than that of the piezoelectric crystal , and select if possible a non - piezoelectric crystal with a dielectric constant less than that of the piezoelectric crystal . so as to satisfy the conditions of existence of quasi - transversal interface waves , ( q - sh ), the crystals are orientated slightly with respect to one another around an axis perpendicular to their interface from the described crystalline orientations . according to one characteristic of the invention , on the surface of one of the materials , the metal structure of the plane filter is deposited or embedded in etched grooves having a controlled thickness along suitable axes , as shown on fig2 . then the other material is adhered to this surface along the suitable axes by using any method suitable for elastic adherence . by way of example , it is possible to adhere a yag non - piezoelectric crystal on a piezoelectric lithium niobate crystal ( linbo 3 ) or on a piezoelectric lithium tantalate crystal ( litao 3 ) cut along the crystallographic axis y , propagation being effected along the crystallographic axis x . according to another variant of the filter of the invention , one of the two bodies 1 , 2 is crystalline and the other is obtained by a deposit or by epitaxial growth . in these circumstances , on the surface of the crystalline material , deposited or embedded in etched grooves having a controlled thickness along suitable axes is the metal structure which composes the plane filter and the second material is deposited or formed by epitaxial growth along the suitable axes on the prepared surface of the crystalline material . thus , it is possible to deposit non - piezoelectric amorphous silicon ( si ) on a duly prepared surface of piezoelectric lithium niobate yx - linbo 3 with a cut y ( where y is orientated by a certain angle ), propagation being effected along the axis x . it is also possible to form by epitaxial growth a piezoelectric film of aluminium nitride ( aln ) on a non - piezoelectric sapphire surface ( al 2 o 3 ). c . maerfeld and p . tournois , appl . phys . lett . 19 , 117 ( 1971 ) b . auld , acoustic fields and waves in solids , vol . 2 , pages 145 - 151 , john wiley , new york ( 1973 ) d . p . morgan , surface wave devices for signal processing , elsevier , n . y . ( 1985 ) c . s . hartmann , p . v . wright , r . j . kansy and e . m . garber , an analysis of saw interdigital transducers with internal reflections and the application to the design of single phase unidirectional transducers , ieee ultrasonic symp . proc ., p . 40 - 45 ( 1982 ) p . ventura , m . solal , p . dufilue , j . m . hodé and f . roux , a new concept in spudt design : the rspudt ( resonant spudt ), ieee ultrasonic symp . proc ., p . 1 - 6 ( 1994 ) l . a . coldren , r . l . rosenberg and j . a . rentschler , monolithic transversally coupled saw resonator filters , ieee ultrasonic symp . proc ., p . 888 - 893 ( 1977 ) p . f . cross , r . f . smith and w . h . haydl , electronic letters , vol . 11 , p . 244 - 245 ( may 1975 ) | 7 |
in the embodiment of fig1 through 4 the tool carrier comprises a belt or waist strap 10 having a first end 12 and a second end 14 . the ends 12 and 14 include fasteners , such as buckles 13 , 15 which permit the ends 12 , 14 to be attached one to the other . the fasteners 13 , 15 are such that the length or the waist dimension of strap 10 may be altered depending upon the particular person or worker who is wearing the tool carrier and the position of the belt about the torso . the strap 10 further includes an upper margin 16 and a lower margin 18 . a first set of pockets or pouch 20 comprises an extension of the lower margin 18 and includes multiple pockets such as pockets 22 and 24 for receiving and storing tools on other items . a support strap 26 is attached to strap 10 adjacent one side of pouch 20 to hold pouch 20 in a condition which provides support and enables retention of tools therein . the first pouch 20 is adjacent to the second end 14 of the strap 10 . a second pouch 30 also extends downwardly from the lower margin 18 and includes pockets , for example , pocket 32 for additional tools . first pouch 20 and second pouch 30 are separated by length 17 of strap 10 so that pouches 20 , 30 fit respectively over a hip of a worker . a shoulder strap 36 includes a first end 38 which is attached by means of a buckle 40 to a ring 42 attached to strap 10 adjacent the inner end 25 of the pouch 20 thereby permitting rotational adjustment of the strap 36 . the shoulder strap 36 further includes an adjustable , medial shoulder pad 44 . a second end 46 of the strap 36 is attached adjacent the second end 14 of the waist strap 10 and adjacent pouch 20 opposite inner end 25 . the strap 36 is adjustable in length in the preferred embodiment and includes an overlapping section 48 of the strap 36 that may be adjusted with respect to the buckle 40 . all the straps and pouches are made from a flexible fabric material . when being utilized , the tool carrier strap 10 is positioned around the waist of the individual in a manner which enables strap 10 to rest upon the hips of such the individual , as shown in fig2 with pouches 20 , 30 aligned with each hip . the strap 36 is then adjusted and placed across the shoulder of the individual . note that the first end 38 of the strap 36 is between the first pouch 20 and the second pouch 30 , though in closer proximity to the first pouch 20 . the ends of the strap 36 are positioned approximately an equal distance from the opposite sides of the first pouch 20 to facilitate support of the larger first pouch 20 by arranging the strap 36 to extend diagonally across the torso of the individual carrying the tool carrier . fig3 depicts the embodiment of fig1 and 2 with the buckle 13 , 15 for connecting the strap 10 detached and further depicting the shoulder strap 36 arranged with its connections to the strap 10 on opposite sides of the oversized or larger pouch 20 . the pouch 20 is a larger pouch relative to the pouch 30 in as much as the pouch 20 rests upon the hip of an individual and is supported by the shoulder strap 36 which fits over on the shoulder of an individual and crosses the torso as depicted in fig2 . fig4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the construction of fig3 . the strap 10 does not include an integral pouch 30 but includes a replaceable pouch 30 a in fig4 which may slide or fit over the strap 10 . specifically a sleeve 31 is provided for the pouch 30 a so that the sleeve 31 may fit over the end section 11 of the strap 10 . further , the strap 10 includes a straight width lower margin 19 and a straight upper margin 21 for section 11 with a first wide section 23 and a lesser width section 25 connected with a second wide section 27 for placement over the backside of an individual . the construction for the tool belt of fig4 may thus be arranged so that the larger pouch 20 will fit on the right hand hip of an individual and the smaller pouch 30 a will fit on the left hand hip with the strap 10 arranged around the back side of the individual so that the wider sections 23 and 27 will fit on opposite sides of the spine of an individual with the narrower strap section 28 aligned over the spine of an individual . this arrangement promotes the comfort of the belt when worn by an individual . fig5 through 8 illustrate two further embodiments of the invention wherein additional shoulder straps are provided for additional support of heavier tools on both hips and for a circumstance wherein large tool pouches are provided that fit over both hips or opposite sides of an individual wherein the pockets are generally equal size and will bear or hold equal weights of tools or other items . referring therefore to fig5 a first removable pouch 60 is attached by buckles 62 and 64 to a strap 66 . the strap 66 will encircle the waist of an individual and includes a connecting belt 68 . in the embodiment shown the strap 66 thus includes a series of loops , for example , loops 70 and 72 which receive a belt 68 that encircles the outside face 74 of the strap 66 and connects together by virtue of the belt buckle 69 around the waist or midsection of an individual . the pouch 60 is attached to metal loops , such as loop 76 and 78 , attached to the main strap 66 . a second pouch 80 is similarly attached by means of buckles 82 and 84 to metal loops 86 and 88 attached to the strap 66 . note that with this construction the size and configuration of pouches 60 and 80 may be altered or changed as desired . additionally , in as much as the belt 68 is provided additional items such as tool holder 90 supported by a loop 92 may be held on the strap 66 by the belt 68 . the embodiment of fig5 includes a double shoulder strap comprising a left hand shoulder strap 94 and a right hand shoulder strap 96 which extend respectively from a yoke 98 . strap 94 is adjustably connected to a buckle 100 that is affixed to a metal loop 102 attached to the strap 66 . in a similar fashion the right hand strap 96 is attached to an extension 104 that is attached by a buckle 106 to a metal loop 108 attached to the strap 66 . the yoke 98 connects with a single downwardly extending strap 110 that connects with divergent support straps 112 and 114 . the straps 112 and 114 are affixed by a buckle 116 and 118 respectively to loops 120 and 122 attached to the strap 66 . the right hand shoulder strap 94 thus fits over the right shoulder of an individual . the left hand strap 96 fits over the left shoulder of an individual and the back strap 110 fits down the back along the spine of an individual . all the straps and buckles are adjustable to provide the most appropriate balance and distribution of weight . fig6 illustrates an alternative to the embodiment of fig5 . in fig6 the construction is substantially identical to that of fig5 except that the right shoulder strap 94 and the left shoulder strap 96 are connected to a yoke 98 that extends and connects with a single back strap 110 that is adjustable and connected by means of a single buckle 140 to a single metal loop 142 attached to the midpoint of strap 66 . the strap 110 thus extends downwardly along the spine of an individual and is adjustable . as shown in fig7 the back strap 66 is configured with a first left hand wide section 150 and a second right hand wide section 152 separated by an narrow spine section 154 to provide support for the region of the kidneys of an individual wearing the carrier with the narrow portion aligned with the spine of an individual . this provides additional comfort and support for the individual wearing or using the belt as depicted in fig8 and 9 . it is possible to vary the construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus the straps may all be adjustable . the buckles and connectors may be of any various types . the pouches may be attachable or detachable or integrally incorporated in the strap . the carrier of the invention is therefore to be limited only by the following claims and equivalence thereof . | 8 |
with reference to the drawings , the firewood carrier 10 of the present invention essentially comprises an elongated rectangular flexible central web or sling 11 having an outer face 11a and an inner face 11b . the web 11 is preferably formed of a waterproof interwoven polymeric material including up to ten percent acrylic nylon . a first end of the web portion 11 includes a plurality of handle webs . preferably , three handle webs are formed at such first end , namely , a first , second and third handle web 12 , 13 and 14 , respectively . each handle web includes an overfolded portion to define a double thickness layer of an inner and outer webbing , as illustrated in fig1 and 4 , for example . the opposite or second end of the web 11 includes a plurality of identical handle webs , preferably a fourth , fifth and sixth handle web 15 , 16 , and 17 , respectively . the first and third handle webs 12 and 14 are positioned at the opposite sides of the web 11 , and the second handle web 13 is positioned medially of the central web 11 . the fourth and sixth handle webs 15 and 17 are positioned at the opposite sides of the web 11 , and the fifth handle web 16 positioned medially thereof . in a juxtaposed position , the first and fourth handle webs 12 and are in alignment , the second and fifth handle webs 13 and 16 are in alignment and the third and sixth handle webs 14 and 17 are in alignment , as seen in fig2 . an elongate first cylindrical brace 22 is arranged coextensively of the first end of the central web 11 , and a parallel second cylindrical brace 23 is positioned at the second end . a first brace support web 18 is in a surrounding overlying relationship to the first cylindrical brace 22 and positioned between the first and second handle webs 12 and 13 . a second brace support web 19 is positioned between the second and third handle webs 13 and 14 and circumferentially surrounds the first cylindrical brace 22 spaced from the first brace support web 18 . in a like manner , third and fourth brace support webs 20 and 21 are positioned , respectively , between the pairs of respective fourth and fifth handle webs 15 and 16 and the fifth and sixth handle webs 16 and 17 , as seen in fig1 and 3 , for example . a threaded fastener 24 extends through each of the handle webs 12 through 17 at the base of the handle webs and radially into the respective cylindrical brace 22 or 23 . similarly , a threaded fastener 24 secures each of the brace support webs 18 through 21 radially into the respective cylindrical brace . each of the handle webs has a pair of through apertures wherein each of the apertures includes a brass or polymeric grommet 26 to secure the inner and outer sheets of each handle web 12 through 18 together . a through - extending flexible cord handle loop 25 is provided for each of the six handle webs with the opposite ends of the loops extending through the respective through apertures . alternatively , a cylindrical tube handle 29 , as illustrated in fig5 may be provided with each associated cord handle 25 extending therethrough . the tube handle 29 would be of a length less than that of the spacing of the respective grommets 26 of an associated handle web , as illustrated in fig5 . the tube handles are utilized for enhanced comfort in the portage of the firewood carrier 10 . it should be appreciated therefore that the firewood carrier 10 may be transported by manipulation of the central handles associated with the second and fifth handle webs 13 and 16 , or alternatively if dual hand grasps are desired in accommodation of a somewhat heavier workload , the exterior pairs of handles 25 associated with the first and fourth handle webs and the third and sixth handle webs may be utilized . fig6 illustrates that the firewood carrier 10 subsequent to cleaning , may be rolled and inserted within an associated tubular container 27 and an overlying lid 28 to enable storage of the device until subsequent use is desired . 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 . | 0 |
in the following , principles and embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig2 is a plan view of a semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention . in this drawing , plural external terminals 22 1 – 22 n are positioned around the periphery or a semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus main body 20 . the external terminals 22 2 , 22 4 , 22 6 , 22 8 , 22 10 , and 22 12 correspond to external terminals to / from which video signals are input / output . the external terminal 22 1 corresponds to an external terminal for inputting power to the power source vcc , and external terminal 22 3 positioned between the external terminals 22 2 and 22 4 corresponds to an external terminal for the ground gnd . the external terminal 22 5 , corresponding to an external terminal for inputting power to the power source vcc and positioned between the external terminals 22 4 and 22 6 , is used as an external terminal for d terminal connection verification . the external terminal 22 7 , positioned between the external terminals 22 6 and 22 8 , the external terminal 22 9 , positioned between the external terminals 22 8 and 22 10 , and the external terminal 22 11 , positioned between the external terminals 22 10 and 22 12 , are used as external terminals for d terminal determination . it is noted that ‘ d terminal ’ is an abbreviated generic term for ‘ d video terminal ’, which is a standardized terminal for digital broadcasting . the external terminal 22 5 for d terminal connection verification determines whether the d terminal is shorted with the external ground gnd terminal to determine whether the d terminal cable is connected ( the d terminal is shorted with the external ground gnd terminal when it is connected ). the external terminals 22 7 , 22 9 , and 22 11 , for d terminal determination are arranged to determine their respective video format to aspect ratios depending on whether their respective voltages correspond to 5 v , 2 . 2 v , or 0v . that is , the external terminals 22 5 , 22 7 , 22 9 , and 22 11 are adapted to detect a direct current voltage . fig3 is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of an interface circuit to which the external terminals 22 5 , 22 7 , 22 9 , and 22 11 , for d terminal connection verification or d terminal determination are connected within the semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus of the present embodiment . in this drawing , the anode of a diode d 1 , the cathode of a diode d 2 , the base of a pnp transistor q 1 , and one end of a condenser c 1 are connected to an external terminal 30 . the cathode of the diode d 1 is connected to the power source vcc , and the anode of the diode d 2 is grounded . the emitter of the transistor q 1 is connected to the power source vcc via a fixed current source 32 , and this emitter output is supplied to an ensuing circuit . the other end of the condenser c 1 is grounded . conventionally , the condenser c 1 is not implemented in the interface circuit , and the external terminal 30 has high impedance ( e . g ., direct current resistance of approximately 100 kω ). however , in the embodiment , by implementing the condenser c 1 ( e . g ., capacitance 10 pf ), the external terminal 30 may be arranged to have low impedance with respect to the video signals supplied thereto . at the external terminals 22 5 , 22 7 , 22 9 , and 22 11 , for d terminal connection verification or d terminal determination , the external terminal 30 is used in an open state or in a state where a predetermined direct voltage is being applied . thus , connecting the condenser c 1 to the external terminal 30 to realize low impedance does not cause any problem . fig4 is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary circuit configuration of an interface circuit to which the external terminals 22 2 , 22 4 , 22 6 , 22 8 , 22 10 , and 22 12 for video signal input are connected within the semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus of the present embodiment . in the drawing , the anode of a diode d 11 , the cathode of a diode d 12 , the base of an npn transistor q 12 , and one end of a resistor r 1 are connected to an external terminal 40 . the cathode of the diode d 11 is connected to the power source vcc , and the anode of the diode d 12 is grounded . the other end of the resistor r 1 is connected to the emitter of a npn transistor q 11 and one end of a resistor r 2 , and the other end of the resistor r 2 is grounded . the collector of the transistor q 11 is connected to the power source vcc , and a predetermined voltage is applied to its base from a fixed voltage source 42 . the collector of the transistor q 12 is connected to the power source vcc via a resistor r 3 , and the emitter of the transistor q 12 is connected to the base of a npn transistor q 13 . a resistor r 4 is implemented between the base and emitter of the transistor q 13 , and the collector of the transistor q 13 is connected to the power source vcc . the emitter of the transistor q 13 is grounded via a fixed current source 44 , and this emitter output is supplied to an ensuing circuit . the impedance of the external terminal 40 is arranged to correspond to a direct current resistance of 75ω , for example . fig5 is a circuit diagram illustrating the external terminals of the semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus of the present embodiment . in this drawing , a video signal is input to the external terminal 22 8 . the respective direct current resistances ra and rb of the external terminals 22 8 and 22 10 are arranged to be 75ω , the direct current resistance rc of the external terminal 22 9 is arranged to be 100ω , and the external terminal 22 9 is grounded via the condenser c 1 having a capacitance of 10 pf . stray capacitance ca is generated between the external terminals 22 8 and 22 9 , and stray capacitance cb is generated between the external terminals 22 9 and 22 10 . it is noted that the stray capacitances ca and cb are approximately 0 . 5 pf each . fig6 is a graph illustrating crosstalk generated between external terminals . in this graph , the solid line represents the leakage of high frequency signals ( crosstalk ) occurring between the external terminals 22 8 and 22 10 in the circuit configuration shown in fig5 . as is shown in fig6 , for a signal having a frequency of 30 mhz or less , the crosstalk is no more than − 70 db . thus , the crosstalk of video signals of which the maximum frequencies are 30 mhz or less may be ignored in the present arrangement . in contrast , the dashed line in fig6 represents the leakage of high frequency signals ( crosstalk ) occurring between the external terminals 22 8 and 22 10 in an arrangement where the condenser c 1 of the external terminal 22 9 is removed from the circuit configuration of fig5 . in such case , the crosstalk exceeds − 70 db for signals having a frequency of 3 . 5 mhz or above , and thus , crosstalk of video signals cannot be ignored . it is noted that in the above description of the embodiment , an application of the present invention on a d video terminal is illustrated as an example . however , the present invention is not limited to this embodiment , and for example , the present invention may be applied to a semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus having an s video terminal . in such case , external terminals for s terminal connection verification or s terminal determination may be provided in addition to the external terminals for video signal input / output , each of these external terminals for s terminal connection verification or s terminal determination may be placed in between the external terminals for video signal input / output , and a condenser may be implemented for each of the external terminals for s terminal connection verification or s terminal determination in order to realize low impedance in these terminals . the present application is based on and claims the benefits of the priority date of japanese patent application no . 2003 - 174748 filed on jun . 19 , 2003 , the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . | 7 |
in the attached drawings a provider service network ( psn ) backbone is represented by the psn cloud . provider equipment ( pe ) access the psn via heterogeneous access technologies such as ethernet over psn or ip over psn . provider equipment is connected to customer equipment ( ce ) via diverse access technologies such as ethernet , frame relay ( fr ) and asynchronous transfer mode ( atm ), the latter two also being described herein as non - ethernet access technologies or point - to - point technologies . the systems and methods of the invention allow a ce with fr / atm access to peer with a ce with ethernet access over a different subnet than the emulated lan used by ces with ethernet access , allowing an fr / atm ce to maintain the existing configuration . thus , in fig1 ce 2 is connected to ce 4 via a fr access link and both ce 2 and ce 4 are using a routed encapsulation . when ce 2 access link is changed to ethernet , two ip interfaces can be defined on the ethernet interface , one for a vpls connected to other ethernet ce routers , the other is for a p2p link to ce 4 . no re - configuration or configuration change is required on ce 4 in this case . when the number of end customer sites is large , grouping sites into different subnets / emulated lan would be a reasonable approach to scale the virtual private lan or vpn design , while reducing the provisioning required by peering routers over multiple emulated lans or vpls . the disadvantage with this configuration is that some ces with ethernet access would need to be configured to peer with multiple fr / atm sites on separate subnets instead of with one subnet ( as with other ces with ethernet sites ), even for a vpn with a relatively smaller number of sites , as shown in fig1 . the following embodiment , as shown in fig2 , overcomes this issue but requires configuration changes in ce routers . according to this embodiment all ces are allowed to peer over the same emulated lan or subnets , but require configuration changes on fr / atm ces routers ( e . g . ospf interface type is changed to broadcast mode ). it allows ce devices which for whatever reason are not able to use bridged encapsulation instead of routed encapsulation , but desire to peer over the same emulated lan , instead of over different subnets as in the previous case . the following describes mechanisms required to achieve the aforementioned ip to vpls interworking . these mechanisms can be provided by either pe 3 or pe 2 . to simplify the explanation , only the case where pe 3 is providing the ip to vpls interworking functions is described . the common problem for both cases is one end of the service is point - to - point in nature and the other end is a shared media , and there are no ethernet names / addresses ( as in bridged encapsulation ) provided from the point - to - point end , when routed encapsulation is used . further , it cannot be assumed that pe 2 can only see one mac node on ac 2 b . an attachment circuit , ac 2 b at the ethernet end at ce 2 ( fig1 ), may have more than one ce router attached to it . ce 2 may be a bridge and there may be more than one router connected to ce 2 at the customer site . to discover the mac address of network address of ce 4 router as shown in fig2 , the following procedure takes place . the device sending the packet at site 1 ( ce 1 ) shall use already defined specifications for the routed protocol . for e . g ., ce 1 will send an arp request for ce 4 router to the broadcast network via ac 1 a . pe 3 will act as a proxy arp and respond with an assigned mac address for ce 4 ip address . pe 3 will be configured a priori with the network addresses of remote fr / atm ces or alternatively pe 3 may use inverse arp to discover the ip address of the fr / atm ce . at pe 3 , a local mac address ( not ieee allocated ) is allocated for each fr ce . this allows pe 3 to respond to an arp request for an fr ce with this assigned mac address . next , the process of discovering the mac address of a network device from an fr / atm site will be described . to illustrate the problem to be solved , fig1 shows ce 4 connected to the emulated lan . traffic from ce 4 is routed encapsulated at the fr / atm access link . only the network address is available when the routed encapsulation traffic from ce 4 is decapsulated at pe 3 . pe 3 needs to determine or learn the corresponding mac address of the network address on the shared media end . it should be noted that there may be other mac devices on the shared media end , on the same subnet as ce 2 . the same applies to the embodiment shown in fig2 . if the ip packet received is multicast , the corresponding mac address can be derived from the ip multicast address . if the packet is unicast there are two cases to be considered : 1 ) in the first case , if the packet is unicast and the corresponding mac address for an ip address have been learned already via e . g . igp hello sent by ce 2 router prior to ce 4 attempting to communicate directly with ce 2 , or ip packets routed by ce 2 to ce 4 . in this case , pe 3 learns the mac address to send the ip packet to . the mac address could be :— the device mac address if the device is in the same subnet as the emulated lan or — the mac address of a router if the device is in a different subnet as the emulated lan . 2 ) in the second case , pe 3 sends an arp request for the mac address of the unknown unicast ip address on the vlps . a ce responds with its mac address . if it is a router , it is a proxy arp for other ip addresses it routes to . this method requires that the ce routers ( at ethernet sites ) are proxy arp enabled . this proxy arp function is provided by a pe at an fr / atm site . encapsulation of traffic from an ethernet site is well known , for example , as defined in internet draft “ draft - ietf - 12vpn - vpls - idp - 0 . 5 . txt ” by lasseurre and vkompella . for encapsulation of traffic from an fr / atm site , pe 3 will decapsulate / encapsulate the ip traffic from / to fr / atm ce as defined in rfc2427 / rfc1490 for fr or rfc2684 / rfc1483 for atm . pe 3 will encapsulate / decapsulate traffic to other pes as defined in the aforementioned document by lasseurre and vkompella . in some deployment , it may not be feasible to upgrade the fr / atm pe device . in this case , the fr / atm pe can be connected to a pe via an attachment circuit ( ac ) as shown in fig3 . the fr / atm pe is not part of the vpls pe mesh . all the mac discovery functions described for pe 3 is now provided by pe 2 instead . pe 4 merely relay ip frames from ce 5 to pe 2 and does not participate in vpls functions . pe 4 will decapsulate / encapsulate the ip traffic from / to fr / atm ce 5 as defined in above . pe 4 will encapsulate / decapsulate traffic to pe 2 as ip over pw or routed encapsulation also as defined above . in summary , the present invention allows a site with fr / atm interface to be included in a vpn / vpls offered by a provider , reducing the costs and complication of extending vpls to a remote fr / atm site by a provider . although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that numerous changes can be made without departing from the basic concept . it is to be understood , however , that such changes will fall within the full scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
this disclosure relates generally to atms and , more specifically , to system and method for implementing a virtual atm via a personal computer , such as a laptop computer fig1 is a block diagram of a virtual atm (“ vatm ”) system 100 in accordance with one embodiment . the vatm 100 includes a vatm host 102 that provides the services described herein . in one embodiment , the vatm host 102 is a bank or other financial institution that preferably also operates physical atms (“ patms ”). the vatm host 102 distributes a public key with vatm client software 106 , which when installed and executed a user &# 39 ; s computer 108 , such as a laptop computer , implements a vatm interface for enabling interaction between the user and the vatm host 102 , as will be described in detail below . a card reader 110 is associated with the computer 108 to read information ( such as customer name , account information , and bank routing information ) from an atm card 112 . the card reader 110 may be integrated into or connectable ( e . g ., via a usb port ) to the computer 108 . in one embodiment , the card reader 110 is a magnetic card stripe reader and the requisite information is read from a magnetic stripe on the atm card as the card is swiped through the reader 110 . it will be recognized , however , that other configurations of card readers / cards may be implemented without departing from the spirit of the scope of the embodiments described herein . in one embodiment , the vatm client software 106 installed on the computer 108 is designed to provide the same user interface experience as a patm . the client software 106 may be included in the trusted computing base (“ tcb ”) with the integrated card reader for the most secure implementation of the embodiments described herein . in operation , as will be described below , the client software 106 collects the user information from the atm card via the card reader 110 and the user &# 39 ; s pin and performs the same pin block encryption and pin verification value (“ pvv ”) protections that are currently performed in connection with patms . the vatm system 100 further includes a plurality of disbursement entities (“ des ”), represented in fig1 by a de 114 , which may include , for example , hotels and other travel service providers listed by name and location , that have previously registered and have accounts with the vatm host . unlike patms , in the vatm system 100 , the user will be presented with a list of des from which the user can select a de from which the cash will be disbursed . it will be noted that filters for narrowing the list of des presented to the user ( e . g ., by type or location ) may be employed in various embodiments . in one embodiment , a gps system included in the computer 108 will narrow the list of des displayed to those within a default radius of the location of the computer . the gps - determined location can be overridden by the user ; additionally , the user can change the default radius to increase or decrease the area of interest . the user is prompted to select one of these listed des for disbursing the cash . once the transaction is verified , as described in greater detail below with reference to fig3 , a disbursement order is sent to the selected de . among other information that may be included in the disbursement order is the amount of the disbursement . at some future point in time , the user will arrive at the de , provide the required identification information , and , upon verification thereof , collect the requested cash amount . as will be described , the de subsequently interfaces with the vatm host 102 to complete the transaction and prompt the vatm host to transfer funds from the user &# 39 ; s account to that of the de . referring now to fig2 and 3 , operation of a vatm system such as that illustrated in fig1 will be described in greater detail . in particular , fig2 is a flowchart illustrating a registration phase in accordance with one embodiment . in step 200 , a de , such as the de 114 , registers and establishes an account with a vatm host , such as the vatm host 102 . the registration process may be physical , e . g ., via a signed contract , or online , e . g ., via a web portal . during the registration process , various information related to vatm transactions may be specified , such as the types of identification that are acceptable to the de ( e . g ., u . s . or other passport , state driver &# 39 ; s license , and employee badge , and the maximum disbursement amount allowed ( if that amount differs from that of the vatm host ). in step 202 , the vatm host provides the de with a de provider interface , which may be , for example , a fat client or a web portal . the de provider interface allows for notifications to be transmitted between the vatm host and the de . it also enables the de to communicate with the vatm host to confirm transactions and manage the flow of cash to or from the vatm host . the de interface with the vatm host is protected with a mutually authenticated ssl connection . in step 204 , a user registers with the vatm host . this process is essentially the same as the process used to register with the vatm host with respect to patms . for example , the user establishes and funds an account with the vatm host and otherwise manages the account . additionally , the user provides identification information , such as u . s . or other passport number , state driver &# 39 ; s license number , and / or employee badge information . in step 206 , the vatm host provides the user with an atm card , such as the atm card 112 , which in one embodiment is the same card that is used to access patms , in addition to the client software ( such as the software 106 ) to install on the computer the user will use to access the vatm ( e . g ., the computer 108 ). alternatively , if the user already has an atm card issued by the vatm , the existing atm card will be updated to enable access to the vatm system as described herein . as discussed above , the accessing computer must have a card reader appropriate for reading the atm card provided by the vatm host either connectable thereto or integrated therewith . in one embodiment , the vatm host will provide the user with a card reader along with an atm card . the interface between the user &# 39 ; s computer and the vatm host computer is protected with a mutually authenticated ssl connection . it will be recognized that steps 204 - 206 may be executed prior to or substantially contemporaneously with steps 200 - 202 . additionally , steps 200 - 202 will be implemented for each de that registers with the vatm host ; therefore , the steps may be implemented numerous times in connection with the vatm system . similarly , steps 204 - 206 will be implemented for each user that registers with the vatm host ; therefore , the steps may be implemented numerous times in connection with the vatm system . fig3 is a flowchart illustrating a transaction phase in accordance with one embodiment . in step 300 , the user accesses the vatm interface on his / her computer . in step 302 , in response to prompts presented on the computer via the vatm interface , the user uses the card reader associated with the computer to read the atm card and enters his or her pin . in step 304 , the client software communicates with the vatm host computer to validate the atm card information and pin using established pvv techniques . if the atm card information and pin are not valid , execution proceeds to step 306 , in which the user is advised of that fact , and then returns to step 302 . if the atm card information and pin are valid , execution proceeds to step 308 . in step 308 , a list of registered des is presented to the user and the user is prompted to select one . also in this step , the user enters a disbursement amount . in step 309 , the information entered by the user in step 308 is sent to the vatm host . in step 310 , the vatm host validates the transaction and sends a disbursement order to the selected de . in one embodiment , the disbursement order includes the requested disbursement amount . in an optional step ( not shown ), the vatm host may send an error back to the user if any error conditions , such as that the de is unavailable or has no cash , are detected . in step 312 , the vatm host computer confirms the transaction to the vatm client software , which in turn provides a confirmation message to the user via the user interface . the confirmation message will advise the user as to when the cash will be available . in a preferred embodiment , it will be recognized that , in order to replicate the behavior of patms , the cash should be immediately available at the de . the confirmation message may be as specific as “ go to the front desk of the marriott hotel at 1555 n main street and ask for joan young ” and may also include a transaction id . in step 314 , upon arrival at the de location , the user presents the required identification , as well as a transaction id , if necessary . in step 316 , an agent of the de reviews the identification presented by the user and , if it determined not to be valid , in step 318 , the transaction is denied and concludes without disbursement of the funds . if the identification presented by the user is determined to be valid , in step 320 , the de disburses cash to the user . in step 322 , the de confirms the transaction with the vatm host . in step 324 , the vatm host debits the user &# 39 ; s account and credits the de &# 39 ; s account in the amount of the disbursement . additionally , the appropriate accounts may be debited or credited in the amount of fees associated with the transaction . during a reconciliation phase ( not shown ), which will occur periodically throughout the term of the contract between the vatm host and the de and independently of any user disbursement transactions , funds and statements will flow between the de and the vatm host as necessary to close out all user transactions that occurred within the period . it will be recognized that the funds can flow either as cash or as electronic funds transfers as specified in the contract between the de and the vatm host . it is understood that modifications , changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the embodiments will be employed without a corresponding use of other features . accordingly , it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments described herein . although the present disclosure has described embodiments relating to specific networking environments , it is understood that the apparatus , systems and methods described herein could applied to other environments . while the preceding description shows and describes one or more embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure . for example , various steps of the described methods may be executed in a different order or executed sequentially , combined , further divided , replaced with alternate steps , or removed entirely . in addition , various functions illustrated in the methods or described elsewhere in the disclosure may be combined to provide additional and / or alternate functions . therefore , the claims should be interpreted in a broad manner , consistent with the present disclosure . | 6 |
referring now to the drawings , fig1 to 3 show a module 1 for interconnection of two monopair telephone or computer - related lines which makes it possible to connect , for example , a bifilar line 2 , comprising two sheathed electrical wires , called “ small wires ” to a bifilar line 3 , comprising two sheathed electrical wires , called “ large wires ”. each of the small wires has a conducting core with a diameter of from 0 . 4 mm to about 0 . 8 mm , for example equal to 0 . 4 mm . each of the large wires has a conducting core with a diameter of between 0 . 5 and 1 . 1 mm , for example of 0 . 8 mm . in the case of a distribution installation of two telephone lines on poles , the bifilar line 2 comes from the multi - line incoming cable which forms part of the telephone distribution network , while the bifilar line 3 is the outgoing line towards the subscriber . in another configuration , the large wire line 3 is composed of two overhead wires coming from the telephone distribution network , while the small wire line 2 is the outgoing line towards the subscriber &# 39 ; s inside installation . in such a case , the large wire line 3 is the incoming line , while the small wire line 2 is the outgoing line . this module , which is a module with so - called “ tool - less ” connection ( i . e . without any tool other than a simple screw driver ), is composed in fact , in one and the same unit , of three aligned parts 4 , 6 and 7 electrically connected together , and having distinct functions . a first part 4 formes a first end of the alignment , whose function is to connect , by insertion of the two large wires 3 in twos respective i . d . slots 8 , 9 , two i . d . contacts 11 , 12 respectively . a second part 6 forms the middle of the alignment and constitutes the line cut - off and testing zone as well as the “ protection ” zone receiving a lightning arrester or surge arrester 13 . a third part 7 forms the other end of the alignment , whose function is to connect , by insertion of the two small wires 2 in two respective i . d . slots 14 , 16 , two i . d . contacts 17 , 18 respectively . the parts 4 , 7 for connection of the wires are therefore located on either side of the central part 6 for cut - off , testing and protection . like all the modules of the prior art , this module 1 is provided to be fixed , by tabs 19 , 21 forming slideway , on a standardized metal rail 22 . the first connection part 4 comprises an insulating pusher 23 for receiving and connecting the two large wires 3 by passage of the latter in the respective i . d . slots 8 , 9 of the two i . d . contacts 11 , 12 . to that end , the pusher 23 comprises two blind orifices 24 , 26 for receiving the two respective large wires 3 , and it is equipped with a master screw 27 which traverses the base , to screw into a conventional metal nut ( not shown ). by screwing this screw 27 , the pusher 23 is lowered , this driving the large wires 3 , previously introduced in the blind orifices 24 26 inside the i . d . slots 8 , 9 of the two i . d . contacts 11 , 12 . the large wires 3 can be disconnected by unscrewing the screw 27 in order to lift the pusher 23 . the pusher 23 presents an end - of - connection pawl 28 which not only ensures , by its end - of - stroke clicking , a firm positioning of the pusher 23 , but also , by the snapping sound which results from this clicking , informs the wire fitter that the insulation displacement connection is positively made . each of the two i . d . contacts 11 , 12 of the first connection part 4 forms part of a respective complex contact , in the form of a cut - out flat metallic circuit , which electrically connects each of them , via a longitudinal and longilinear branch 29 , 31 respectively , to a testing , cut - off and receiving contact 32 , 33 of the surge arrester 13 . these two testing contacts 32 , 33 form part of the second median part 6 of the module mentioned above . the third connection part 7 comprises the two i . d . connection contacts 17 , 18 for the small wires 2 as well as an insulating manual connection pusher 34 which is plugged on these two i . d . contacts 17 , 18 . the manual pusher 34 comprises two blind orifices 36 for respectively receiving each of the small wires 2 . the two small wires 2 are conventionally firstly introduced in these orifices 36 , the pusher 34 being lifted , then the pusher is pushed manually on the i . d . contacts 17 , 18 to make it descend therealong and thus drive the two small wires 2 in their respective i . d . slots 14 and 16 . the manual pusher 34 in that case remains in place and it is then possible to disconnect the wires 2 by simply lifting this pusher in order to disengage these wires from the i . d . slots 14 , 16 . the connection pusher 34 presents an end - of - connection pawl 37 which not only ensures , by its end - of - stroke clicking , a firm positioning of the pusher 34 , but also , by the snapping sound which results from such clicking , informs the wire fitter that the insulation displacement connection is positively made . the two i . d . contacts 17 , 18 of the third part 7 form part of a respective complex contact in the form of a cut - out flat metallic circuit , which electrically connects each of them , via a longitudinal and longilinear branch 38 , 39 respectively , to a testing and cut - off contact 41 , 42 . these two testing contacts 41 , 42 form part of the second median part 6 of the module mentioned above . the median part 6 is constituted by a well 43 of rectangular section comprising an upper o - ring 44 and closed by a pivoting cover 46 . in the state of the art , the cover 46 comprises two contacts 47 , 48 for line continuity , inserted longitudinally with respect to the cover . when the cover 46 is closed , the contact 47 electrically connects together the contact 32 in connection with the i . d . contact 11 for receiving one of the large wires 3 , with the contact 41 in connection with the i . d . contact 17 for receiving one of the small wires 2 . and when the cover 46 is closed , the contact 48 electrically connects together the contact 33 in connection with the i . d . contact 12 for receiving the other of the large wires 3 , with the contact 42 in connection with the i . d . contact 18 for receiving the other of the small wires 2 . the surge arrester 13 is inserted in parallel on the bifilar large wire line 3 . it is blocked between two elastic metallic parts 49 , 51 advancing towards each other , belonging respectively to the contacts 32 and 33 , and which bear against the two electrodes of said surge arrester 13 . moreover , the well 43 includes an earth contact 52 which bears , under the module , against the metal receiving rail 22 . in the well 43 , the earth contact 52 is located half way between the contacts 32 and 33 in order to be able to receive the median earth electrode 53 of the surge arrester 13 . the surge arrester 13 also comprises a safety short circuit 54 , also called “ fail - safe ”, incorporating a fusible pellet . the cover 46 comprises a hollow body 56 , including the contacts 47 , 48 , a tab 57 for gripping and a hinge 58 ensuring its opening and closure o / c . in a first embodiment of the invention ( fig4 to 6 ), the known cover 46 is replaced by a cover 59 of which the hollow body is more voluminous . the interior volume of this cover 59 is intended to receive additional electrical members inserted in series between the large wire line 3 and the small wire line 2 . the electrical members are two in number and , in this example , are positive temperature coefficient resistors ( ptcrs ). ptcrs have a parallelepipedic shape with a square face whose side measures about 5 mm and with smaller thickness equal to about 2 mm . a ptcr comprises two electrodes , one on each of the most extended opposite surfaces . for this connection , the two known contacts 47 , 48 have been replaced by four separate specific contacts 61 , 62 , 63 and 64 . they each present a first curved end , already known , intended to bear against each of the contacts of the well 32 , 33 , 42 and 41 respectively . however , the shape of these contacts 61 , 62 , 63 and 64 has been adapted to the geometry of the two ptcrs 66 and 67 . the ptcrs have been placed longitudinally inside the cover 59 , one next to the other and slightly offset in the longitudinal direction , inserted between the planes defined by the contacts of the well . consequently , one of the electrodes 66 b of one of the ptcrs 66 faces an electrode 67 b of the other ptcr 67 , these two electrodes 66 b and 67 b being oriented respectively towards the centre of the cover 59 . likewise , the other of the electrodes 66 a of one of the ptcrs 66 and another electrode 67 a of the other ptcr 67 are oriented in opposite directions to one another and towards the lateral walls of the cover . the contact 62 , intended to touch the electrode oriented towards the lateral wall 67 a of the ptcr 67 , presents an additional metallic part in the form of a cut - out tongue 62 a projecting towards the electrode 67 a . in order to be able to touch one of the electrodes of one ptcr , which is oriented towards the centre , the corresponding contact must make a bridge and present the form of a u , in order to pass around the body of the ptcr , and it must not touch the other of the electrodes which is oriented towards the lateral wall of the cover 59 . this contact is fixed to the bottom of the cover by the bottom of the u - shaped part . in this way , the contact 63 , touching the opposite electrode oriented towards the centre 67 b of the same ptcr 67 , presents an additional portion returning towards the centre of the cover and forming the branch of the u 63 a . the same applies for contact 64 , with a metallic part in the form of a cut - out elastic tongue 64 a , shaped to touch the electrode oriented towards the lateral wall 66 a of the second ptcr 66 . the same applies for contact 61 , with a portion returning towards the centre 61 a , and forming the branch of the u 61 a , shaped to touch the other opposite electrode oriented towards the centre 66 b of the second ptcr 66 . in this way , the continuity of one of the large wire strands 3 is made through the interconnection module , by the first contact of the well 32 , the first contact of the cover 61 , one of the electrodes of the first ptcr 66 b via the branch 61 a of the first contact of the cover 61 , the resistive part of the first ptcr 66 , the other of the electrodes 66 a of the first ptcr , the cut - out metallic part 64 a of the second contact 64 , the second contact 64 , and the second contact of the well 41 , up to one of the small wire strands 2 . the continuity of the other of the large wire strands 3 is made through the interconnection module by the third contact of the well 33 , the third contact of the cover 62 , the cut - out metallic part 62 a of the third contact 62 , one of the electrodes of the second ptcr 67 a , the resistive part of the second ptcr 67 , the other of the electrodes 67 b of the second ptcr , the branch 63 a of the fourth contact of the cover 63 , the fourth contact of the cover 63 , and the fourth contact of the well 42 , up to the other of the small wire strands 2 . in a second embodiment ( fig7 to 13 ), the known cover 46 is replaced by a cover 68 allowing an output for connection towards an additional electrical member which is more voluminous and therefore disposed outside this cover 68 . the additional electrical member is in this example an outside mtu unit ( not shown ). it is connected in series on each of the two line strands , to the interconnection module , by four sheathed electrical wires . for this connection , the two known contacts 47 , 48 have been replaced by four separate specific contacts 69 , 71 , 72 and 73 . the four separate specific contacts 69 , 71 , 72 and 73 have been adapted and they each present a known first curved end , intended to bear against each of the contacts of the well , 32 , 33 , 42 and 41 respectively . they also each present another end , pointed upwardly , projecting beyond the cover 68 , of the insulation displacement slot type , similar to an i . d . contact , in order to ensure connection towards the outside of the cover . connection is made by inserting each of the four mtu wires 74 , 76 , 77 and 78 respectively in the four insulation displacement slots 69 a , 71 a , 71 a and 73 a of each of the four respective i . d . contacts 69 , 71 , 72 and 73 . the cover 68 of the well 43 comprises a manual insulating pusher 79 for receiving and connecting the four mtu wires . the cover 68 also comprises in its upper part four openings 81 82 , 83 and 84 through which the ends , with i . d . slot , of the four respective i . d . contacts 69 , 71 , 72 and 73 emerge . the manual insulating pusher 79 comprises four transverse blind orifices 86 , 87 , 88 and 89 for receiving the four respective mtu wires 74 , 76 , 77 and 78 . in this way , the four mtu wires 74 , 76 , 77 and 78 are firstly introduced in these orifices 86 , 87 88 and 89 , the pusher being lifted . then the pusher 79 is pushed manually towards the i . d . contacts 69 , 71 , 72 and 73 emerging via the openings 81 , 82 , 83 and 84 , in order to cause it to descend therealong and thus insert the four mtu wires 74 , 76 , 77 and 78 in their respective insulation displacement slots 69 a , 71 a , 72 a and 73 a . the manual pusher 79 remains in place , as it presents two elastic arms 90 cooperating at the end of connection with pawls 91 of the cover 68 , ensuring , by their end - of - stroke clicking , a firm positioning of the manual pusher 79 . a snapping sound , resulting from the clicking , informs the wire fitter that the insulation displacement connection is positively made . finally , it is possible to disconnect the wires 74 , 76 , 77 and 78 , simply by lifting this pusher 79 , in order to disengage them from the insulation displacement slots 69 a , 71 a , 72 a and 73 a . being given that the four contacts 32 , 33 , 41 and 42 inside the well 43 are oriented longitudinally with respect to the module , the ends of the four i . d . contacts touching them are also oriented longitudinally with respect to the module and they face the four contacts of the well . on the contrary , being given that the four outlets via the four orifices 86 , 87 , 88 and 89 are oriented transversely with respect to the module and are in line , the ends with insulation displacement slots 69 a , 71 a , 72 a and 73 a of the four i . d . contacts consequently being oriented transversely with respect to the module and being substantially in line , the four i . d . contacts each present intermediate right - angled bevel gears . in a third embodiment ( fig1 ), the known cover 46 is replaced by a cover 92 , allowing both an outlet for connection towards an additional electrical member outside the cover , and additional electrical members inserted inside the cover 92 . the more voluminous hollow body thus receives two ptcrs 93 , 94 inserted in series between the large wire line 3 and the small wire line 2 . for this connection , the two known contacts 47 , 48 have been replaced by four separate specific contacts 96 , 97 , 98 and 99 . they each present a known first curved end , intended to bear against each of the contacts of the well 32 , 33 , 42 and 41 respectively . the shape of these contacts has therefore been adapted , on the one hand , to the geometry of the ptcrs 93 , 94 and , on the other hand , to the outlet for connection towards the outside of the cover . the ptcrs 93 , 94 have been placed longitudinally inside the cover 92 one beside the other and slightly offset in the longitudinal direction , inserted between the plans defined by the contacts of the well . consequently , one of the electrodes 93 b of one of the ptcrs 93 faces an electrode 94 b of the other ptcr 94 , these two electrodes 93 b and 94 b being respectively oriented towards the centre of the cover 92 . likewise , the other of the electrodes 93 a of one of the ptcrs 93 and another electrode 94 a of the other ptcr 94 are oriented in opposite directions to each other and each towards the lateral walls of the cover . the contact 97 , intended to touch the electrode oriented towards the lateral wall 94 a of the ptcr 94 , presents an additional metallic part in the form of a cut - out tongue 97 a , projecting in the direction of the electrode 94 a . in order to be able to touch one of the electrodes of a ptcr , which is oriented towards the centre , the corresponding contact must present the shape of a u , in order to pass around the body of the ptcr , and must not touch the other of the electrodes which is oriented towards the lateral wall of the cover 92 . this contact is fixed to the bottom of the cover by the bottom of the u - shaped part . in this way , the contact 98 , touching the opposite electrode oriented towards the centre 94 b of the same ptcr 94 , presents an additional portion returning towards the centre of the cover and forming the branch of the u 98 a . the same applies to the contact 99 , with an elastic metallic part in the form of cut - out tongue 99 a , shaped to touch the electrode oriented towards the outside 93 a of the second ptcr 93 . and the same applies to contact 96 , with a portion returning towards the centre , and forming the branch of the u 96 a , shaped to touch the other opposite electrode oriented towards the centre 93 b of the second ptcr 93 . the additional electrical member outside the cover 92 is , in this example , an rc module ( not shown ). it is connected in parallel , bridging one of the line strands to the other line strand , to the interconnection module by two sheathed electrical wires ( not shown ). for this connection , two contacts 96 , 97 of the cover 92 among the four in most direct electrical connection with the large wires 3 , also present another end , pointed upwardly , projecting from the cover 92 , of the type incorporating an insulation displacement slot , similar to an i . d . contact , in order to ensure the connection towards the outside of the cover . connection is made by inserting each of the two wires of the rc module respectively in the two insulation displacement slots 96 b and 97 b of each of the two respective i . d . contacts 96 and 97 . the cover 92 of the well 43 comprises a manual insulating pusher 101 for receiving and connecting the two wires of the rc circuit . the cover 92 also comprises in its upper part two openings 102 and 103 through which the ends , with insulation displacement slot , of the two respective i . d . contacts 96 and 97 emerge . the manual insulating pusher 101 comprises two transverse blind orifices 104 , 106 for receiving the two respective wires of the rc circuit . the two wires of the rc circuit are thus firstly introduced in these orifices 104 , 106 , the pusher 101 being lifted . the pusher 101 is then pushed manually towards the i . d . contacts 96 and 97 emerging via openings 102 and 103 , in order to cause it to descend therealong and thus drive the two wires of the rc circuit into their respective insulating displacement slots 96 b , 97 b . the manual pusher 101 remains in place , as it presents two elastic arms 90 cooperating at end of connection with pawls 91 of the cover 92 , ensuring by their end - of - stroke clicking a firm positioning of the manual pusher 101 . a snapping sound resulting from the clicking informs the wire fitter that the insulation displacement connection is positively made . finally , it is possible to disconnect the wires simply by lifting this pusher 101 , in order to disenage them from the insulation displacement slots 96 b , 97 b . being given that the four contacts 32 , 33 , 41 and 42 inside the well 43 are oriented longitudinally with respect to the module , the ends of the four i . d . contacts touching them are also oriented longitudinally with respect to the module , and they face the four contacts of the well . on the contrary , being given that the two outlets via the two orifices 104 and 106 are oriented transversely with respect to the module and are in line , the ends with insulation displacement slots 96 b and 97 b of the two i . d . contacts consequently being oriented transversely with respect to the module and being substantially in line , the two i . d . contacts each present intermediate right - angled bevel gears . in a fourth embodiment ( fig1 ), the known cover 46 is replaced by a cover 107 , allowing both an outlet for connection towards an additional electrical member outside the cover , and additional electrical members inserted inside the cover 107 . the more voluminous hollow body thus receives two ptcrs 108 , 109 inserted in series between the large wire line 3 and the small wire line 2 . for this connection , the two known contacts 47 , 48 have been replaced by four separate specific contacts 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 . they each present a known first curved end intended to bear against each of the contacts of the well , 32 , 33 , 42 , 41 respectively . the shape of these contacts has therefore been adapted , on the one hand , to the geometry of the ptcrs 108 , 109 and , on the other hand , to the outlet for connection towards the outside of the cover . the ptcrs 108 and 109 have been placed inside the cover 107 in manner similar to the first and third embodiments described hereinabove . consequently , the four contacts of the cover 111 , 112 , 113 and 114 present the same shape adapted to the ptcrs as the contacts of the cover of said first and third embodiments . the additional electrical member outside the cover 107 is in this embodiment a module ( not shown ) connected in series on each of the two line strands 2 and 3 by four sheathed electrical wires ( not shown ). the four contacts of the cover 111 , 112 , 113 and 114 likewise each present another end , pointed upwardly , projecting beyond the cover 107 , of the type with insulation displacement slot 111 a , 112 a , 113 a , 114 a similar to an i . d . contact in order to ensure the connection towards the outside of the cover . the insulation displacement slot ends are disposed at right angles with respect to the ends touching the contacts of the well , hence the necessary presence , for each , of the intermediate bevel gear . similarly to the second embodiment previously described , the cover 107 comprises an insulating manual pusher 113 with four transverse blind orifices 114 , 116 , 117 and 118 . in the cover 107 itself there are arranged four openings 119 , 121 , 122 and 123 intended for the passage and outlet of the four ends with insulation displacement slot 111 a , 112 a , 113 a and 114 a respectively . the connection of the four electrical wires of the module is made in a manner equivalent to the processes described in the second and third embodiments mentioned above . in a fifth embodiment ( fig1 to 19 ), the known cover 46 is replaced by a cover 124 , whose hollow body is more voluminous . the interior volume of this cover 124 is intended to receive an additional electrical member inserted in parallel , bridging one of the line strands to the other line strand . the electrical member is in this example a transil diode 126 . the transil is tubular in shape , about 6 mm long and with a diameter of 3 mm . the transil comprises at each end an electrode in the form of an electrical wire 126 a , 126 b . for this connection , the two known contacts 47 , 48 have been replaced by two specific contacts 127 and 128 . they each present a first and a second curved end 127 a and 128 a , which are already known , intended to bear against each of the contacts of the well , 32 , 41 and 33 , 42 respectively . however , the shape of these specific contacts 127 , 128 has been adapted to the geometry of the transil 126 . the transil has been placed on the longitudinal axis , horizontally , inside the cover 124 , inserted between the planes defined by the contacts of the well . consequently , one of the electrodes 126 a of the transil is oriented towards the hinge 58 and the other of the electrodes 126 b of the transil is oriented towards the tab 57 for gripping . one of the contacts 127 , intended to touch the electrode oriented towards the hinge 126 a , presents a protuberance 127 b deployed perpendicularly to the contact , i . e . transversely with respect to the cover 124 , and in the direction of the other contact 128 . in the protuberance 127 b , there is made a downwardly open slot 127 c receiving , by insertion then blocking , the wire of the electrode 126 a of the transil . opposite , the other contact 128 , intended to touch the electrode oriented towards the tab 126 b for gripping , presents a protuberance 128 b , deployed perpendicularly to the contact , i . e . transversely with respect to the cover 124 and in the direction of the first contact 127 . in the protuberance 128 b , there is made a downwardly open slot receiving , by insertion then blockage , the wire of the electrode 126 b of the transil . the connection is therefore made from the contacts 32 , 41 of the well towards the contacts 33 , 42 of the well , via the contact 127 with its protuberance 127 b , the transil 126 , and the contact 128 with its protuberance 128 b . in a sixth embodiment ( fig2 to 23 ), the known cover 46 is replaced by a cover 129 whose hollow body is more voluminous . the interior volume of this cover 129 is intended to receive additional electrical members inserted in parallel , bridging one of the line strands to the other line strand . the electrical members are , in this embodiment , two vdrs . a vdr has the shape of a pellet with a diameter of about 6 mm and 2 . 5 mm thick . a vdr comprises two electrodes , one on each of the opposite round faces . for this connection , the two known contacts 47 , 48 have been replaced by two specific contacts 131 , 132 . they each present a first and a second curved end 131 a , 132 a , which is already known , intended to bear against each of the contacts of the well 32 , 41 and 33 , 42 , respectively . the shape of these specific contacts 131 , 132 has been adapted to the geometry of the vdrs . the two vdrs 133 , 134 have been placed longitudinally inside the cover 129 , one beside the other and edgewise between the planes defined by the contacts of the well . the contact 131 , intended to touch one of the electrodes of the vdr 133 , presents an additional metallic part in the form of a cut - out tongue 131 b projecting in the direction of the electrode . the same applies for the contact 132 intended to touch one of the electrodes of the vdr 134 with the aid of its cut - out tongue 132 b . between the two vdrs 133 , 134 and parallel thereto , an earth contact 136 has been inserted , in the form of a metal plate provided with some points coming into contact with the electrodes of the two vdrs . this earth contact 136 , on the one hand , is fixed in the mass of the cover , and on the other hand , opposite , it comprises a tab 136 a deployed in the well when the cover is closed . the tab 136 a is oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to the plane defined by the plate of the earth contact 136 . when the cover 129 pivots and closes , the tab 136 a descends and touches the earth contact 52 of the well , itself in contact with the median earth electrode 53 of the surge arrester 13 , and in abutment against the metal reception rail 22 of the interconnection device ( cf . fig3 ). the connection is therefore made from the contacts 32 , 41 of the well towards the earth contact 52 of the well , via the contact of the cover 131 with its tongue 131 b , the first vdr 133 , and the central earth contact 136 with its tab 136 a . in the same way , the connection is made from the contacts 33 , 42 of the well towards the earth contact 52 of the well , via the contact of the cover 132 with its tongue 132 b , the second vdr 134 and the central earth contact 136 with its tab 136 a . the present invention is not limited to the embodiments which have just been described and other adaptations of this module and its cover may in particular be envisaged . for example , the additional electrical members inserted in the cover may be of any type , any shape or any dimensions , on condition that the cover can always be opened . they may be connected in series or in parallel . for example , the additional electrical members outside the cover may be connected together in series or in parallel by other means . there may be two or four tuning fork contacts accessible from the outside by a plug - in electrical member , in the same way , for example , as the plug - in module 22 for continuity and protection is connected on an interconnection module in accordance with the document u . s . pat . no . 5 , 515 , 436 , according to fig2 , 3 and 6 thereof . | 8 |
although the present invention is described in terms of a burner for use in connection with a furnace or an industrial furnace , it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the teachings of the present invention also have applicability to other process components such as , for example , boilers . thus , the term furnace herein shall be understood to mean furnaces , boilers and other applicable process components . referring to fig1 - 4 , a burner 10 includes a freestanding burner tube 12 located in a well in a furnace floor 14 . the burner tube 12 includes an upstream end 16 , a downstream end 18 and a venturi portion 19 . a burner tip 20 is located at the downstream end 18 and is surrounded by an annular tile 22 . a gas fuel orifice 11 , which may be located within gas fuel spud 24 , is located at the top end of a gas fuel riser 65 and is located at the upstream end 16 of burner tube 12 and introduces gas fuel into the burner tube 12 . fresh or ambient air is introduced into a primary air chamber 26 through an adjustable damper 37 b to mix with the gas fuel at the upstream end 16 of the burner tube 12 and pass upwardly through the venturi portion 19 . combustion of the fuel and fresh air occurs downstream of the burner tip 20 . as shown in fig1 , 2 and 3 , a plurality of staged air ports 30 originate in a secondary air chamber 32 and pass through the furnace floor 14 into the furnace . fresh or ambient air enters the secondary air chamber 32 through adjustable dampers 34 and passes through the staged air ports 30 into the furnace to provide secondary or staged combustion . in addition to the gas fuel supplied through gas fuel spud 24 and combusted at burner tip 20 , non - gaseous fuel may also be combusted by burner 10 . to provide this capability , one or more non - gaseous fuel guns 200 are positioned within annular tile 22 of burner 10 . suitable sources of non - gaseous fuel include , by way of example , but not of limitation , steamcracker tar , catalytic cracker bottoms , vacuum resids , atmospheric resids , deasphalted oils , resins , coker oils , heavy gas oils , shale oils , tar sands or syncrude derived from tar sands , distillation resids , coal oils , asphaltenes and other heavy petroleum fractions . other fuels which may be of interest include pyrolysis fuel oil ( pfo ), virgin naphthas , cat - naphtha , steam - cracked naphtha , and pentane . referring to fig4 , each non - gaseous fuel gun 200 may be fed by a non - gaseous fuel line 216 , through which non - gaseous fuel flows . a non - gaseous fuel spud 212 having an orifice ( not shown ) is provided to assist in the control of the non - gaseous fuel flow rate . non - gaseous fuel is supplied to each non - gaseous fuel line 216 via a non - gaseous fuel inlet 202 which is preferably located below the floor of the furnace , as shown in fig2 . as will become more apparent , the burner of the present invention may operate using only gaseous fuel or using both gaseous and non - gaseous fuel simultaneously . when operating in a dual fuel ( gaseous / non - gaseous ) mode , the burner may be designed and set so that combustion of the non - gaseous fuel produces from about 0 to about 50 % of the overall burner &# 39 ; s heat release . further , the burner may be designed and set so that combustion of the non - gaseous fuel produces from about 0 to about 37 % of the burner &# 39 ; s heat release . still yet further , the burner may be designed and set so that combustion of the non - gaseous fuel produces from about 0 to about 25 % of the burner &# 39 ; s heat release . when operating in a dual fuel mode wherein combustion of the non - gaseous fuel produces about 50 % of the overall burner &# 39 ; s heat release , it has been found that temperatures at the burner floor may approach levels that are undesirably high . referring again to fig4 , in accordance with a preferred form of the invention , the non - gaseous fuel is atomized upon exit from the one or more non - gaseous fuel guns 200 . a fluid atomizer 220 is provided to atomize the non - gaseous fuel . a fluid , such as steam , enters atomizer line 224 through inlet 222 . the atomizer includes a plurality of pressure jet orifices 226 , through which is provided the atomizing fluid . the atomizer fluid and fuel mix within section 218 and issue through a plurality of orifices 214 . the atomizing fluid and non - gaseous fuel discharge through tip section 210 through at least one fuel discharge orifice 204 . suitable fuel guns of the type depicted may be obtained commercially from callidus technologies , llc , of tulsa , okla ., with other acceptable versions obtainable from other industrial sources . various embodiments of the present invention are possible . in one embodiment , the at least one fuel discharge orifice 204 of non - gaseous fuel discharge tip section 210 may be a single orifice , positioned so as to be parallel with the centerline of the gas flame and the extended centerline of the burner tube 12 . in an alternate embodiment , it is particularly desirable to configure the at least one non - gaseous discharge orifice 204 of the at least one non - gaseous fuel gun 200 so that the non - gaseous fuel is injected parallel to the extended centerline of the burner tube 12 and , optionally , tangential to the gaseous fuel flame prior to combustion . discharging the non - gaseous fuel in close proximity to the high temperature gas flame advantageously permits the non - gaseous fuel to become well vaporized and stabilized by the intense gas - fuel flame located in close proximity to it , permitting stable and efficient non - gaseous - fuel combustion . this will also tend to reduce soot production . as a result , the problems typically associated with incomplete combustion are minimized or even eliminated . referring again to fig3 , air flows through air gaps 230 . the amount of air for the non - gaseous - fueled flame can vary from sub - stoichiometric to super - stoichiometric by changing the air gap 230 around the non - gaseous burner tip and by adjusting the air rate into the burner secondary burner box . each gap 230 between peripheral tile 22 and each non - gaseous fuel gun 200 may advantageously be sized so that the air inflow is controlled so as to prevent incoming air from delaying vaporization of the non - gaseous fuel . as a result , the problems typically associated with incomplete combustion are eliminated . the burner of the present invention may operate using only gas fuel or using both gas and non - gaseous fuel simultaneously . referring again to fig1 through 3 , an optional embodiment of the invention , flue gas recirculation , may also be employed along with the dual fuel implementation . in order to recirculate flue gas from the furnace to the primary air chamber , fgr duct 76 extends from opening 40 , in the floor of the furnace into the primary air chamber 26 . alternatively , multiple passageways ( not shown ) may be used instead of a single passageway . flue gas is drawn through fgr duct 76 by the inspirating effect of gas fuel passing through venturi 19 of burner tube 12 . in this manner , the primary air and flue gas are mixed in primary air chamber 26 , which is prior to the zone of combustion . therefore , the amount of inert material mixed with the fuel is raised , thereby reducing the flame temperature , and as a result , reducing no x emissions . closing or partially closing damper 37 b restricts the amount of fresh air that can be drawn into the primary air chamber 26 and thereby provides the vacuum necessary to draw flue gas from the furnace floor . optionally , mixing may be promoted by providing two or more primary air channels 37 and 38 protruding into the fgr duct 76 . the channels 37 and 38 are conic - section , cylindrical , or squared and a gap between each channel 37 and 38 produces a turbulence zone in the fgr duct 76 where good flue gas / air mixing occurs . the geometry of channels 37 and 38 is designed to promote mixing by increasing air momentum into the fgr duct 76 . the velocity of the air is optimized by reducing the total flow area of the primary air channels 37 and 38 to a level that still permits sufficient primary air to be available for combustion , as those skilled in the art are capable of determining through routine trials . mixing may be further enhanced by providing a plate member 83 at the lower end of the inner wall of the fgr duct 76 . the plate member 83 extends into the primary air chamber 26 . flow eddies are created by flow around the plate of the mixture of flue gas and air . the flow eddies provide further mixing of the flue gas and air . the plate member 83 also makes the fgr duct 76 effectively longer , and a longer fgr duct also promotes better mixing . the improvement in the amount of mixing between the recirculated flue gas and the primary air caused by the channels 37 and 38 and the plate member 83 results in a higher capacity of the bumer to inspirate flue gas recirculation and a more homogeneous mixture inside the venturi portion 19 . higher flue gas recirculation reduces overall flame temperature by providing a heat sink for the energy released from combustion . better mixing in the venturi portion 19 tends to reduce the hot - spots that occur as a result of localized high oxygen regions . unmixed low temperature ambient air . ( primary air ), is introduced through angled channels 37 and 38 , each having a first end comprising an orifice 37 a and 38 a , controlled by damper 37 b , and a second end comprising an orifice which communicates with fgr duct 76 . the ambient air so introduced is mixed directly with the recirculated flue gas in fgr duct 76 . the primary air is drawn through channels 37 and 38 , by the inspirating effect of the gas fuel passing through the fuel orifice , which may be contained within gas spud 24 . the ambient air may be fresh air as discussed above . advantageously , a mixture of from about 20 % to about 80 % flue gas and from about 20 % to about 80 % ambient air should be drawn through fgr duct 76 . it is particularly preferred that a mixture of about 50 % flue gas and about 50 % ambient air be employed . in operation , fuel orifice 11 , which may be located within gas spud 24 , discharges gas fuel into burner tube 12 , where it mixes with primary air , recirculated flue gas or mixtures thereof . the mixture of fuel , recirculated flue - gas and primary air then discharges from burner tip 20 . the mixture in the venturi portion 19 of burner tube 12 is maintained below the fuel - rich flammability limit ; i . e . there is insufficient air in the venturi to support combustion . secondary air is added to provide the remainder of the air required for combustion . the cross - section of fgr duct 76 may be designed so as to be substantially rectangular , typically with its minor dimension ranging from 30 % to 100 % of its major dimension . conveniently , the cross sectional area of fgr duct 76 ranges from about 5 square inches to about 12 square inches / million ( mm ) btu / hr burner capacity and , in a practical embodiment , from 34 square inches to 60 square inches . in this way the fgr duct 76 can accommodate a mass flow rate of at least 100 pounds per hour per mm btu / hr burner capacity , preferably at least 130 pounds per hour per mm btu / hr burner capacity , and still more preferably at least 200 pounds per hour per mm btu / hr burner capacity . moreover , fgr ratios of greater than 10 % and up to 15 % or even up to 20 % can be achieved . with reference to fig1 through 3 , another optional embodiment will be described . a wall 60 is provided to encircle the burner tip 20 mounted on the downstream end 18 of the burner tube 12 to provide a barrier between a base of a flame downstream of the burner tip 20 and both fgr duct 76 in the furnace and one or more air ports 30 . as may be appreciated , by reference to fig3 , each fuel gun 200 will lie within the area encompassed by wall 60 , wall 60 further serving to stabilize each flame . either configuration is capable of providing excellent performance . advantageously , the burner disclosed herein may be operated at about 2 % oxygen in the flue gas ( about 10 to about 12 % excess air ). in addition to the use of flue gas as a diluent , another technique to achieve lower flame temperature through dilution is by the use of steam injection . steam can be injected in the primary air or the secondary air chamber . steam may be injected through one or more steam injection tubes 15 , as shown in fig1 . preferably , steam is injected upstream of the venturi . although the invention has been described with reference to particular means , materials and embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particulars disclosed and extends to all equivalents within the scope of the claims . | 5 |
according to fig1 the bearing comprises an inner ring 2 and an outer ring 3 , provided with flanges 4 and 5 , forming integral parts of the said rings and to which for example the hub of a wheel or the brake - mechanism of a car can be fastened . the bearing 1 comprises , in addition , two rows ( i , ii ) of rolling elements , consisting of balls 6 and 7 , respectively , fastened in running surfaces 8 , 8a and 9 , 9a of the inner ring 2 and outer ring 3 , respectively , the rolling elements are separated from one another in the direction of rotation by a bearing cage 10 . it should be pointed out , that the insertion of rolling elements or balls 6 and 7 , respectively , in such bearings is effected by removing one of the bearing rings eccentrically with regard to one another , thereby providing a sickle - shaped gap , permitting the arrangement of a certain number of balls between the inner and outer ring . thereafter the rings are centered , thereby distributing the balls in the running faces , and by inserting the bearing cage 10 axially between the balls , they will be centered with regard to one another . in this embodiment the balls 6 and 7 are separated in pairs as shown in fig2 and 4 by means of partitions 11 while the balls are also situated in rows i and ii . it is preferable to apply a snap - type bearing cage , the mounting of such bearing cage requiring some effort for fixing the snap - fingers 12 over the rolling elements or balls . it will be evident that the bearing as shown in fig1 will be exposed -- at least during operation -- to considerably changing loads and bending moments , which often are of a different origin than those affecting conventional roller bearings , and which involve the risk that the balls in one of the rows will rotate at a higher rate than those in the other row . fig2 shows a part of a bearing cage according to the invention , made of an amide or acetate or a similar stable synthetic material . the cage 10 comprises an annular part 13 , with fingers or partitions or cage segments 11 extending therefrom , while at the base of each partition two projections or snap - fingers 12 are provided , which face one another . the snap - fingers 12 fit around the balls 7 of row ii , these balls contacting the annular part 13 of the cage 10 . an advantage of such arrangement is that a gap 14 is formed between the balls 6 of row i and the partitions 11 , due to which the balls 6 can rotate at another rate than the balls 7 , and consequently a slight change in the spacing with regard to the balls of the row ii is permitted , without e . g . expelling the bearing cage 10 from the bearing under the effect of frictional and other forces , arising under the influence of speed differences . fig3 represents a bearing cage , whereby the balls 6 of row i are centered by snap - fingers 12 , while the balls 7 of row ii can be freely displaced through a gap 15 between the partition elements 11 , the balls 7 being movable over a moderate distance in the running faces , thereby realizing the same effect as obtained by the bearing cage of fig2 . the advantage of the embodiments shown in fig2 and 3 consists mainly of the relatively simple and rather rigid structure of such type of bearing cages . fig4 represents a part of a bearing cage , which is made of a synthetic amide or acid material as well , mainly of a dark - coloured polyamide - 6 or a glass - fibre reinforced material . however , there is no annular element in this embodiment such as is indicated in fig2 and 3 by 13 ; the bearing cage element or cage member 16 instead comprises legs 17 and 18 , which in no - load condition are parallelly arranged . these legs , forming an integral part of element 19 , also surround a rolling element of ball 7 . the legs 17 - 18 end , in the proximity of ball - row i , in the snap - fingers 12 . the rolling elements 7 of row ii are separated in this embodiment of the invention by a connecting part 19 and by triangular projections or holding means 20 and 21 , at the middle part of the legs 17 and 18 . the rolling elements 6 in row i are essentially separated by the snap - fingers 12 and the legs 17 and 18 . as shown the cage members 16 are joined by junction members 19 , each cage member defining a generally u - shaped recess having walls forming sides and opposite closed and open ends . each recess has breadth in the circumferential direction and depth between said ends in a transverse direction to said breadth . an advantage of this arrangement is that the projections 20 and 21 are spaced from the fingers 12 to such an extent that , upon the bearing being in disassembled state , the balls 6 can be removed freely in axial direction over a given distance . due to such arrangement the cage element 16 , which is not annular and does not form an integral part of a closed cage ring as in fig2 and 3 , can , when under load , be hinged around a rolling element and flexibly be adjusted to the variable loads to which the rolling elements 6 and 7 are exposed . these elements in fact are able to adopt small differences in distance between themselves . this effect can be intensified by the connecting elements 22 arranged in the proximity of the snap - fingers , which interconnect the cage - elements 17 and permit the rotation of the cage - elements relatively to one another around such connecting element serving as a &# 34 ; hinge &# 34 ;- point . in addition , the flexible adjustment of the bearing cage can be ensured in an optimum manner under any load conditions due to the cage element 16 being compressible . in order to promote &# 34 ; the snap - in &# 34 ; of the balls 6 , 7 in the cage elements 16 , the part 19 surrounding the ball 7 is provided with pressure or fitting surfaces 23 , 24 , to which a mounting tool can be applied in order to insert the cage in the bearing . the embodiment , wherein the connecting element 19 of the cage element 16 , together with the triangular projections 20 , 21 , forming a part of the element 19 , surround a half or three - quarter of the periphery of a rolling element , offers the advantage of a safely operating bearing construction . fig5 represents a bearing , comprising a bearing cage according to the invention , consisting of two separate annular cage parts 25 , 26 , each of which separates a row of rolling elements 7 and 6 , respectively . in this embodiment the cage 26 forms a ring with partitions 27 ( see fig6 ), provided with snap - lips 28 , with the aid of which the rolling elements in the cage 26 can be separated . according to the invention the cage 26 is manufactured in split form ( see fig6 ), whereby the split ends 29a and 29b can be fitted together after the assembly of the cage 26 . an advantage of this structure is that the cages are simple to manufacture . such a cage also ensures that the rolling elements can be slightly moved from one another in assembled state , without stressing the cage . contrary to the cage 26 , the cage 25 is made of one piece and is capable of centering the ball row ii . fig6 represents on a slightly enlarged scale and schematically the insertion of the cage 26 in the bearing 1 . for this purpose the cage 26 is provided with the split part 29 a , which is first introduced , upon separating the balls 6 in row i , in axial direction , between the rolling elements 7 and the rings 2 and 3 , respectively , whereafter it is inserted still further , in tangential direction , between the ball rows i and ii . an advantage of this positioning is that the rolling elements or balls 6 are &# 34 ; snapped - in &# 34 ; between the partitions 27 while at the same time being entrained in a rotating movement . the cage 26 is introduced in a manner described as &# 34 ; spirally &# 34 ; between the bearing rings 2 and 3 and the ball rows i and ii . the split ends 29 a and 29 b can be fitted together after a complete rotation by means of a snap - construction . such a cage 26 can also be composed of two or more separable parts , so that the spiral introduction between the rolling elements and the rows i and ii can be carried out in a quick and easy way . according to another embodiment of the invention the split cage 26 can be provided with a weakened link which functions as a kind of a hinge during the insertion of the cage . such arrangement can be advantageous mainly in case of relatively large bearing cages . it should be understood of course , that the invention is not confined to the embodiments of a bearing cage described above . an essential feature of the various embodiments , based on the principle of the invention , is that a cage can adjust itself -- under any operational conditions -- to the changes in position of the rolling elements , essentially in the direction of rotation and mainly in bearings of the indicated type , while permanently being centered by the rolling elements and , on the other hand , ensuring the permanent separation of the said rolling elements . | 5 |
as shown in fig1 a pre - filter 100 for suppressing undesired aliasing in a ccd delay line 17 is located between an input electrical signal line 10 and the ccd . the ccd is driven by a clock pulse train having a clock cycle frequency of 1 / t , corresponding to a clock cycle period of t ( fig2 ), each clock cycle containing typically four pulses as provided by a master clock pulse source ( not shown ). the clock cycle frequency 1 / t is typically 32 khz , so that the ccd can receive for processing just one signal sample every 1 / 32 milliseconds , that is , at a sample input frequency equal to 1 / t . the pre - filter 100 includes a group of four semiconductor weighted metering potential wells 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 , together with a pair of summing wells 15 and 16 . the metering wells 11 and 12 together with the summing well 15 ( and their switching interconnections ) form a first branch a of the pre - filter 100 , whereas the metering wells 13 and 14 together with the summing well 16 ( and their switching interconnections ) form a second branch b for operating in parallel with the first branch a . curves a and b in fig2 indicate the time slots and charge packet weighting factors suitable for sampling the input signal , and for delivering charge packets as input for the ccd 17 from the summing wells 15 and 16 , respectively , to be described presently . all the wells are potential wells advantageously located at the surface of a single crystal silicon semiconductor body , the adjectives &# 34 ; metering &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; summing &# 34 ; being descriptive of the respective functions of the wells relative to the processing of charge packets . the metering wells 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 of the pre - filter device 100 ( fig2 ) are also labelled mwa1 , mwa2 , mwb2 , mwb1 , respectively , for purposes of comparison with the specific pre - filter device 200 shown in fig3 which is described in greater detail below . each input gate switch igx enables charge packet production in the corresponding metering well 11 or 13 during time slots 1 and 7 , whereas each input gate switch igy enables charge packet flow into the corresponding metering well 12 or 14 during time slots 3 and 5 . the metering wells 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 are geometrically substantially identical except that the equal areas of the wells 12 and 13 are both about three times the equal areas of the wells 11 and 14 . thus , for the same applied control voltage to these metering wells , charge packets are formed in the wells 12 and 13 of three times the size as those formed in the wells 11 and 14 . the control voltage for the metering well 11 is supplied by taking a sample of the signal on an input line 10 during each of the time slots 1 and 7 ( fig2 ), as indicated in fig1 by the switch igx ( 1 , 7 ). typically , the duration of each sample time slot is about 3 microseconds , but in any event is smaller than t / 4 . each of the charge packets thereby formed in the metering well 11 is linearly proportional ( within an additive constant ) to the signal sampled at the respective time slots 1 and 7 ; and each of these packets is emptied out of the metering well 11 and thereby transferred into the summing well 15 during the next succeeding time slot 2 or 8 , respectively , as indicated by the input gate switch igz enabling charge flow during time slots 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 on the output ( right hand ) side of the metering well 11 . similarly , the metering well 12 forms charge packets corresponding to the input signal on the signal line 10 sampled during time slots 3 and 5 , and then delivers these charge packets during time slots 4 and 6 , respectively , to the summing well 15 ( also labelled σwa for later comparison with the device shown in fig3 ). thus , during each period p (= 2t ) of eight time slots , this summing well 15 receives and sums together four charge packets representing the four samples , equi - spaced in time , taken of the input signal on line 10 . however , by virtue of the approximately 1 to 3 area ratio of the metering wells 11 and 12 , the charge packets representing signal samples taken at time slots 3 and 5 will both be weighted by a factor of approximately 3 relative to the samples taken at time slots 1 and 7 , as indicated by curve a in fig2 ( the &# 34 ; pulse &# 34 ; heights representing the weighting factors ). at the very end of this period p ( during the next succeeding time slot 1 ), the summing well 15 delivers the resulting weighted sum ( or weighted average ) charge packet to the ccd 17 for transfer and processing therein . this weighted sum charge packet thus has a charge content ( within an additive constant ) which is proportional to the correspondingly weighted sum of the previous four input signal samples . at the same time that the summing well 15 of branch a thus periodically ( with periodicity = p ) delivers the weighted sum charge packet as input for the ccd 17 , another summing well 16 of branch b also periodically delivers a similarly weighted sum charge packet but at times alternatingly with those of the summing well 15 . this relative timing is indicated by curves a and b of fig2 . the summing well 16 is also labelled σwb for purposes of comparison with the pre - filter device 200 shown in fig3 . more specifically , metering wells 13 and 14 develop charge packets proportional to the samples taken of the input signal at time slots ( 7 , 1 ) and ( 5 , 3 ), respectively , with a relative weighting factor of approximately 3 to 1 . the charge packet developed in the metering well 13 corresponding to the sample taken at time slot 7 is delivered to the summing well 16 during time slot 8 , whereas the charge packet developed in this metering well 13 corresponding to the sample of time slot 1 is delivered to the summing well 16 during time slot 2 . similarly , the charge packet developed in the metering well 14 corresponding to the sample taken at time slot 5 is delivered to the summing well 16 during time slot 6 , whereas the charge packet developed in this metering well 14 corresponding to the sample taken at time slot 3 is delivered to the summing well 16 during time slot 4 . the weighted sum charge packet thus developed in the summing well 16 is delivered to the ccd 17 during the time slot 5 . this sequence of signal sampling , charge packet weighting , and charge packet delivery to the ccd is indicated by curve b in fig2 . thus , the pre - filter 100 delivers a charge packet from a or b to the ccd 17 at a combined rate equal to 1 / t , that is , the clock rate of the ccd itself as is desired in a ccd . it may be noted that the indicated closures of both of the switches igz , indicating transfer of charge packets from the metering wells and to the summing wells , during time slots 2 and 6 are superfluous ; so that , instead of the set of switch igz closures during slots ( 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ), closures of igz during slots 4 and 8 would also be sufficient . in the specific embodiment described , a sequence of electrical pulses for charge transfer during slots ( 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ) was more readily electrically available than the sequence ( 4 , 8 ), and thus the sequence ( 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ) was chosen for this embodiment . fig3 shows a top view of one form of a semiconductor pre - filter device useful for carrying out the charge packet processing previously described in conjunction with fig1 and 2 . a monocrystalline silicon semiconductor substrate 20 , typically of p type conductivity , supports a ccd 70 and a pre - filter device 200 . this ccd 70 serves the same function as the ccd 17 of fig1 and is of the split - electrode transversal filter configuration by way of illustration only . an n + diffused region 61 ( diffused regions indicated by stippling in fig3 ) serves as the charge sink for the charge packets after their transfer through the ccd , as known in the art . an n + diffused region 21 serves as an input diode region for producing charge packets , as explained in greater detail below . there are three levels of &# 34 ; metallization &# 34 ; in the device shown in fig3 . the first level ( closest approach of typically about 80 angstroms to the top surface of the semiconductor ) of metallization includes electrodes 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 ,. . . 42 , 44 . . . 52 . the second level of metallization ( closest approach of typically about 900 angstrom ) includes electrodes 27 , 29 , 31 , 33 , 35 . . . 41 , 43 ,. . . 51 , 53 . the third level of metallization ( closest approach of typically about 10 , 000 angstrom ) includes interconnection busses 22 , 23 , 24 , and 25 . typically , the first and second levels of metallization are made of electrically conductive polycrystalline silicon ( with next neighboring electrodes overlapping , but not shown for purpose of clarity in the drawing ); whereas the third level of metallization is made of metal , typically of aluminum . all electrodes are insulated from the top surface of the semiconductor and from one another by an insulating layer , typically silicon dioxide , as known in the art . as indicated by the dotted lines , the top surface of the semiconductor is coated with thin oxide in the region between the dotted line 81 and the dotted lines 82 , 83 , 84 , and with thick oxide elsewhere . thus , thick oxide is present within the closed regions formed by the contours of the dotted lines 82 , 83 , and 84 ; therefore , as known in the art , the surface potentials in these thick oxide regions present a barrier to charge carriers and prevent charge packet transfers through these regions . accordingly , there are four thin oxide regions underneath the electrode 30 , each separated from its neighbor ( s ) by a thick oxide region ( s ); and these four thin oxide regions under electrode 30 serve as weighted metering wells ( mwa1 , mwa2 , mwb2 , mwb1 ) for the pre - filter 200 corresponding to the metering wells 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 of the pre - filter 100 ( fig1 ). it should be noted that there is ordinarily present a diffused n + region in all thin oxide regions that are not covered by polysilicon , such as between each of the two electrodes 44 ( se + and se -) forming a split electrode configuration , produced by virtue of the diffusion step for n + diffused regions 21 and 61 , but this does not materially affect the operation . the electrodes 27 are four in number ; each is l - shaped and is contacted by the interconnection bus 22 through a different contact window in the oxide , each as indicated by a cross x mark in fig3 . these electrodes 27 are maintained at a constant potential vdd , typically about 12 volt , to shield the input diode from pulses of igx and igy . the electrodes 28 are also four in number ; each is l - shaped ; two of them are contacted by the bus 24 and two of them by the bus 25 , through different contact windows in the oxide . these electrodes 28 are controlled by voltage pulses supplied through buses 24 and 25 , in order to enable charge packet transfer across the underlying semiconductor regions during time slots ( 1 , 7 ) or ( 3 , 5 ) as the case may be , these time slots being determined with reference to the corresponding slots for switches ( 1 , 7 ) or ( 3 , 5 ), respectively , in the device 100 of fig1 as previously described . in order to describe the operation of the prefilter device 200 in conjunction with the ccd 70 in fig3 it is convenient to refer to the applied voltage sequences shown in fig4 and the sequence of charge packet transfers along a typical path through the devices 200 and 70 is shown in fig5 ( taken at times t 8a , t 8b , t 1 , t 2 , and t 3 indicated in the &# 34 ; clock &# 34 ; sequence of fig4 ). a table of typical approximate applied voltages is given by ( substrate 20 being considered as at 0 volt ): the 13 volt upper limit of p1 relative to the 17 volt limit of p2 is selected for preventing backward transfer of signal charge to the diffused (&# 34 ; diode &# 34 ;) region in the semiconductor underneath the split in the split electrode 44 . in any event , the voltages are adjusted so that when the signal sample from the input signal line is zero , then the charge packet metered out by the corresponding metering well is ( at least approximately ) one - half a &# 34 ; full bucket &# 34 ; of charge ( i . e ., midway between a &# 34 ; fat zero &# 34 ; charge packet and a maximum possible charge packet that can be metered out ). it should be understood that during operation , the shield gate ( sg ) electrodes serve as electrical shields ; for example , electrode 43 serves to shield the split sense electrode 44 ( se +, se -) from stray fields of the p2 voltage on electrode 42 . as indicated by curve t 1 in fig5 the voltage on the input diode ( id ) region 81 controls the level of charge underneath electrodes 22 , 24 , 29 , and 30 ( vdd , igx , sg , and me ) at t 1 . this input diode voltage is obtained from the input signal line ( such as by suitable sample and hold techniques ). as indicated by curve t 2 in fig5 the charges in the input diode are suddenly presented with a potential barrier due to termination of the pulse on igx , thereby isolating the surface charges underneath the metering electrodes 30 ( me ) and in the small diode region in the gap of sg from the input diode . subsequently , these charges are transferred to the summing well σma ( controlled by voltage σa ) underneath the electrode 32 . the transfer to this summing well thus occurs at t 2 because of the pulse of igz on electrode 31 at that time ( similar to operation during an earlier transfer at t 8a ). charge transfer from the summing well σwa into the first stage of the ccd 70 under electrode 34 occurs as indicated in the transactions from curve t 8a to curve t 1 in fig5 as controlled by the voltage da on electrode 33 . it should be understood that , subsequent to t 3 ( and until t 8 ), further charge packets will be formed in accordance with the signal applied to the input diode ( id ) and will be transferred by virtue of igx and igy into the various weighted metering wells mwa1 , mwa2 , mwb1 , mwb2 and thence into the summing wells controlled by σa or σb , and finally into the first stage of the ccd 70 as controlled by da or db . fig6 shows the predicted results of prefiltering using various rates and types of sampling of an input signal , followed by integrating the sample . in curve a of fig6 the sampling rate is infinite , that is , infinitely many samples are taken per unit time ; while the integrating time interval p 1 ( summing or averaging period ) is just one full clock period t of the ccd , that is , the pre - filter averages the input signal over just one full ccd clock cycle period t . the resulting frequency pass response of the pre - filter , that is , relative pre - filter pass characteristic vs . frequency , is of the form sin ( πft )/ πft . curve b in fig6 shows the resulting pass characteristic for the case of just two individual ( equi - spaced in time ) samples taken per clock period t and summed together over said t , each sample being taken during a very narrow time slot ( δ - function ) compared with t . thus the sampling rate s = 2 / t , and the averaging interval p 1 = t , for this curve b . similarly , curve c in fig6 shows the resulting characteristic for just four such samples per clock period t , i . e ., s = 4 / t , again with p 1 = t . curves a , b , and c indicate poor anti - aliasing pre - filter characteristics : specifically , the &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; in the frequency response at f / f clock = ft = 1 is a &# 34 ; first order zero &# 34 ;; so that , in the important frequency neighborhood of f = f clock , the characteristic response undesirably deviates linearly from zero as f varies away from f clock . this characteristic gives rise to a correspondingly undesirably large amount of pass characteristic of the pre - filter in the neighborhood of f = f clock . curve d in fig6 shows the effect of increasing the averaging period p , which is here extended to p = 2t with infinite sampling rate ( s =∞); whereas curves e and f show the frequency response with s = 2 / t and s = 4 / t , respectively ( i . e ., 4 samples and 8 samples , respectively over each summing interval p = 2t ). these curves d , e , and f all use equal weights for all samples , and all these curves likewise are characterized by an undesirable linear deviation of response from zero for frequencies in the neighborhood of f = f clock . thus , curves d , e , and f show that the corresponding pre - filters are all characterized by poor anti - aliasing properties in this important frequency region . however , by assigning relative weights 1 , 3 , 3 , 1 ( normalized weights = 1 / 8 , 3 / 8 , 3 / 8 , 1 / 8 ) to the four samples taken at rate s = 2 / t over each averaging period p = 2t and integrating together the thus weighted samples , the frequency stopband characteristic , and hence the desired anti - aliasing effect , is markedly improved ( by virtue of a higher order &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ;, a triple zero ) as shown in curve g of fig6 . thus , curve g shows the improved anti - aliasing results for the above - described specific embodiment . curve h in fig6 shows the response for the similar case as curve g except that &# 34 ; optimal &# 34 ; weights 0 . 115 , 0 . 328 , 0 . 328 , 0 . 115 are used in obtaining curve h , these weights being calculated from the remez algorithm , to minimize the maximum possible errors in the passband and in the stopband . see , for examples of this remez algorithm : j . h . mcclellan et al ., &# 34 ; a computer program for designating optimum fir linear phase digital filters &# 34 ;, ieee transactions on audio and electroacoustics , vol . au - 21 , pp . 506 - 526 ( 1973 ). even using these optimally weighted samples , it is still important to use an averaging interval p = 2t ( or more ) rather than p 1 = t . this is seen in part from curve t which , although using four optimally weighted samples , is characterized by poor anti - aliasing because it uses an averaging interval p 1 = t ; and from curve j , which uses an averaging interval p = 2t with eight optimally weighted samples and is characterized by a good anti - aliasing property . the resulting maximum signal amplitude errors over the stophand 28 to 36 khz and passband 0 to 4 khz for curves g , h , i , and j , respectively , are 5 . 3 %, 2 . 7 %, 12 . 4 %, and 2 . 3 %. it is thus evident that the extension of the averaging interval to 2t is more important than increasing the sampling rate to s = 4 / t or than using optimally weighted samples ( 0 . 115 , 0 . 328 , 0 . 328 , 0 . 115 ) rather than non - optimally weighted samples ( 1 , 3 , 3 , 1 ). fig7 shows a pre - filter device 700 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention . in the pre - filter device 700 , only three metering wells 701 , 702 , and 703 ( weighted in area : 1 , 3 , 1 ) are reqired for the same prefilter characteristics as the four metering wells of the pre - filter device 100 ( fig1 ). again , s = 2 / t and p = 2t . the resulting economy of space of the device 700 on the semiconductor chip is made possible by using the middle metering well 702 as a source of charge packets for both summing wells σwa and σwb alternatingly in time , in accordance with the sequence of closures of the switches indicated by the number ( s ) in the parentheses adjacent to the respective switches in fig7 . fig8 shows a pre - filter device 800 in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention . in the pre - filter device 800 , the sampling rate s = 4 / t , that is , twice the sampling rate 2 / t of the pre - filter devices 100 ( fig1 ) and 700 ( fig7 ); and the averaging period p = 2t , just as in the devices 100 ( fig1 ) and 700 ( fig7 ). this higher sampling rate s = 4 / t is made possible by the use of six metering wells in each of two branches . branch a contains metering wells 801 , 802 , 803 , 804 , 805 , and 806 ( weighted in area : 2 . 34 , 2 . 34 , 1 . 64 , 0 . 97 , 0 . 15 , 0 . 15 ); branch b contains metering wells 807 , 808 , 809 , 810 , 811 and 812 ( similarly weighted ). in this way , as seen from curve j in fig6 ( as contrasted with curves g and h ), the pre - filter device 800 also suppresses aliasing centered frequency f = 2f clock , which is a desirable feature in that it relaxes the requirements on any rc filter ( or other type of additional low pass filter ) which would still be required to suppress any aliasing caused by frequencies in the neighborhood centered at f = 4f clock ( and still higher aliasing frequencies : still higher integral multiples of 4 f clock ). by contrast , the aliasing centered at f = 2 f clock ( and integral multiples of 2 f clock ) would have to be suppressed by a somewhat more costly additional rc type filter ( or other additional low pass filter ), in case such undesired signals in the neighborhood 2 f clock ( and integral multiples thereof ) are present on the input signal line . thus , for the case of f clock = khz , aliasing in the frequency range of 60 to 68khz will be suppressed by the device 800 , so that the additional rc type filter need only suppress frequencies above 124 khz (= 128khz - 4khz ). fig9 shows another specific embodiment of the invention . here a prefilter device 900 is characterized by a sampling rate of s = 2 / t and period p = 2t , and is similar to the above described pre - filter devices 100 and 700 , except that further economy of space is achieved by using only two metering wells 901 and 902 ( weighted areas : 1 , 3 ) each alternatively feeding summing wells σwa and σwb . however , crossover type of switching interconnections are required in this pre - filter device 900 , so that it is more adapted for use in conjunction with discrete electrical capacitor storage elements with suitably timed switches rather than in conjunction with devices using semiconductor charge packets . the use of such discrete capacitor storage elements is disclosed in a copending patent application ser . no . 588 , 012 filed by r . l . carbrey ( case 52 ) on june 18 , 1975 . although the invention has been described in detail in terms of a specific embodiment , various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , more than two parallel branches than just a and b described above can be used in conjunction with suitable multiple interleaving in time of the output of the multiple branches into the ccd . moreover , instead of the semiconductor pre - filter in conjunction with a ccd transversal filter , other types of charge transfer device filters and delay lines , as well as other more general types , of delay lines can be used which utilize sampled data inputs to the delay line . for example , instead of the conversion of signal samples into charge packets in the semiconductor pre - filters 100 , 700 , and 800 as described above , the apparatus including a multiplicity of capacitor storage elements as described in the aforementioned copending patent application ser . no . 588 , 012 ( robert l . carbrey - 52 ) can be used in conjunction with corresponding modifications in the relative sizes of capacitors , that is , the capacitors being proportional to the weighting factors described above . as an alternative to using the different areas for the different metering wells for the purpose of obtaining prescribed weighting factors , other geometrical parameters can also be made different in the metering wells such as distance of metering electrode to semiconductor surface . the use of two parallel branches a and b ( two summing wells ) instead of just one branch ( one summing well ) in a single branch in the case of p = 2t enables use of the full data handling capacity of the ccd ; however , the anti - aliasing effect can still be achieved with only one branch , but at the sacrifice of the data handling rate of the ccd , and hence at some sacrifice of the desired ccd lowpass filtering characteristics . thus the use of more than one branch is desirable . | 6 |
the present embodiment features a steerable , parallel plate antenna shown in fig1 and 2 . antenna 100 includes a pair of substantially parallel conductive plates 104 and 106 separated by a dielectric medium 102 . antenna 100 is nominally circular in shape and receives radio frequency ( rf ) energy through a central feed 114 . the directionality or steering of the antenna 100 is controlled through a multiplicity of switching means located between the two conductive plates 104 and 106 . these switching means are located along the pattern of openings or ports 108 , 110 shown in the upper plate 104 . activation of selected groups of switch means creates conductive barriers 118 within the dielectric medium 102 , which confines rf energy between the barriers to and from the feed 114 . in one embodiment the switching means are formed by using a dielectric semiconductor for the dielectric medium 102 and by coupling photonic energy into the semiconductor dielectric medium 102 through the openings 108 , 110 . this photonic energy causes the creation of conductive barriers 118 between the upper and lower parallel plates 104 , 106 , which conductive barriers 118 cause the channeling and reflection of rf energy located within the dielectric medium 102 . in one embodiment , a cylindrical section of semiconductor wafer forms dielectric medium 102 . semiconductor materials found satisfactory for this application are typically monolithic intrinsic silicon , gallium arsenide , indium phosphide , etc . high resistivity silicon (˜ 5000 ohm - cm ) is preferred with minority carrier lifetimes on the order of one millisecond . by doping the silicon , the lifetime can be shortened , thereby allowing for faster switching but with more signal loss in the substrate . a range of other materials are known to those skilled in the semiconductor arts which are suitable for use in this application . the thickness of dielectric medium 102 is approximately one - fourth of the wavelength of the signal at which the antenna 100 is intended to operate . this thickness may also be used to adjust the impedance of the dielectric material to help match the impedance of feed 114 with the impedance of the transmission medium surrounding antenna 100 ( typically air ). as long as this distance remains less than one half of the wavelength for the intended functional bandwidth of the antenna 100 , proper operation of antenna 100 will be enabled . although the plates 104 , 106 are shown as parallel some variation in their separation may occur in radial directions from the feed 114 , to further gradually adjust the impedance of dielectric medium 102 and better match it to the surrounding transmission medium . additional impedance matching material may also be used around antenna 100 depending upon the dielectric medium 102 and the surrounding transmission medium . impedance matching is helpful in reducing reflection of rf energy back into a transmitting antenna and / or signal loss for received signals . conductive plates 104 , 106 may take the form of thin metallized layers on the top and bottom surfaces of a semiconductor dielectric medium 102 . plates 104 , 106 may be vacuum deposited , sputtered , plated or produced using any other method or technology known to those skilled in the semiconductor arts . a pattern of holes or optical ports 108 , 110 is etched in top metallized plate 104 , exposing the dielectric medium 102 . these ports 108 , 110 are typically etched , but may also be formed in any manner known to those skilled in the semiconductor manufacturing arts . the surface of the exposed semiconductor is then passivated to maintain the lifetime of the material in the vicinity of the opening . to complement conductive plates 104 , 106 the pattern , spacing , size and shape of the optical ports 108 , 110 define the remaining antenna reflectors and some of the antenna &# 39 ; s electrical characteristics . conductive plate 104 shows the optical ports 108 , 110 arranged in a patter defining an antenna shape which may be pointed in different directions . the ports 108 , 110 include an inner circle 109 of ports and a multiplicity of radial spokes 111 . the basic antenna pattern produced by this embodiment is a pillbox with a round reflector , formed by most of inner circle 109 , located around most of the feed 114 and a horn , formed by two adjacent radial spokes , extending from an open , or inactivated portion of the inner circle 109 . this shape is exemplified by the unshaded ports 108 , of which all but one of the ports in the inner circle would be illuminated and only two of the radial spokes would be illuminated . spacing or location of ports 108 , 110 is dependent upon the intended frequency of operation for the antenna 100 . as shown in fig2 the conductive barriers 118 take the form of conductive columns and do not necessarily form a complete conductive wall across the plates 104 , 106 between adjacent ports 108 , 110 . this limited application of photonic energy helps to save power consumption in the operation of antenna 100 but does not affect the performance of the antenna . so long as adjacent openings 108 , 110 are located within one - half of a wavelength , the resulting conductive columns will be effective in forming the desired waveguide for rf energy . preferably , openings 108 , 110 are located approximately one - quarter wavelength apart at the intended frequency of operation for the antenna 100 . although each of the ports 108 , 110 is representationally shown as a equal diameter circle , the shape and size of openings 108 , 110 may be varied between different openings to further enhance performance of the antenna 100 . for example , openings located along the radial spokes 111 of the pattern may have varying sizes or shapes to further enhance impedance matching over the radial extent of the medium 102 . for this purpose , openings further away from the central feed 114 along the spokes may be made smaller . note that ports 108 , 110 are substantially identical , but have been shown in a contrasting manner for purposes of a functional example described below : spots 108 representing photonically - illuminated spots and spots 110 representing non - illuminated spots . as mentioned , photonic energy is controllably provided to the openings or ports 108 , 110 in order to activate excess minority conductors within the semiconductor dielectric medium 102 and thereby form conductive barriers 118 within the semiconductor medium between the parallel plates 104 , 106 . this photonic energy may be delivered to the medium 102 by any suitable means . in one embodiment , the energy is delivered by optical fibers 112 to individual holes for openings 108 , 110 from an optical source . alternatively , individual laser diodes 113 may be located over each port 108 , 110 . any other suitable delivery medium for photonic energy may also be applied to the present antenna 100 . further , leds might also be formed directly in the semiconductor dielectric medium 102 and receive activation energy through ports 108 , 110 . in one embodiment , optical fibers 112 are attached to the exposed silicon 102 at all ports 108 , 110 . activating light , typically laser illumination , may be supplied at a distal end on optical fibers 112 and conducted to dielectric medium 102 at etched ports 108 , 110 . laser light in approximately the 1 μm wavelength range has been found satisfactory . the activating light source can be light emitting diodes ( leds ) or laser diodes . between 10 mw and 25 mw of optical power is required to activate the conductive regions . the radio frequency ( rf ) signal feed 114 is disposed at or near the center of dielectric medium 102 . the shape and dimensions of signal feed 114 are dependent upon the impedances of the signal feed and the antenna 100 and may typically take the form of a probe , as shown , or a slot radiator , although any suitable element may be used . in operation , antenna 100 has a signal of a predetermined radio frequency applied to feed 114 . selective illumination of ports 108 causes the semiconductor dielectric medium ( fig2 ) beneath ports 108 to become conductive and form conductive barriers 118 between the plates 104 , 106 . conductive barriers 118 are reflective of rf energy so that barriers formed within the inner circle 109 of ports reflect rf energy to and from feed 114 while barriers 118 formed along spokes 111 of the pattern couple rf energy to and from the center circle . the predetermined directionality of the antenna 100 is dependent upon the spots 110 selected for illumination . by choosing different spots 110 for illumination , the directionality of antenna 100 may be changed . moreover , by rapidly changing the selected spots 110 , antenna 100 may be easily redirected or even continuously swept . the speed of switching is limited by the minority carrier lifetime within the bulk material . for silicon , this is about 100 - 1000 microseconds . while a transmission operation has been described for purposes of disclosure , the inventive antenna 100 is equally suited for use as a directional receiving antenna . because the radiation pattern from antenna 100 is from the edge of silicon disk 102 at a region between illuminated spots 108 , two or more antennas 100 may be stacked for simultaneous transmission and reception ( full - duplex communications ) or for transmission and / or reception at multiple frequencies . referring now to fig3 there is shown a schematic representation of such an arrangement , generally at reference number 300 . a pair of the inventive antennas 100 is supported on a central support 302 . fiber optic waveguides or strands 112 connect antennas 100 and a transmitter / receiver / controller 304 and the upper and lower antennas 100 , respectively . support 302 could be configured to have a pedestal ( not shown ), a clamp ( not shown ), or even a pointed arrow 310 in which the antenna could be deployed in difficult to reach areas by a projectile launcher or even by dropping . in alternate embodiments , more than two elements could be stacked to provide full duplex operation . this arrangement , however , would require a very complex central probe feed because one element is used for receive and the other for transmit . the probe would have to be that of a pipe within a pipe with the wider pipe penetrating only the first layer , and the next inside coax extending to the next level in the stack , etc . isolation between the two antennas is important to minimize noise . another embodiment is an array . the feed probe just becomes a serial probe or wire with a connector below and above the wafer . the top connects to the bottom of the stacked element through an appropriate delay line . in yet another embodiment as a transmitting antenna , the antenna could be fed by an active device such as an impatt diode resonator at the center of the antenna , instead of a probe . this would require that only a modulation signal and power be brought to the antenna . since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art , the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure , and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention . having thus described the invention , what is desired to be protected by letters patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims . | 7 |
as discussed summarily above in this disclosure , this application is directed to a pdm testing apparatus using a rotor / stator test coupon that is a partial length of one stage of a power section . a stage of a power section is defined by the minimum length to seal a single helical progressing cavity . the relationship describing the helical length of a single progressing cavity is based on the rotor to stator lobe count ratio and can be expressed as : stator pitch length is a pdm design parameter chosen to give the desired volumetric fluid flow ratio for the selected rotor / stator configuration . fig1 - a through 1 - j depict the mechanics of a conventional progressing cavity power section , as is well known in the prior art . such progressing cavity power sections are also well known as “ moineau ” devices . fig1 - a through 1 - j depict the operation of such a conventional power section 100 in a series of freeze - frame cutaway section views of the power section in operation . the series of freeze - frame views depicted in fig1 - a through 1 - j are in sequence . parts and other features of conventional power section 100 are identified by reference number or letter , as described in detail further below . where the same reference number or letter is used in fig1 - b through 1 - j , the same part or feature of power section 100 is being identified on that figure as depicted on fig1 - a . in this way , reference numbers and letters on fig1 - b through 1 - j can be omitted for clarity on some views while still allowing the reader to understand the subject matter depicted on fig1 - b through 1 - j . as noted , power section 100 as depicted in fig1 - a through 1 - j is conventional . such power sections are designed using intermeshing continuous helical pathways that provide , in cross section , cooperating lobed gear profiles that intermesh with one another in an “ n ” and “ n + 1 ” combination . typically the inner rotor has n lobes and the outer stator gear has n + 1 lobes . referring to fig1 a , rotor 120 is depicted with 6 lobes , and stator 110 has 7 lobes , although these values are purely by way of example . as will be seen generally from fig1 a through 1 - j viewed in sequence , the precise cross - sectional profiles of these these - gear - within - a - gear devices are normally described by hypocycloid geometry created by rolling circle techniques . the resulting gear devices are helically swept over the axial lengths of the rotor and stator . the intermeshing along the axial length creates progressing cavities on a helical pathway between the rotor and stator , identified in cross - section on fig1 a as pc , through which a flow of fluid drives rotor 120 around the inner periphery of stator 110 . the hypocycloid geometry of the intermeshed lobes on rotor 120 and stator 110 thus compels that in conventional pdm power sections such as power section 100 on fig1 - a , rotor 120 orbits within stator 110 at a known eccentricity from a central longitudinal axis . this eccentricity is a derived relationship and is related to the curvature and lobe heights generated from the mathematical expressions defining hypocycloid and true rolling motion used in the rotor and stator geometries . review of fig1 - a through 1 - j in sequence illustrate this conventional eccentricity in more detail . referring first to fig1 - a , stator 110 includes rotational marker 112 and point marker 113 . rotational marker 112 sets a fixed point on the outer periphery of stator 110 , and point marker 113 sets a fixed point on the inner periphery of stator 110 ( adjacent reference point “ s 1 ” on stator 110 ). it will be seen that the location of markers 112 and 113 on subsequent views in fig1 - b through 1 - j does not change , indicating that stator 110 is stationary throughout the operation of conventional power section 100 depicted by fig1 - a through 1 - j . with further reference to fig1 - a , rotor 120 includes fixed reference point “ r 1 ” on the outer periphery of one of its lobes . fig1 - a also shows progressing cavity ( pc ) position marker 130 , on which pc marker line 132 indicates the position of the approximate most open point of progressing cavity pc . pc position marker 130 rotates in synch with progressing cavity pc around a central longitudinal axis through stator 110 . pc position marker 130 thus also serves to illustrate and highlight the eccentric rotation of rotor 120 within stator 110 . it will be seen on fig1 - a that that pc position marker 130 is offset from a central longitudinal axis through rotor 120 . referring now to fig1 - b , a flow of drilling fluid ( not illustrated ) has displaced rotor 120 within stator 110 such that progressing cavity pc has rotated approximately 90 degrees clockwise within stator 110 from the corresponding progressing cavity position depicted on fig1 - a . this rotation of progressing cavity pc is illustrated by the new position of pc marker line 132 on fig1 - b , as well as a new general position on fig1 - b of progressing cavity pc . fig1 - b also shows that in response to clockwise movement of pc , rotor 120 has rotated counterclockwise as shown by the new position of rotor reference point r 1 . fig1 - b illustrates the clockwise movement of progressing cavity pc by arrow r pc , and the responsive counterclockwise movement of rotor 120 by arrow rr . fig1 - c illustrates that the flow of drilling fluid has displaced rotor 120 within stator 110 such that progressing cavity pc has rotated approximately a further 90 degrees clockwise within stator 110 from the corresponding progressing cavity position depicted on fig1 - b . the relative movement of components within stator 110 can be seen from the new positions of progressing cavity pc , pc marker line 132 , and rotor reference point r 1 on fig1 - c , as compared to their corresponding positions on fig1 - a and 1 - b . fig1 - d and 1 - e each show a further rotation of approximately 90 degrees clockwise of progressing cavity pc over the previously illustrated positions . again , the relative movement of components within stator 110 can be seen from the new positions of progressing cavity pc , pc marker line 132 , and rotor reference point r 1 on each advancing view on fig1 - a through 1 - e . it will be appreciated that on fig1 - e , progressing cavity pc has made one complete revolution of stator 110 over the starting position on fig1 - a . fig1 - f through 1 - j illustrate the counterclockwise rotation of rotor 120 within stator 110 responsive to subsequent full revolutions clockwise of progressing cavity pc . in each of fig1 - a , and then 1 - f through 1 - j , progressing cavity pc has made one further full clockwise revolution over the previously illustrated view . when fig1 - a , and then 1 - f through 1 - j are viewed in sequence , the new position of rotor reference point r 1 can be seen in response to one additional revolution of progressing cavity pc . it will be appreciated that in fig1 - j , progressing cavity pc has made 6 clockwise revolutions of stator 110 over the view depicted in fig1 - a , during which time rotor reference point r 1 has made one counterclockwise revolution , indicating that the eccentricity of rotor 120 within stator 110 is in the same state in fig1 - j as it was initially in fig1 - a . as noted throughout the disclosure immediately above , fig1 - a through 1 - j illustrate movement of components within a conventional power section 100 . fig2 - a through 2 - j depict movement of corresponding components within the disclosed new test apparatus 200 . as with fig1 - a through 1 - j , fig2 - a through 2 - j depict such movement within test apparatus 200 in a series of freeze - frame cutaway section views of the test apparatus in operation . the series of freeze - frame views depicted in fig2 - a through 2 - j are in sequence . similar to conventional power section 100 depicted in fig1 - a through 1 - j , test apparatus 200 in fig2 - a through 2 - j provides a rotor 220 with 6 lobes operating inside a stator 210 with 7 lobes . where the same reference number or letter is used in fig2 - a through 2 - j , the same part or feature of test apparatus 200 is being identified . in this way , reference numbers and letters on fig2 - a through 2 - j can be omitted for clarity on some views while still allowing the reader to understand the subject matter depicted on fig2 - a through 2 - j . the “ summary ” section describes above how the disclosed test apparatus 200 tests less than one full length of a full downhole pdm power section stage , and thus necessarily cannot provide a series of full progressing cavities ( one full stage of a power section being defined by the minimum length to seal a single helical progressing cavity , see above ). test apparatus 200 thus cannot be sealed to operate conventionally with moving drilling fluid driving a rotor in a stationary stator ( as illustrated and described above with reference to fig1 - a through 1 - j ). test apparatus 200 thus does not provide progressing cavities as illustrated as pc on fig1 - a through 1 - j . in contrast , as illustrated on fig2 - a though 2 - j , test apparatus 200 provides progressing gaps pg on helical pathways formed between rotor 220 and stator 210 when rotor 220 and stator 210 are differentially rotated . progressing gaps pg on fig2 - a though 2 - j are necessarily only a partial section of corresponding progressing cavities pc found on a full pdm power stage , as illustrated on fig1 - a through 1 - j . in operation , currently preferred embodiments of test apparatus 200 on fig2 - a through 2 - j provide an external motor ( not illustrated on fig2 - a through 2 - j ) to rotate rotor 220 while submersed in test fluid / drilling fluid inside stator 210 . as rotor 220 rotates , it actuates corresponding rotation of stator 210 via contact between rotor 220 and stator 210 . an external brake mechanism ( again not illustrated on fig2 - a through 2 - j ) is then activated to apply braking torque to intentionally slow the rotation of stator 210 against the powered rotation of rotor 220 . applied braking torque can be finely controlled . in this way , a controlled stress field can be intentionally introduced on the components inside test apparatus 200 that approximate closely in kind , location , and strength the operational stresses experienced inside conventional power section 100 on fig1 - a through 1 - j when drilling fluid is pumped through progressing cavity pc to rotate rotor 120 within stationary stator 110 . looking at fig2 - a through 2 - j in more detail , fig2 - a illustrates test apparatus 200 with the following parts and features , many of which are counterparts to the corresponding parts and features described above with respect to fig1 - a through 1 - j : stator 210 stator rotational marker 212 stator point marker 213 stator reference point s 1 rotor 220 rotor reference point r 1 progressing gap pg along the axial length of rotor 220 and stator 210 , on a helical pathway formed between rotor 220 and stator 210 when rotor 220 and stator 210 are differentially rotated . additionally , fig2 - a illustrates rotor rotation marker line 222 , which , along with rotor reference point r 1 , indicates rotation of rotor 220 relative to other components in test apparatus 200 as views advance through fig2 - a through 2 - j . referring now to fig2 - b , external rotor motor ( not illustrated ) has rotated rotor 220 approximately 90 degrees counterclockwise within stator 210 from the corresponding position of rotor 220 depicted on fig2 - a . as a result , rotational motion forces from rotor 220 have exerted themselves on stator 210 , actuating rotation of stator 210 in a counterclockwise direction . this displacement of stator 210 can be seen by comparing the relative positions of stator rotational marker 212 , stator point marker 213 and stator reference point s 1 on fig2 - b as compared to fig2 - a . additionally the displacement of rotor 220 by approximately 90 degrees counterclockwise in fig2 - b has caused progressing gap pg to move in a clockwise direction away from its corresponding position in fig2 - a . this clockwise movement of progressing gap pg is best seen by comparing its displaced position relative to stator rotational marker 212 in fig2 - a and then fig2 - b . fig2 - b illustrates the counterclockwise movement of rotor 220 by arrow rr , the responsive counterclockwise movement of stator 210 by arrow rs , and the resulting clockwise movement of progressing gap pg by arrow r pg . fig2 - c illustrates that external rotor motor ( not illustrated ) has rotated rotor 220 approximately 90 degrees further counterclockwise within stator 210 from the corresponding position of rotor 220 depicted on fig2 - b . as a result , rotational motion forces from rotor 220 have acted on stator 210 , causing stator 210 to rotate further in a counterclockwise direction . this displacement of stator 210 can be seen by comparing the relative positions of stator rotational marker 212 , stator point marker 213 and stator reference point s 1 on fig2 - c as compared to fig2 - b . additionally the displacement of rotor 220 by approximately 90 degrees further counterclockwise in fig2 - c has caused progressing gap pg to move in a clockwise direction away from its corresponding position in fig2 - b , as seen by comparing the position of progressing gap pg in fig2 - c relative to stator rotational marker 212 in fig2 - b . fig2 - d and 2 - e each show a further rotation of approximately 90 degrees counterclockwise of rotor 220 over the previously illustrated positions . again , the relative movement of components within stator 210 can be seen from the new positions of rotor rotation marker line 222 , rotor reference point r 1 , stator rotational marker 212 , stator point marker 213 , stator reference point s 1 , and progressing gap pg on each advancing view on fig2 - a through 2 - e . it will be appreciated that on fig2 - e , external rotor motor ( not illustrated ) has caused rotor 220 to make one complete revolution of stator 210 over the starting position on fig2 - a . fig2 - f through 2 - j illustrate the counterclockwise rotation of stator 210 responsive to subsequent full revolutions counterclockwise of rotor 220 . in each of fig2 - a , and then 2 - f through 2 - j , rotor 220 has made one further full counterclockwise revolution over the previously illustrated view . when fig2 - a , and then 2 - f through 2 - j are viewed in sequence , the new relative position of stator rotational marker 212 , stator point marker 213 , stator reference point s 1 , and progressing gap pg can be seen in response to one additional revolution of rotor 220 . it will be appreciated that in fig2 - j , rotor reference point r 1 has made 6 counterclockwise revolutions as compared to the view depicted in fig2 - a , during which time stator reference point s 1 has made almost one counterclockwise revolution in the orbital distance separating rotor reference point r 1 and stator reference point r 1 during rotation . it will be appreciated that with one further complete counterclockwise revolution of rotor reference point r 1 ( a seventh overall rotation ), stator reference point s 1 will have made one complete counterclockwise revolution in the orbital distance separating rotor reference point r 1 and stator reference point s 1 , and will further have returned to the same position relative to rotor reference point r 1 as depicted in fig2 - a . returning now to view fig1 - a through 1 - e in sequence , it will be appreciated rotor 120 is in an eccentric orbit within stator 110 during in the operation of conventional power section 100 . conventionally , the construction of pdm power sections provides a hard ( e . g . metal ) rotor surface contacting a resilient stator ( usually providing an elastomer or rubber through part or all of its cross - section ). as described above in the “ summary ” section , in normal pdm power section operations , the eccentric rotation of the rotor within the stator imparts cyclic loads ( including , without limitation , compressive , shear and tensile loads ) on the resilient stator material , particularly on the stator lobes . the eccentric rotation of the rotor during normal pdm power section operations also creates many modes of vibration throughout the pdm assembly and elsewhere on the drill string . it will be appreciated that these vibrations , as experienced downhole , can be addressed over the length of a full power section stage by fixing the ends of the rotor and allowing the natural flexure of the rotor to compensate . however , in short lengths of conventional power section configured according to fig1 - a through 1 - e , such eccentric rotation vibrations cannot easily be compensated for , since the rotor is too short to have the required flexure . turning now to view fig2 - a through 2 - e in sequence , it will be appreciated that embodiments of the disclosed test apparatus 200 are reconfigured in a way to optimize , and in some cases to substantially eliminate , any eccentric rotation vibration that might potentially arise in the test coupon , so that performance evaluation of the components of the test coupon can be conducted free of the effects of such vibration . fig2 - a through 2 - e show that stator 210 and rotor 220 each rotate independently about their own fixed , substantially parallel longitudinal axes , and that the rotor rotation axis is set at a fixed offset distance from the stator rotation axis . the fixed offset distance is a predetermined design choice , selected according to the size and lobe count of the rotor and stator , and further according to the amount of operational contact desired by the rotor on the stator as the rotor is externally rotated . comparison should now be made with the eccentric orbit of rotor 120 within stator 110 on fig1 - a through 1 - e in sequence , where rotor 120 makes operational contact on stator 110 as rotor 120 moves around the inner periphery of stator 110 . returning to fig2 - a through 2 - e , it will be appreciated that by selecting , setting and holding the rotor rotation axis of rotor 220 at a fixed offset distance from the rotation axis of stator 210 , the same operational contact between rotor 220 and stator 210 can be replicated in test apparatus 200 as is experienced in conventional pdm power section 100 on fig1 - a through 1 - e . in test apparatus 200 on fig2 - a through 2 - e , however , there is no eccentric orbital rotation of rotor 220 within stator 210 , thereby substantially eliminating vibration that might otherwise be caused by such eccentric orbital rotation . previous disclosure described how in most test environments , test apparatus 200 will be configured such that the offset between of rotor 220 and stator 210 is substantially the same as the eccentricity of the rotor &# 39 ; s orbit in a full - size pdm whose performance the test coupon is designed to evaluate . for purposes of this paragraph , such offset between longitudinal rotational axes of rotor 210 and stator 220 will be referred to as the “ ideal eccentricity ”. additional embodiments of test apparatus 200 may be configured with variations in offset ( greater or smaller ) away from the ideal eccentricity . such additional embodiments will simulate ( and enable corresponding performance evaluation under ) extreme loading conditions experienced by full - length pdm power sections in environments where the ambient dynamic loading conditions are deflecting rotor &# 39 ; s eccentric orbit beyond design . physical embodiments of the disclosed test apparatus are now described with reference to fig3 through 6 . as before , where the same reference number or letter is used in fig3 through 6 , the same part or feature is being identified on more than one figure . fig3 shows an exemplary layout for test bed 300 on which components may be secured for enabling the disclosed test apparatus . external motor 305 provides rotational power to rotor section 315 via drive train 310 . external motor 305 is illustrated on fig3 as an electric motor . the scope of the disclosed test apparatus is indifferent , however , to the type of external motor selected . drive train 310 is illustrated in fig3 as a belt - and - pulley drive train . embodiments of test bed 300 that provide drive train 310 as a belt - and - pulley train will gain further advantages as described below with reference to fig6 . however , this disclosure is not limited to embodiments whose drive train 300 is a belt - and pulley train . rotor section 315 on fig3 is set rotationally in place on rotor bearings 318 . it will be understood from momentary reference to fig5 that a distal end of rotor section 315 terminates inside test chamber 325 , and functions as the rotor portion of the test coupon under analysis in test chamber 325 . test chamber 325 is shown sealed on fig3 . embodiments of the internals of test chamber 325 are discussed further below with reference to fig4 and 5a . returning to fig3 , stator shaft 320 exits test chamber 325 and will be understood to be rotationally connected to stator section 321 inside test chamber 325 ( again , refer momentarily to fig4 ). stator bearings 328 set stator shaft 320 rotationally in place . stator shaft 320 is rotationally connected to torque sensor 330 , which measures the torque generated by stator shaft 320 as stator shaft 320 rotates in response to external motor 305 driving rotor 315 . torque sensor 330 is further subject to intentional slowing of rotation via a braking torque supplied by continuous - slip brake 335 , whereby fine control of the braking torque induces a controlled stress field ( not illustrated ) between rotor 315 and stator 321 inside test chamber test chamber 325 . while the embodiments described with reference to fig3 refer to a continuous - slip brake 335 , it will be understood that the scope of the test apparatus is not limited in this regard , and that other types of conventional brakes may be substituted for continuous - slip brake 335 . test chamber 325 will now be discussed in more detail with reference to fig4 and 5a . fig4 and 5a are section views shown generally on fig3 . note fig3 omits specific reference to fig5 a mainly for clarity , it being understood from disclosure further below that fig5 and 5a are alternative embodiments and therefore the section line for fig5 shown on fig3 is representative for both fig5 and 5a . referring first to fig4 , test chamber 325 is seen in cutaway view . rotor section 315 is omitted for clarity . stator section 321 is seen rotationally and coaxially fixed to stator shaft 320 . sealable test chamber 325 also provides annular cavity 322 formed between an external periphery of stator section 321 and an internal periphery of test chamber 325 . per the embodiment of fig5 a , described further below , fig4 depicts openings 324 provided stator section 321 . ( it will be appreciated from disclosure further below that openings 324 are not provided in the embodiment of fig5 ). in operation , test chamber 325 is filled with test fluid 323 ( advantageously drilling fluid ) prior to being sealed so that stator section 321 is completely immersed . fig5 and 5a illustrate two exemplary alternative embodiments of test chamber 325 in more detail with surrounding components , again in cutaway view . fig5 and 5a each depict progressing gaps pg formed on helical pathways between stator section 321 and rotor section 315 . test chamber 325 is sealed and filled with test fluid 323 . it was noted in earlier disclosure that test fluid 323 is present in test chamber 325 to interact with the materials from which rotor section 315 and stator section 321 are made , in order to simulate degradation that might be seen in actual downhole conditions . it was also noted in earlier disclosure , however , that once test chamber 325 was sealed , the relative differential rotation of rotor section 315 and stator section 321 may cause the test fluid 323 to flow under low pressure through progressing gaps pg . referring to the embodiment of fig5 , and as illustrated by the darker arrows on fig5 , first flow loop fl 1 for test fluid 323 is formed through progressing gaps pg . fig5 depicts first flow loop fl 1 in one exemplary flow direction , although it will be understood that flow loop fl 1 may arise in either direction according to user selection of the direction in which to rotate rotor section 315 . referring now to the embodiment of fig5 a , openings 324 are provided in stator section 321 . the darker arrows on fig5 a illustrate that second flow loop fl 2 for test fluid 323 may form in one exemplary flow direction , through progressing gaps pg in a direction away from the end near rotor bearing 318 , then through openings 324 in stator section 321 , then through annular cavity 322 back to the rotor bearing end of progressing gaps pg . again , although not specifically illustrated on fig5 a , it will be understood that , according to user selection of the direction in which to rotate rotor section 315 , second flow loop fl 2 may flow in either direction . in general , first and second flow loops fl 1 and fl 2 on fig5 and 5a are indifferent to the direction in which test fluid 323 may be caused to flow . fig5 and 5a further show rotor section 315 held rotationally in place by one of rotor bearings 318 . stator shaft 320 is also shown held rotationally in place by one of stator bearings 328 . fig5 further illustrates a cross - section cut for fig2 - a through 2 - j . it will be understood that freeze - frame views seen on fig2 - a through 2 - j represent movement of the disclosed test apparatus within test chamber 325 along an exemplary cross - section cut line as shown on fig5 . fig5 and 5a also illustrate the preselected offset 317 of rotor rotation axis 316 and stator rotation axis 326 . as discussed extensively above with reference to fig2 - a through 2 - e , for example , offset 317 is introduced to eliminate eccentric rotation vibration during operation of test chamber 325 . it will be understood that relative adjustment of rotor bearings 318 and stator bearings 328 allows test chamber 325 to accommodate a range of offsets 317 to be selected , set and held according to user requirements . fig6 illustrates exemplary embodiments of drive train 310 as more generally illustrated on fig3 . on fig6 , three alternatives are illustrated in which varying drive speeds and torques may be delivered to rotor section 315 by external motor 305 via drive train 310 . it will be understood , however , that the disclosed test apparatus is not limited to the three alternatives illustrated on fig6 , and that the scope of the disclosed test apparatus contemplates many alternative drive speeds and torques delivered to rotor section 315 . it will be further appreciated that by providing different drive speeds and torques to rotor section 315 , the disclosed test apparatus can simulate the mutation speed of a pdm power section , i . e . the “ step down ” effect of the “ gear within the gear ”. as suggested in earlier disclosure , external motor 305 , drive train 310 , rotor and stator bearings 318 and 328 , torque sensor 330 , continuous - slip brake 335 , and other seals not called out by part number are all off - the - shelf components whose performance characteristics are selected to suit a particular design of the disclosed test apparatus . in presently preferred embodiments , a suitable external motor 305 is a brook crompton 75 hp ac 3 - phase 230 / 460 v motor delivering up to 1800 rpm ; a suitable continuous - slip brake 335 is a wichita clutch model kkb 208 ; suitable seals for test chamber 325 are utex models mp ; suitable rotor / stator bearings 318 / 328 are available from dodge ; and a suitable torque transmitter 330 is a hirnmelstein mrct 39000x . the scope of the disclosed test apparatus is nonetheless not limited to any particular selection or combination of such off - the - shelf components . likewise , the control of the disclosed test apparatus is advantageously via conventional plc and pm control , and the scope of the disclosed test apparatus is not limited in this regard . referring now to commonly - invented and commonly - assigned u . s . provisional patent application ser . no . 62 / 311 , 278 ( the “ provisional application ”), to which this disclosure claims priority and whose provisional disclosure is incorporated herein by reference , fig7 of the provisional application is an exemplary finite element analysis ( fea ) image of static displacement ( strain ) based upon known torque stresses placed on a rotor to be used in conjunction with the disclosed test apparatus . the image is color coded to show increasing strain . fea images of the type shown on fig7 of the provisional application are useful , for example , for sizing the external motor driving the rotor and deriving specifications for the interconnecting drive train . there now follows description of an exemplary operation of the disclosed test apparatus . it will be understood that the following disclosure is for illustration only , and that the disclosed test apparatus is not limited thereby . the objectives of an exemplary test protocol may include to evaluate new elastomer compounds in an environment that accurately simulates expected downhole service in an operational pdm power section . with this in mind , a test stator section is prepared with the elastomer , molded into the actual stator profile to be expected downhole . the test stator section is placed into the test chamber . in accordance with the disclosed test apparatus , the stator section is then ( 1 ) exposed the actual drilling fluids expected downhole ; ( 2 ) exposed to the actual elevated temperatures expected downhole ; ( 3 ) loaded with comparative ( or higher ) forces and cycle frequencies expected downhole . the disclosed test apparatus may then , for example , measure the number of cycles to failure under defined loads and conditions . in some embodiments , the cycles to failure may be determined by counting , through to failure , the rotor section cycles and / or the stator section cycles . in other embodiments , the rotor section and / or stator section may be examined for wear . in other embodiments , temperature change over time inside the test chamber may be monitored . in other embodiments , temperature change over time may be monitored in an elastomer layer provided by the stator section at its contact surface with the rotor section . the test data yielded by the disclosed test apparatus will be expected to correlate closely to comparative test data that might have been extracted from a hypothetical power section in downhole service , and may be used to develop elastomer compounds with improved performance characteristics according to the service . alternatively , without limitation , the disclosed test apparatus may be used to test the performance of actual test coupons and surrounding drilling fluids taken from pdms in service in wells with their own chemistry . embodiments of the disclosed test apparatus may be expected to achieve the following exemplary target performance parameters ( again , the following list is not exhaustive , and the scope of the disclosed test apparatus is not limited in any of the following regards ): test chamber temperatures up to 350 - 400 degrees f . ; ability to use stator sections or rotor sections cut from actual downhole tools ; and ability to load stator elastomers up to approximately 40 % strain . it will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosed test apparatus is not limited to the construction of stator sections that may be put in the test coupon , and includes , without limitation , all - elastomer construction , hybrid metal / elastomer constructions (“ evenwall ”) or other types of construction . likewise , the disclosed test apparatus is not limited to the size , type or construction of rotor that may be put in the test coupon . alternative embodiments of the disclosed test apparatus could further include , without limitation , the following features and aspects : ( a ) substituting the disclosed offset shaft mounting of rotor and stator and convert the rotor to an eccentric transmission by which to receive rotational torque ; ( b ) adapting the disclosed test apparatus to evaluate miniaturized 1 . 0 to 2 . 0 stage motors , advantageously with small diameters ; and ( c ) adapting the disclosed test apparatus to evaluate test coupons with straight pathways for drilling fluid rather than helical pathways . ( d ) adapting the input motor to deliver impulse loads to the rotor or stator shaft to simulate downhole torsional impacts and stall events . ( e ) varying the number and locations of rotor / stator bearings for support of the rotor / stator . ( f ) varying the number and locations of the test chamber fluid seals . although the inventive material in this disclosure has been described in detail along with some of its technical advantages , it will be understood that various changes , substitutions and alternations may be made to the detailed embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of such inventive material as set forth in the following claims . | 5 |
fig2 shows the configurations of transmitting and receiving modules in a mobile communication system according to a preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention . a transmit signal is channel encoded by a channel encoder 100 and serial - parallel converted into m units of signals . these m units of signals are modulated by modulators 101 - 1 through 101 - m into m units of complex modulated signals ( modulated symbols ). the modulators 101 - 1 through 101 - m may perform multilevel modulation if appropriate . in view of reduced circuitry scale , it may also be preferable to configure the transmitting module such that a serial - parallel converter which is present at the output of the channel encoder in this embodiment is moved to the post stage of a single modulator . the single modulator modulates transmit signals serially into m units of complex modulated signals ( modulated symbols ) and the serial modulated signals are serial - parallel converted into signals to be supplied to a complex matrix operation unit which will be described later . these m units of complex modulated signals ( modulated symbols ) are multiplied by a complex matrix consisting of m × l units of complex factors in the complex matrix operation unit 109 and thereby l units of complex signals are obtained . the l units of complex signals are transmitted by l units of transmitting antennas 103 - 1 through 103 - l . at this time , the m - units of modulated signals are beam formed in the complex matrix operation unit 109 so that the l units of signals multiplied with different complex weight factors are transmitted in parallel from the l - units of transmitting antennas . at the receiving end , n units of signals received through n units of receiving antennas 104 - 1 through 104 - n are multiplied by a complex matrix consisting of n × m units of complex factors in a mimo receiver 108 and thereby m units of complex signals ( received symbols ) are obtained . the m units of complex signals ( received symbols ) are respectively demodulated by demodulators 106 - 1 through 106 - m into m units of demodulated signals . the m units of demodulated signals are input to a channel decoder 107 , channel decoded , and output as received data . in view of reduced circuitry scale , it may also be preferable to configure the receiving module such that the above m units of complex signals ( received symbols ) are demodulated serially by a single modulator into m units of demodulated signals which are in turn serially supplied to the above channel decoder 107 . here , either of the transmitting end and the receiving end may be either a base station or a mobile station . fig1 shows a configuration example of the above channel encoder 100 . the channel encoder shown in fig1 uses turbo encoding . first , means for adding error detection code 200 adds error detection code to data to transmit . then , the data to transmit is input to a turbo encoder 201 in which two recursive systematic convolutional encoders 204 and 206 and an interleaver 205 encode the data into code words u , y 1 , and y 2 which are output from the turbo encoder . moreover , a parallel - serial ( p / s ) converter 202 converts the code words into serial code words which are in turn output . at this time , it is desirable to perform interleaving the output bit sequences at the same time . fig4 shows the structures of the signals modulated by the modulators 101 - 1 through 101 - m . the m units of modulated signals each contain data signals d - 1 through d - m and reference signals p - 1 through p - m which are inserted at given intervals . the data signals d - 1 through d - m are generated by the data to transmit and change , according to the data to transmit . on the other hand , the reference signals p - 1 through p - m are known signals determined by the system and used by the mimo receiver 108 and demodulators 106 - 1 through 106 - m at the receiving end as reference signals for demodulation . fig7 explains the operation of the above complex matrix operation unit 109 . the modulated signals d - 1 through d - m ( p - 1 through p - m ) are multiplied by the complex matrix [ a ] which consists of m × l units of complex factors and thereby l units of complex signals t - 1 through t - l are obtained . for this operation , the complex matrix [ a ] must be obtained . if the modulated signals d - l through d - m ( p - 1 through p - m ) are separately beam formed in the same concept as for adaptive array antennas , the vectors of the columns in the resultant matrix [ a ] have a same value . as a result , it becomes impossible to separate d - 1 through d - m ( p - 1 through p - m ) at the receiving end . thus , the conventional beam forming concept cannot be applied to obtaining the matrix [ a ]. it is desirable to determine the complex matrix [ a ] in the present invention so as to maximize channel capacity to be achieved c = log 2 ( det ( i +( ps / pn ) ( hs ) ( ha ) ^ h )). here , det ( ) denotes determinant , ps denotes average power for the munits of transmit signals , pn denotes average received noise power , i denotes identity matrix , and ( ) ^ h denotes complex conjugate transposition of the matrix . h can be expressed with a complex matrix of l × n units which is a propagation matrix between the l units of transmitting antennas and the n units of receiving antennas . as a concrete method of obtaining the matrix a for maximizing c , a commonly used maximizing algorithm with a nonlinear function of several variables should be used , constrained by that σ ( aij )^ 2 ( i = 1 to l , j = 1 to m ) be a constant value . σ ( aij )^ 2 is to be constant because the transmitting power must be set constant . to obtain the matrix h which is information about the mimo propagation channels , the most conceivable way is posting results of observing the channels at the receiving end to the transmitting end . however , if bidirectional communication channels exist , one for transmission and the other for reception , it is also possible to derive the propagation channels matrix h by observing the signals in the backward direction . if no reliable information about the propagation channels matrix h can be obtained , it is possible to generate the matrix [ a ] randomly . in this case , the beam forming effect of the adaptive array antennas cannot be obtained , but only the effect of transmitting diversity is obtained . fig8 explains the operation of the above mimo receiver 108 . the received signals r - 1 through r - n from the n units of receiving antennas 104 - 1 through 104 - n are multiplied by the n × m complex matrix [ b ] and thereby m units of signals d ′- 1 through d ′- m output from the mimo receiver are obtained . here , the complex matrix [ b ] is constituted to separate the m units of modulated signals which were mixed together in the complex matrix operation unit at the sending end and through the propagation channels . specifically , the matrix [ b ] should be determined to match as closely as possible with the known signals which must have been transmitted as the reference signals p - 1 through p - m shown in the above fig4 . to do this , a minimum mean square error ( mmse ) algorithm which minimizes the noise and interference effects should be applied . fig1 shows a configuration example of the above channel decoder 107 . a series of received signals demodulated by the demodulators 106 - 1 through 106 - m is separated into u ′, y 1 ′, and y 2 ′ by a serial - parallel ( s / p ) converter 212 and the u ′, y 1 ′, and y 2 ′ signals are decoded by a turbo decoder 203 and decoded results u ″ are output . as the signals are decoded by repeated decoding through a series of decoders 207 , 209 , interleavers 208 , 211 , and a deinterleaver 210 , receiving errors involved in the signals are corrected . if the channel encoder at the sending end performs interleaving of output bit sequences , the above serial - parallel ( s / p ) converter 212 also performs corresponding deinterleaving . the mobile communication system according to the above - described embodiment 1 of the invention can take advantage of both the channel pluralizing effect by using the mimo channels and the interference reduction effect by using the adaptive array antennas and provides the data transmission method for mobile communication in which the spectrum efficiency was improved greatly as indicated by a “ 4g ” point indicated in fig1 . however , according to the conditions of the propagation channels , the operation at the target point level is not always achieved . for example , if the vectors of the rows in the propagation channels matrix h of the mimo propagation channels comes to have stronger interrelations and the parallellity of the channels , in other words , the number of parallel channels decreases , then components are weighted on the vectors of some of the columns in the matrix a and the channel pluralizing effect is reduced . in such cases , conversely , the beam forming effect becomes easy to obtain and , consequently , the interference reduction effect becomes greater . it is therefore desirable to shift the operation point in fig1 to the right , that is , to increase eb / no . this can be accomplished by increasing the number of modulation levels and / or decreasing the redundancy by increasing the encoding rate . next , fig3 shows the configurations of transmitting and receiving modules in a mobile communication system according to a preferred embodiment 2 of the present invention . the channel encoder 100 , complex matrix operation unit 109 , transmitting antennas 103 - 1 through 103 - l , receiving antennas 104 - 1 through 104 - n , mimo receiver 108 , and channel decoder 107 operate the same as described in embodiment 1 . in embodiment 2 , a channel encoded code word is temporarily stored into a buffer 110 . the code word bits stored in the buffer 100 are read sequentially and modulated by modulators 111 - 1 through 111 - m . for modulation , it is desirable to modulate a plurality of bits simultaneously by multilevel modulation such as quadrature amplitude modulation ( qam ). reading the code word bits from the buffer 110 and modulating them are repeated until a receiving acknowledge signal has been returned from the receiving end . at the receiving end , signals ( received symbols ) output from the mimo receiver 108 are respectively demodulated by demodulators 112 - 1 through 112 - m corresponding to the modulators 111 - 1 through 111 - m at the transmitting end and demodulated signals are sequentially stored into a buffer 113 . the buffer 113 outputs the received signals stored therein which are a part of an encoding unit to the channel decoder 107 even before the reception of the encoding unit is complete , and decoding is tried . an error detector 114 checks the decoded results , using the error detection code which was added at the transmitting end and notifies the transmitting end of the result of the check . when it is detected that the signals in one coding unit have been received correctly without errors , the buffer 113 is cleared and becomes ready for the next coding unit . a buffer 15 stores the decoded signals which are sequentially overwritten with the signals decoded by the channel decoder 107 and output them as received signals when it is notified of correct reception from the error detector 114 . fig9 shows a configuration example of the buffer 110 . code words in one unit of encoding output from the encoder 100 are sequentially written into the memory 121 , according to address generated by a write address generator 120 . on the other hand , the written code words are sequentially read from the memory , according to address generated by a read address generator 122 , parallelized by a serial - parallel ( s / p ) converter 123 , and supplied to the above modulators 111 - 1 through 111 - m . if a receiving acknowledge signal is not returned from the receiving end after whole of code word of coding unit has been sent to the modulators , then the code word stored in the memory 121 is read again and re - sent to the modulators . at this time , it is desirable to change the sequence of the addresses generated by the read address generator 122 . thereby , signal quality difference per bit of the code word can be equalized . fig5 explains the operation of the above modulators 111 - 1 through 111 - m . the top matrix is 64qam mapping , the middle one is 16qam mapping , and the bottom one is qpsk mapping . in the 64qam mapping , for a set of six bits ( b 0 , b 1 , . . . , b 5 ), 64 bit combinations are mapped onto 64 points on the iq complex plane and output signal i + jq ( modulated symbol ) is obtained . similarly , in the 16qam mapping , mapping four bits ( b 0 , b 1 , b 2 , b 3 ) onto 16 points is performed . in the qpsk mapping , mapping two bits ( b 0 , b 1 ) onto four points is performed . fig6 explains the operation of the demodulators 112 - 1 through 112 - m . fig6 explains a principle of how a 16qam modulated signal is demodulated and the same principle applies to other modulation schemes . four bits ( b 0 , b 1 , b 2 , b 3 ) are demodulated as follows . for b 0 , among modulated signal points with b 0 = 0 , a point nearest to a received signal point ( received symbol ) marked with a square point in the figure is selected and its distance l 00 from the received signal point is measured . similarly , among modulated signal points with b 0 = 1 , a point nearest to the received signal point is selected and its distance l 01 from the received signal point is measured . from these results , l 00 ^ 2 - l 01 ^ 2 is output as likelihood of received signal b 0 and b 0 is demodulated . for b 1 to b 3 , the same operation is performed . fig1 shows a configuration example of the above buffer 113 . the signals demodulated by the above demodulators 112 - 1 through 112 - m are converted into a sequence of the demodulated signals by a parallel - serial ( p / s ) converter 124 . meanwhile , the demodulated signals of the same code word received so far are read from the memory 126 , according to address generated by a write address generator 125 , added to the sequence of the demodulated signals output from the above parallel - serial ( p / s ) converter 124 in an adder 127 , and stored again into the memory 126 . the demodulated signals stored in the memory 126 which are a part of an encoding unit are read from the memory 126 , according to a read address generator 126 , and sent to the channel decoder 107 , even before the reception of the encoding unit is complete . when the error detector 114 detects that the code word has been decoded without errors and supplies a decoding complete signal to the buffer , the memory 126 and the write address generator 125 are initialized and become ready for receiving the next code word . as a matter of course , the write address generator 125 and the read address generator 128 shown in fig1 must have inverse relation to the write address generator 120 and the read address generator 122 shown in the above fig9 . the operation flow at the transmitting end in embodiment 2 is explained in fig1 and the operation flow at the receiving end is explained in fig1 . at the transmitting end , the first step is encoding data in one unit of encoding and generating a code word ( 300 ). then , a transmission count variable n is initialized to 1 ( 301 ). a modulation mode to be performed by the modulators 111 - 1 through 111 - m is determined , according to the channel conditions ( 302 ). part of the cord word which has not yet been transmitted n times is modulated and transmitted ( 303 ). if an acknowledge signal is returned from the receiving end , the procedure returns to step 300 and the next code word is generated . if not , the procedure returns to step 302 and the remaining part of the code word is transmitted . when the transmission of the code word has been completed for the nth time , the variable n is incremented by one ( 306 ) and the code word is transmitted again . at the receiving end , in advance of receiving , the first step is clearing the likelihood of received signals corresponding to a code word in one coding unit ( 310 ). then , a reception count variable n is initialized to 1 ( 311 ). a modulation mode which corresponds to a demodulation mode to be performed by the demodulators 112 - 1 through 112 - m is determined , according to the channel conditions ( 312 ). part of a code word received is demodulated and the likelihood of the demodulated signal is combined with the likelihood calculated for so far received signal ( 313 , 314 ). using the so far demodulated signals , it is judged whether the data in the whole of coding unit have been decoded correctly ( 315 ). if the data in the whole of coding unit have been decoded , the decoded data is output ( 318 ), the acknowledge signal is returned to the transmitting end ( 319 ), and the procedure returns to step 310 . if the data in the whole of coding unit have not been decoded correctly , demodulation of received signals is continued ( 316 , 317 ). here , when determining a modulation mode , by referring to instantaneous channel quality , it would be reasonable to select a modulation mode with a great number of modulation levels if the quality is good ; otherwise , select a modulation mode with a small number of modulation levels if the quality is poor . more simply , as is show in fig1 , it may also be preferable to determine a modulation mode according to how much part of the code word or amount of code word has been transmitted so far . based on the principle according to fig1 , modulation levels can be controlled simply . if transmission is completed with small parts of code word , then it would be equivalent to achieving the transmission with a high number of modulation levels on average . the equivalent number of modulation levels actually decreases as the portions of code word transmitted increases . that transmission is completed with small portions of code word means propagation channel quality is good . if the transmission of greater portions of code word is needed , it means propagation channel quality is poor . modulation level control based on the principle according to fig1 can be expected to produce the effect equivalent to modulation mode change control according to propagation channel conditions . according to embodiment 2 , time required to transmit one unit of encoding automatically changes , according to propagation channel conditions , and , as a result , the operation point indicated in fig1 would have been controlled appropriately . however , if the number of parallel transmission channels as the mimo propagation channels decreases , it is desirable to increase the number of modulation levels and the encoding rate as is the case for embodiment 1 . in the present embodiment 2 , the transmission of a code word continues until the receiving end acknowledges the code word reception and , consequently , the encoding rate is controlled appropriately . for instance , if decoding of only part of a code word transmitted is successful , redundant code word transmission is avoided and the encoding rate is high . for instance , if code word decoding is successful only after repeated transmission of the code word , the encoding rate is low . meanwhile , it is desirable to control the number of modulation levels in the same manner as in embodiment 1 . specifically , if the number of parallel transmission channels as the mimo propagation channels decreases , it is desirable to increase the number of modulation levels . this is , in effect , equal to controlling a threshold in changing modulation mode if in use with modulation level control according to fig1 . if the number of parallel transmission channels as the mimo propagation channels decreases , the threshold in the number of code words to be transmitted should be set high so as to reduce the number of modulation levels . | 7 |
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended , such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device , and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting . the terms “ rightward ” and “ leftward ” will refer to directions in the drawings in connection with which the terminology is used . the terms “ inwardly ” and “ outwardly ” will refer to directions toward and away from , respectively , the geometric center of the apparatus . the terms “ upward ” and “ downward ” will refer to directions as taken in the drawings in connection with which the terminology is used . all foregoing terms mentioned above include the normal derivatives and equivalents thereof . although primarily described for use in a vehicle driveline and more specifically as part of a master clutch / transmission system the present invention can be used to rotationally connect any two rotatable shafts in response to an electronic control signal , using a common lubrication system between two or more devices . such alternative devices could include differentials , engine retarders , transmission brakes , foundation brakes , inertia brakes , transfer cases and other devices . now referring to fig1 of the drawings , a cross - sectional partial view of the lubrication system of the present invention is shown . a ball ramp clutch 2 is joined to a prime mover such as an internal combustion engine ( not shown ) through an input shaft 6 which is frictionally rotationally joined to an output shaft 8 using a ball ramp mechanism 19 to apply a compression load on a clutch pack 26 schematically illustrated in fig1 . the output shaft 8 is nonrotationally connected to the input shaft 9 of a gear change transmission 3 . the housing 10 of the ball ramp clutch 2 is joined to a face plate 5 on one side and to a ball housing 11 and a transmission case 7 at its second side . the face plate 5 is supported by the input shaft 6 through bearing 12 . the lubrication system of the present invention is comprised of a lubrication wet sump 102 which is mounted to or part of the underside of the gear change transmission . a lubricant supply tube 104 has a first end 104 a located within the sump 102 . a second end 104 b of the lubricant supply tube 104 is retained in a lubricant port 41 formed in the face plate 5 . a lubricant pump 38 is positioned within the clutch assembly 2 . as shown in fig1 a gerotor type lubricant pump 38 is positioned to be driven by the input shaft 6 . the lubricant residing in the sump 102 of the gear change transmission 3 is drawn up lubricant supply tube 104 by the pump 38 as it is rotated by the input shaft 6 which is connected to the crankshaft of the engine . the lubricant is pressurized by the pump 38 and forced into the lubricant feed ports 70 into the lubricant distribution channel 100 for distribution into the working elements of the clutch assembly 2 such as into the ball ramp mechanism 19 and into the clutch pack 26 through one or more secondary feed ports 71 . the lubricant that is forced into the workings of the clutch assembly 2 is then allowed to flow back into the sump 102 through the drain 106 . the lubricant pressurized by the pump 38 is also routed through the lubricant distribution channel 100 to a check valve 73 . the check valve 73 prevents the flow of lubricant through the check valve port 72 and into the transmission 3 until the pressure of the lubricant exceeds a pre - set value . once the lubricant pressure exceeds this pre - set value , the lubricant flows into the inner workings of the transmission 3 such as the transmission input shaft 9 contained within transmission case 7 to lubricate the various rotating elements and eventually make its way back into the sump 102 . sump 102 is what is known in the art as a wet sump since it has a large open area to the inner workings of the transmission 3 and the lubricant simply drips or drains into the sump 102 . now referring to fig2 a cross - sectional view of a second embodiment of the lubrication system of the present invention is shown . fig2 illustrates use of the lubrication system with a dry sump 102 ′ where the lubricant is held in a separate container with no generally open top to the inner workings of the transmission 3 ′. the lubrication system of the present invention is comprised of a lubrication wet sump 102 ′ which is mounted to the underside of the gear change transmission 3 ′. a lubricant supply tube 104 ′ has a first end 104 a ′ located within the sump 102 ′. a second end 104 b ′ of the lubricant supply tube 104 ′ is retained in a lubricant port 41 formed in the face plate 5 . a lubricant pump 38 is positioned within the clutch assembly 2 . as shown in fig1 a gerotor type lubricant pump 38 is positioned to be driven by the input shaft 6 . the lubricant residing in the sump 102 ′ of the gear change transmission 3 ′ is drawn up lubricant supply tube 104 ′ by the pump 38 as it is rotated by the input shaft 6 which is connected to the crank shaft of the engine . the lubricant is pressurized by the pump 38 and forced into the lubricant feed ports 70 into the lubricant distribution channel 100 for distribution into the working elements of the clutch assembly 2 such as into the ball ramp mechanism 19 and into the clutch pack 26 through one or more secondary feed ports 71 . the lubricant that is forced into the workings of the clutch assembly 2 is then allowed to flow back into the sump 102 ′ through the drain 106 ′. the lubricant pressurized by the pump 38 is also routed through the lubricant distribution channel 100 to a check valve 73 . the check valve 73 prevents the flow of lubricant through the check valve port 72 until the pressure of the lubricant exceeds a pre - set value . once it exceeds this pre - set value the lubricant flows into the inner workings of the transmission 3 ′ to lubricate the various rotating elements and eventually make its way back into the sump 102 ′. sump 102 ′ is what is known in the art as a dry sump since it has no large open area to the workings of the transmission 3 ′. the lubricant eventually flows into a dry sump drain port 108 where it flows back into the dry sump 102 ′. drain port 108 is relatively small in cross - sectional area as compared to the opening in the wet sump 102 shown in fig1 . in some systems , an auxiliary pump is used to pump the lubricant out of the transmission 3 ′ and back into the dry sump 102 ′. now referring to fig3 of the drawings , a cross - sectional view of the clutch assembly 2 of the present invention is shown . an input shaft 6 which rotates about an axis of rotation 4 is normally connected to a power source such as an internal combustion engine ( not shown ). the clutch assembly 2 functions to frictionally rotationally link the input shaft 6 to an output shaft 8 which , for example , could be linked to the input shaft of a change gear transmission ( not shown ). in general , the elements which make up the clutch assembly 2 are annularly shaped and rotate about the axis of rotation 4 . the face plate 5 is connected to and together with the housing 10 provides a containment structure for the operating elements and lubricating / cooling fluid of the clutch assembly 2 . the face plate 5 is supported by the input shaft 6 through bearing 12 . the clutch hub 14 is piloted on the input shaft 6 but is nonrotatably connected to the output shaft 8 . the housing 10 can be attached to the case of a gear change transmission or other driveline rotational device ( not shown ). splines 15 nonrotatably connect the output shaft 8 and clutch hub 14 to at least one driven disc 28 and also rotatably connect the hub 14 to the intermediate plate 34 through teeth 34 c . splines 18 formed on a drive hub 16 nonrotatably connect at least one drive disc 30 to the input shaft 6 since the drive hub 16 is attached to the input shaft 6 . the clutch hub 14 is driven by the frictional interaction between the drive discs 30 and the driven discs 28 . annular wave springs 13 are placed between the driven discs 28 to provide a separation force so that the drive discs 30 and the driven discs 28 separate when the clutch assembly 2 is disengaged to reduce clutch drag in the clutch pack 26 . the ball ramp mechanism 19 is comprised of a control ring 20 , an activation ring 32 and a plurality of rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c ( see fig3 and 4 ) positioned to engage and roll along opposed variable depth grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c and 37 a , 37 b , 37 c formed in both the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 , respectively ( see fig3 and 4 ). as the control ring 20 is rotated relative to the activation ring 32 , the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c transverse the opposed control ring grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c and activation ring grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c either increasing or decreasing the separation distance 47 between the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 depending on the direction of the relative rotation . the thrust bearings 33 a , 33 b , 33 c and 33 d axially position of various components contained in the clutch assembly 2 . the input shaft flange 6 a is axially located by the thrust bearing 33 a . the first index plate 31 a is axially supported through the thrust bearings 33 b and 33 c and the control ring 20 is axially supported through the thrust bearing 33 d acting against the second index plate 31 b which contacts the snap ring 40 . the ball ramp mechanism 19 is comprised of a control ring 20 , an activation ring 32 and a plurality of rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c ( see fig3 and 4 ) positioned to engage opposed variable depth grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c formed in both the control ring 20 and variable depth grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c formed in the activation ring 32 . as the control ring 20 is rotated relative to the activation ring 32 , the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c ( see fig3 and 5 ) transverse the opposed control ring grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c and activation ring grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c thereby either increasing or decreasing the separation distance between the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 depending on the direction of the relative rotation . the second index plate 31 b limits rotation of the control ring 20 when the first index step 46 a contacts the first control stop 52 a or when the second index step 46 b contacts the second control stop 52 b . thus , as shown in fig2 the maximum rotation of the control ring 20 relative to the second index plate 31 b is approximately 240 degrees . since the second index plate 31 b is nonrotatably fixed to the input shaft 6 , through splines 36 , the maximum relative rotation of the control ring 20 relative to the input shaft 6 is also limited by the second index plate 31 b . in a similar manner to the operation of the second index plate 31 b , the first index plate 31 a limits the rotation of the activation ring 32 relative to the input shaft 6 when the first index step 54 a contacts the first activation stop 56 a ( see fig5 ). with the use of the index plates 31 a and 31 b , the ball ramp mechanism 19 is activated whenever there is a speed differential between the input shaft 6 and the output shaft 8 irregardless of the direction of the torque flow through the clutch assembly 2 even though the control plate grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c and the activation plate grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c are unidirectional . a second index plate 31 b contacts thrust bearing 33 d which , in turn , contacts the control ring 20 . both the first and second index plates 31 a , 31 b are nonrotationally coupled to the input shaft 6 with splines 36 . the pressure plate 22 is attached to the activation extension 24 . as the activation plate 32 is displaced to the right by an increase in separation distance between the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 , the clutch pack 26 is squeezed by the pressure plate 22 and the drive discs 30 frictionally contact and are frictionally coupled to the driven discs 28 . in this manner , where the ball ramp mechanism 19 is energized , the input shaft 6 is frictionally rotationally coupled to the output shaft 8 . the axial thrust of the clutch hub 14 is borne by the thrust bearing 33 a which rides against the input shaft 6 . the activation extension 24 is axially positioned against the thrust bearing 33 b which , in turn , contacts a face of the first index plate 31 a . a thrust bearing 33 c is positioned between the first index plate 31 a and the activation ring 32 . the intermediate plate 34 is splined to the clutch hub 14 to rotate therewith but allowed to move in an axial direction . the intermediate plate 34 is interposed between an activation plate 39 and an armature 44 where the armature 44 is attached to the control ring 20 and thus its rotation relative to the input shaft 6 is also limited by the second index plate 31 b . intermediate plate 34 is connected to the output shaft 8 through the clutch hub 14 while the activation ring 32 and the control ring 20 are through the steps 46 a , 46 b , 54 a , 54 b and stops 52 a , 52 b , 56 a , 56 b keyed to the input shaft 6 via the index plates 31 a , 31 b . the activation ring 32 is splined to rotate with the slide sleeve which is splined to rotate with the activation plate 39 . the activation ring 32 can rotate and axially move relative to the input shaft . 6 . also , the control ring 20 can rotate and axially move relative to the input shaft 6 and relative to the activation plate 39 . both the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 are limited in their degree of rotation by the index plates 31 b and 31 a respectively which are splined to the input shaft 6 . index plate 31 a is trapped between the thrust bearings 33 b and 33 c and limits the rotation of the activation ring 32 relative to the input shaft 6 . index plate 31 b is trapped between the thrust bearing 33 d and snap ring 40 thereby fixing the axial position of the control ring 20 . the coil assembly 42 is comprised of a multiple turn coil 48 which is partially surrounded by and attached to a stator 49 . both the coil 48 and the stator 49 remain stationary relative to the housing 10 where the stator 49 is attached to the face plate 5 . the armature 44 is attached to and rotates with the control ring 20 with a slight clearance between the armature ( control plate ) 44 and the stator 49 . for purposes of this application the term “ armature ” shall be equivalent to the term “ control plate ”. when the coil 48 is electrically energized by the control unit 50 through signal wires 51 , an electromagnetic field is established in the stator 49 which is transferred to the armature 44 which , in turn , electromagnetically attracts the intermediate plate 34 and the activation plate 39 . the armature 44 , intermediate plate 34 and activation plate 39 can have friction material attached to at least one of their respective faces where they make contact with an adjacent element . as the electrical current in the coil 48 is increased by the control unit 50 , the strength of the electromagnetic field induced in the armature 44 is increased and the electromagnetic attraction between the armature 44 ( also termed a “ control plate ”) and the intermediate plate 34 and the activation plate 39 increases . if the input shaft 6 is rotating at a slower speed the output shaft 8 , this produces a torque on the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 in either direction as needed to further activate the ball ramp mechanism 19 thereby increasing the separation distance between the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 to axially move the pressure plate 22 and increase the clamp force on the clutch pack 26 . the control ring 20 can rotate in either direction relative to the activation ring 32 and the clamping load on the clutch pack 26 will be increased due to the rotational limiting action of the first and second index plates 31 a and 31 b . slip sleeve 27 functions such that when activation ring 32 axially moves to clamp the clutch pack 26 it doesn &# 39 ; t drag activation plate 39 with it . thus , slip sleeve 27 allows activation ring 32 to move axially independently of activation plate 39 but joins the two in a rotational sense . the slip sleeve 27 is retained axially relative to control ring 20 by sump ring 27 a but allowed to rotate relative to control ring 20 . flux slots 44 a and 44 b are formed in the armature 44 to enhance the magnetic field properties of the coil assembly 42 . likewise , magnetic flux slots 34 a , 34 b are formed in the intermediate plate 34 and one central flux slot 39 a is formed in the activation plate 39 . these flux slots 44 a , 44 b , 34 a , 34 b and 39 a combine to enhance the magnetic flux properties of the armature 44 , the intermediate plate 34 and the activation plate 39 when the coil 48 is electrically energized . in a certain mode of operation , the activation plate 39 slips relative to the intermediate plate 34 and in another mode of operation the armature 44 slips relative to the intermediate plate 34 . in operation , that slippage can switch between the two modes . a fluid pump 38 functions to force a lubricant into the clutch assembly 2 for cooling and lubrication of the various components . the fluid pump 38 can be a gerotor pump as shown or any other type of suitable fluid pump device . the lubricant used for a gear shift transmission could be used for this purpose when the fluid pump 38 also functions to force lubricant into various parts of the transmission as part of a dry sump or wet sump lubricating system . the fluid pump 38 provides a flow of lubricating and cooling lubricant to the clutch assembly 2 which is routed from port 41 into the lubricant distribution channel 100 through the lubricant feed ports 70 . the lubricant distribution channel 100 distributes the fluid to the various components of the clutch assembly 2 . the fluid port 41 allows lubricant to flow into the fluid pump 38 . now referring to both fig3 and fig4 of the drawings , where fig4 is an elevational view of a portion of the clutch assembly 2 . the elevational view of fig4 is taken looking into the armature 44 from the right side to the left with the faceplate 5 and coil 48 removed from the clutch assembly 2 . slots 44 a and 44 b formed in the armature 44 are clearly shown in this view . also , more clearly shown are portions of the corresponding slots 34 a and 34 b formed in the intermediate plate 34 . in a similar manner to the operation of the second index plate 31 b , the first index plate 31 a limits the rotation of the activation ring 32 relative to the input shaft 6 when the first index step 54 a contacts the first activation stop 56 a ( see fig5 ). with the use of the index plates 31 a and 31 b , the ball ramp mechanism 19 is activated whenever there is a speed differential between the input shaft 6 and the output shaft 8 irregardless of the direction of the torque flow even though the control plate grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c and the activation plate grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c are unidirectional . activation plate 39 is rotationally joined to the input shaft 6 via the index plate 31 b which in one mode , is against a stop 52 a and the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 are positioned such that the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c are at the bottom of their respective grooves while the second index plate is on its stop 56 b but in the opposite direction . now referring to fig5 of the drawings , more clearly illustrated are the control grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c formed in the control ring 20 and the activation grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c formed in the activation ring 32 . the control grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c at least partially oppose the activation grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c and both are of variable depth increasing from one end to the other and extending in opposite relative directions . rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c simultaneously contact and roll along respective opposed control grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c and activation grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c . the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c are shown in fig3 in a nonactivated position where each contacts a respective control and activation groove 35 a , 35 b , 35 c ; 37 a , 37 b , 37 c at their lowest depth ( and minimum overlap ) thereby minimizing the axial separation distance 47 . as the ball ramp mechanism 19 is activated by electronically energizing the coil 48 , assuming there exists slippage in the clutch pack 26 , the control ring 20 moves counter - clockwise relative to the activation plate 32 thereby causing the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c to transverse the three respective pairs of opposed variable depth control grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c and activation grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c . as the control plate 20 continues to rotate relative to the activation plate 32 , the separation distance 47 increases thereby increasing the clamp force on the clutch pack 26 . fig5 shows the ball ramp mechanism 19 in a nonactivated state and fig4 shows the ball ramp mechanism 19 in an activated state at about fifty percent travel . in fig3 the rolling element 45 b is positioned at the maximum depth of both the control groove 35 b and the opposed activation groove 37 b and the separation distance 47 is at a minimum . reference point 41 b is on the activation groove 37 b and reference point 43 b is on the control groove 35 b for use in comparison to their positions in fig4 . in fig6 the rolling element 45 b has traversed both the control groove 35 b and the activation groove 37 b as the control ring 20 has been rotated relative to the activation ring 32 . the separation distance 47 has increased since the rolling element 45 b is now contacting a more shallow portion of both the control groove 35 b and the activation groove 37 b . the relative position of reference points 41 b and 43 b illustrate the relative rotation . now referring to fig7 a partial perspective exploded view of the ball ramp mechanism 19 of the present invention is shown . the control ring 20 includes at least three control grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c which vary in axial depth according to rotational location on the face of the control ring 20 and oppose respective variable depth activation grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c ( see fig3 and 4 ) with rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c trapped between the respective grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c ; 37 a , 37 b , 37 c . the grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c and 37 a , 37 b , 37 c are shaped and oriented such that upon rotation of the control ring 20 relative to the activation ring 32 , the axial separation distance 47 between the control and activation rings 20 , 32 is increased or decreased . the rotation of the control ring 20 is limited by action of the second index plate 31 b which is keyed to rotate with the input shaft 6 with keys 60 a and 60 b ( not shown ) which engage splines 36 ( see fig1 ). the rotation of the control ring 20 is stopped relative to the input shaft 6 when either the first index step 46 a contacts the first control stop 52 a or when the second index step 46 b contacts the second control stop 52 b ( see fig2 ). likewise , the rotation of the activation ring 32 is limited by action of the first index plate 31 a which is also keyed to rotate with the input shaft 6 with keys 58 a and 58 b which engage the splines 36 . the rotation of the activation ring 32 is stopped relative to the input shaft 6 when either the first index step 54 a contacts the first activation stop 56 a or when the second index step 54 b contacts the second activation stop 56 b . note the rotational orientation of the first and second index plates 31 a , 31 b where the second index stop 52 b of the second index plate 31 b is in axial alignment with the first index step 54 a of the first index plate 31 a . thus , looking from left to right , the activation ring 32 could rotate approximately 240 degrees clockwise and the control ring 20 could rotate approximately 240 degrees counterclockwise relative to the input shaft 6 . the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c would traverse their respective control grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c and activation grooves 37 a , 37 b , 37 c ( not shown ) and thereby increase the axial separation distance 47 between the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 as they rotate relative to each other . activation plate 39 is rotationally joined to the input shaft 6 via the index plate 31 b which in one mode , is against a stop 52 a and the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 are positioned such that the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c are at the bottom of their respective grooves while the second index plate is on its stop 56 b but in the opposite direction . intermediate plate 34 is connected to the output shaft 8 through the clutch hub 14 while the activation ring 32 and the control ring 20 are through the steps 46 a , 46 b , 54 a , 54 b and stops 52 a , 52 b , 56 a , 56 b keyed to the input shaft 6 via the index plates 31 a , 31 b . in a certain mode of operation , the activation plate 39 slips relative to the intermediate plate 34 and in another mode of operation the armature 44 slips relative to the intermediate plate 34 . in operation , that slippage can switch between the two modes . fig8 is a partial perspective view of the clutch assembly 2 of the present invention looking from left to right as shown in fig1 . the axis of rotation 4 extends through the clutch assembly 2 and through the centerline of the input shaft 6 . flange 6 a is shown extending from the input shaft 6 . the slip sleeve 27 has a multiplicity of tooth shapes formed therein to engage the mating teeth formed in activation ring 32 . slip sleeve 27 functions such that when activation ring 32 axially moves to clamp the clutch pack 26 it doesn &# 39 ; t drag activation plate 39 with it . thus , slip sleeve 27 allows activation ring 32 to move axially independently of activation plate 39 but joins the two in a rotational sense . the slip sleeve 27 is retained axially relative to control ring 20 by sump ring 27 a but allowed to rotate relative to control ring 20 . the teeth 34 c of the intermediate plate 34 extend to engage the splines 15 formed in the clutch hub 14 . a small portion of the intermediate plate 34 is visible through the slot 39 a formed in the activation plate 39 . the outside surface of the armature 44 is also shown . now referring to fig9 of the drawings , a cross - sectional perspective view of the clutch assembly 2 of the present invention is shown . an input shaft 6 which rotates about an axis of rotation 4 is normally connected to a power source such as an internal combustion engine ( not shown ). the clutch assembly 2 functions to frictionally rotationally link the input shaft 6 to an output shaft 8 which , for example , could be the input shaft a change gear transmission . in general , the elements which make up the clutch assembly are annularly shaped and rotate about the axis of rotation 4 . the face plate 5 is connected to and together with the housing 10 provides a containment structure for the operating elements and lubricating / cooling fluid of the clutch assembly 2 . the face plate 5 is supported by the input shaft 6 through bearing 12 . the clutch hub 14 is piloted but not connected to the input shaft 6 and can be nonrotatably connected to some type of driveline device such as a gear change transmission . the housing 10 can be attached to the housing of a gear change transmission ( not shown ) or other driveline device . splines 18 formed on a drive hub 16 nonrotatably connect at least one drive disc 30 to the input shaft 6 since the drive hub 16 is attached to the input shaft 6 . now referring to fig1 of the drawings , a partial perspective view of a third embodiment of the clutch assembly 2 of the present invention is shown which includes a heat exchanger . the face plate 5 of the clutch assembly 2 is partially cut away to more clearly show the fluid pump 38 which pumps lubricant from a lubricant sump through lubricant sump line 62 to a lubricant heat exchanger ( not shown ) through lubricant pump line 64 which when cooled , is returned to the clutch assembly 2 through the lubricant return line 66 . the input shaft 6 includes a plurality of lubricant flow apertures that distribute the cooling / lubricating lubricant to various sections of the clutch assembly 2 . the fluid pump 38 pumps the lubricating lubricant through at least one lubricant feed ports 70 into the lubricant distribution channel 100 ( see fig3 ) for distribution through a plurality of lubricant distribution apertures also ( not shown ) into the various internal elements of the clutch assembly 2 . fluid pump 38 functions to provide a pressurized flow of lubricant through the rotating clutch pack 26 and generally , the ball ramp mechanism 19 to provide both a source of cooling and lubrication . lubricant return line 66 supplies a flow of lubricant from a heat exchanger ( not shown ) to the pump 38 which pumps lubricant through the interior of the clutch housing 10 and the lubricant is then drained through a separate lubricant sump line 62 . the lubricant flows to the clutch assembly 2 through lubricant feed ports 70 and flows into the lubricant distribution channel of the input shaft 6 for distribution to the clutch pack 26 through various lubricant apertures ( not shown ) which are typical illustrative of a well known method to adequately distribute the flow of lubricant . the lubricant sump line 62 extends into a lubricant supply reservoir such as that of a transmission ( not shown ) and the lubricant is drawn up into the fluid pump 38 where it is pumped to the heat exchanger through lubricant pump line 64 and flows through the heat exchanger and returns to the clutch assembly 2 through the lubricant return line 66 . consider the situation when the torque flow is from the input shaft 6 to the output shaft 8 where both the input and output shafts 5 are rotating clockwise as viewed from the input shaft 6 and with the coil assembly 42 in an energized state . in a certain mode of operation , the activation plate 39 slips relative to the intermediate plate 34 and in another mode of operation the armature 44 slips relative to the intermediate plate 34 . in operation , that slippage can switch between the two modes . one such condition , when the clutch assembly 2 is used as a master clutch , is encountered in a typical vehicle acceleration mode . the activation ring 32 is stopped from rotating relative to the input shaft 6 by the first index plate 31 a since the first index step 54 a contacts the first activation stop 56 a formed in the activation ring 32 which is keyed to rotate with the input shaft 6 but allowed to move axially relative thereto . activation plate 39 is rotationally joined to the input shaft 6 via the index plate 31 b which in one mode , is against a stop 52 a and the control ring 20 and the activation ring 32 are positioned such that the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c are at the bottom of their respective grooves while the second index plate is on its stop 56 b but in the opposite direction . intermediate plate 34 is connected to the output shaft 8 through the clutch hub 14 while the activation ring 32 and the control ring 20 are through the steps 46 a , 46 b , 54 a , 54 b and stops 52 a , 52 b , 56 a , 56 b keyed to the input shaft 6 via the index plates 31 a , 31 b . the control ring 20 is allowed to rotate in a clockwise direction relative to the input shaft 6 ( and the activation ring 32 ) as the second control stop 52 b moves away from the second index step 46 b thereby causing the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c to transverse their respective opposing variable depth control and activation grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c ; 37 a , 37 b , 37 c to increase the separation distance 47 . this results in an increase in the clamping load on the clutch pack 26 whenever there is relative rotation between the input shaft 6 and the output shaft 8 up to some maximum value . now consider when the torque flow is reversed and directed from the output shaft 8 to the input shaft 6 and the input and output shafts 6 , 8 are still rotating clockwise and the coil assembly 42 remains energized . in a certain mode of operation , the activation plate 39 slips relative to the intermediate plate 34 and in another mode of operation the armature 44 slips relative to the intermediate plate 34 . in operation , that slippage can switch between the two modes . this condition occurs in a vehicle master clutch application when the vehicle is in a coast mode and the engine is braking the vehicle . the control ring 20 is stopped from rotating relative to the input shaft 6 by the second index plate 31 b since the first control step 46 b formed in the control ring 20 contacts the second index stop 52 b ( see fig4 ). the second index plate 31 b is keyed to rotate with the input shaft 6 but is allowing to move axially leftward relative thereto . axial movement to the right in fig1 is prevented by the snap ring 40 . the activation ring 32 is allowed to rotate in a clockwise direction relative to the input shaft 6 ( and the control ring 20 ) as the second activation stop 56 b moves away from the second index step 54 b ( see fig7 ) thereby causing the rolling elements 45 a , 45 b , 45 c to transverse the opposing variable depth control and activation grooves 35 a , 35 b , 35 c ; 37 a , 37 b , 37 c to increase the separation distance 47 . this results in an increase in the clamping load on the clutch pack 26 whenever there is relative rotation between the input shaft 6 and the output shaft 8 up to some maximum value . in general , the input shaft 6 could be any type of rotational input member connected so as to rotate the first and second index plates 31 a , 31 b and the armature 44 and the drive hub 16 . also , the output shaft 8 could be any type of suitable rotational output member connected to rotate with the clutch hub 14 . the clutch assembly 2 of the present invention works even if the input shaft 6 and the output shaft 8 are reversed in function . in the lubrication system of the present invention , the gerotor pump 38 picks up lubricant from the wet or dry sump and pressurizes it for forced flow into the primary lubricant feed ports 70 and into the lubricant distribution channel 100 for flow into the clutch through secondary feed port 71 and into the check valve port 72 . the check valve 73 provides a blockage of flow at low rotational speeds to maintain proper lubricant distribution . although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity , it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example in that numerous changes in the details and construction and combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as now claimed . | 5 |
referring to the drawings , fig1 is a simplified diagram of an interline power flow controller 10 for controlling the power flow in two parallel transmission lines 12 and 14 of an electric power system . the power system includes a sending end bus 16 with voltage v s and a receiving bus 18 with a bus voltage v r . sending end bus 16 is connected to a first power source 20 and receiving end bus 18 is connected to a second power source 22 . the two lines are characterized by their series reactive impedances x 1 and x 2 and they are assumed to conduct currents i 1 and i 2 , respectively . the power circuit of the interline power flow controller ( ipfc ) includes a converter 24 , which in this embodiment includes two voltage sourced inverters 26 and 28 , connected back - to - back with a common dc link 30 . the two inverters may employ gate turn - off thyristors , or other suitable power semiconductors , and they may use various well established techniques ( e . g . harmonic neutralization or pulse - width modulation ) for output waveform generation . the inverter structure of the ipfc , excluding its coupling to the ac system , may actually be identical to that described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 343 , 139 for the generalized fast flow power controller . however , the circuit arrangement of the ipfc for coupling outputs of the two inverters to the ac system fundamentally differs from that used for the generalized fast flow power controller . for the ipfc , the ac outputs of both inverters are coupled in series with the transmission lines . specifically , the output of inverter 26 is coupled in series with line 12 and the output of inverter 28 is coupled in series with line 14 via insertion transformers tr1 and tr2 , respectively . in the circuit arrangement of the generalized fast flow power controller , as shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 343 , 139 , both inverters are coupled to the same line . furthermore , whereas the output of one inverter is coupled to the line in a series connection , the other is coupled to the line in a parallel connection . consequently , the generalized fast flow power controller disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 343 , 139 could not control directly the power flow in , and the power transfer between two ( or more ) lines of the power system , which are the main objectives of the present invention . the two inverters 26 and 28 of fig1 are operated by a control 32 so as to vary the transmittable power in each line by individual series reactive compensation as commanded by the two reactive compensating impedance reference signals x c1 and x c2 , and the real power transfer between lines 12 and 14 as commanded by real power reference signal p 12 . signals representative of measured system variables , such as transmission line currents , are delivered to the control on lines mv 1 , mv 2 and mv 3 . in fig1 each inverter produces a controllable ac output voltage at the fundamental frequency of the ac power system . each output voltage is coupled to an individual transmission line via a series insertion transformer . the output of each inverter is synchronized to the current of the particular transmission line it controls . the phase position of an inverter voltage with respect to the line current , as well as its magnitude , are adjusted so that the injected series line voltage will have an appropriate component that is in quadrature and another one that is in phase with the line current . the quadrature component will provide series reactive compensation for the line and the in - phase component will absorb from , or generate for , the line an amount of real power that is desired to be absorbed from , or generated for , this line . the real power ( positive or negative depending on whether power is absorbed from an overloaded line or provided for an under loaded line ) is transferred to the dc terminals of the inverter in question as power demand . the output voltage of another selected inverter ( or the combination of inverters ) controlling another line ( or a number of lines ) is adjusted so that the resultant in - phase component ( or the sum of the in - phase components ) results in an identical but opposite real power exchange to that demanded by the inverter which exchanges real power with the overloaded or under loaded line in question . in this way real power transfer between selected lines can be established via the inverters while each inverter keeps providing an independently controlled reactive compensation for the individual lines . in fig1 inverter 26 is synchronized to the current i 1 ( lower case letters for currents and voltages indicate instantaneous values , whereas capital letters indicate r . m . s . values and phasors ) flowing in line 12 . that is to say , inverter 26 produces an alternating voltage v pq1 at the fundamental power system frequency , the magnitude of which is controllable between zero and a maximum value determined by the rating of inverter 26 , and the angular position of which , with respect to that of line current i 1 , can be varied from zero to 360 degrees . this voltage , v pq1 , is inserted in series with line 12 via transformer tr1 . the line current i 1 flows through series transformer tr1 and interacts with the injected voltage v pq1 . the interaction means , in general , the exchange of both real and reactive power between line 12 and inverter 26 . this power exchange is illustrated in fig2 in the form of a phasor diagram . as seen in fig2 the component of the voltage , v pq1r , that is in phase with current i 1 , results in real power p 12 = i 1 v pq1r , and the component of voltage , v pq1q , that is in quadrature with current i 1 , results in reactive power q c1 = i 1 v pq1q . it should be noted that the form of these equations implies single phase quantities . it is to be understood however , that although the ipfc concept could be applied to single - phase power systems , it in practice would normally be used in conjunction with three phase power systems . in spite of this , the equations are kept in the previously used simple form throughout this discussion with the understanding that they can be made to be also valid for balanced three - phase systems by assuming that they represent related phase quantities , e . g ., line to neutral voltages and line currents , and by simply multiplying them by three . as is known from the theory of voltage - sourced inverters , and as explained in the referenced u . s . pat . no . 5 , 343 , 139 , inverter 26 ( as well as inverter 28 ) is able to generate or absorb the reactive power , q c1 , exchanged . however , inverter 26 will convert real power p 12 and transfer it to its dc terminals , where it appears as a real power demand ( positive or negative ) to be provided in the form of v dc i dc , where v dc is the voltage of the common dc link and i dc is the current to be supplied or absorbed by the link . the quantity ( 1 / i 1 ) v pq1q represents the virtual reactive impedance that the inverter produces to compensate the existing line impedance x 1 , and thereby to increase or decrease the transmitted power . this compensating impedance may be capacitive ( to increase the transmitted power ) or inductive ( to decrease the transmitted power ), depending on whether the injected voltage v pq1q lags or leads the line current by 90 degrees . if the compensating impedance is x c1 , where x c1 =( 1 / i 1 ) v pq1q ), then the power transmitted through line 12 will be inversely proportional to the impedance difference given by x 1 - x c1 . the x c1 is a reference quantity provided for the ipfc control to adjust the power flow in line 12 . the desired quadrature voltage to be injected by inverter 26 can be simply derived from this with the knowledge of the line current i 1 , that is , v pq1q = x c1 i 1 . the quantity ( 1 / i 1 ) v pq1r represents the virtual real impedance r 1 that the inverter produces . this impedance may be positive ( in which case real power is absorbed from the line ) or negative , in which case real power is generated for the line ), depending on whether the injected voltage component v pq1r is in phase , or in phase opposition , with line current i 1 . in the first case , real power p 12 = i 1 v pq1r =( i 1 ) 2 r 1 , is absorbed from the line and transferred to the common dc terminals of inverters 26 and 28 . in the second case , p 12 is absorbed by inverter 26 from common dc terminals and delivered for line 12 at its ac terminals . this case , from the viewpoint of line 12 , is equivalent to that of an additional power generator with real power rating of p 12 connected in series with the sending end voltage source to increase the overall power input to line 12 . it is easy to see if inverter 28 of the ipfc is operated so as to inject in series with line 14 a virtual real impedance with an equivalent magnitude but with an opposite sign to that injected in series with line 12 by inverter 26 , while also injecting an independently controllable virtual reactive impedance , then the real power p 12 will be transferred from either line 12 to line 14 , or visa versa ( depending on which of the two virtual real impedances is positive and which is negative ), while both lines receive independently controlled series reactive compensation . in order to accomplish this , inverter 28 is synchronized to the current i 2 flowing in line 14 . that is , inverter 28 produces an alternating voltage v pq2 at the fundamental power system frequency , the magnitude of which is controllable between zero and a maximum value determined by the rating of inverter 28 , and the angular position of which , with respect to that of current i 2 , can be varied from zero to 360 degrees . this voltage , v pq2 , is inserted in series with line 14 via transformer tr2 . the line current i 2 flows through series transformer tr2 and interacts with the injected voltage v pq2 . the interaction means , as explained above , the exchange of both real and reactive power between line 14 and inverter 28 . specifically , the component of the voltage , v pq2r , that is in phase with current i 2 , defines the real power exchange , and voltage component , v pq2q , that is in quadrature with current i 2 , defines the reactive exchange between line 14 and inverter 30 . in order to satisfy the command to transfer real power between lines 12 and 14 , via the common dc link 30 of the back - to - back connected inverters , the real power exchange between lines 14 and inverter 28 must be equal and opposite to that exchanged between line 12 and inverter 26 . that is , i 1 v pq1r + i 2 v pq2r = 0 . the reactive power exchanged between line 14 and inverter 28 , defined by q c2 = i 2 v pq2q is independently controllable from that , q c1 = i 1 v pq1q , exchanged between line 12 and inverter 26 . the quantity ( 1 / i 2 ) v pq2q represents the virtual reactive impedance that the inverter produces to compensate the existing line impedance x 2 , thereby increasing or decreasing the transmitted real power in line 14 . this compensating impedance , just like the virtual compensating impedance produced by inverter 26 , may be capacitive to increase the transmitted power ) or inductive ( to decrease transmitted power ), depending on whether the injected voltage v pq2q lags or leads the line current by 90 degrees . if the compensating impedance is x c2 , where x 2 =( 1 / i 2 ) v pq2q , then the power transmitted through line 14 will be inversely proportional to the impedance difference x c22 - x 2 . the x c22 is also a reference quantity provided for the ipfc control 32 to adjust the power flow in line 14 . the desired quadrature voltage to be injected by inverter 28 can be simply derived from this with the knowledge of the line current i 2 , that is , v pq2q = x c2 i 2 . it can be appreciated that the embodiment of the ipfc shown above can be easily extended to multiple n ( where n is an integer ) lines as illustrated in fig3 . in fig3 a plurality of n ac to dc inverters 34 , 36 and 38 are coupled in series with transmission lines 40 , 42 and 44 , respectively , via transformers tr1 &# 39 ;, tr2 &# 39 ; and trn . a dc link 46 provides the common dc input voltage for the inverters . the necessary criterion for the operation of this system is that the sum of the real power exchanged by all inverters must sum to zero , i 2 v pq1r + i 2 v pq2r + . . . + i n v pqnr = 0 . otherwise , the ac voltage necessary for the operation of the inverters cannot be maintained . it should be understood , that the ac to dc inverters of fig3 could be replaced by other types of power converters , for example , by ac to ac converters coupled by an ac link instead of a dc link , and still fall within this invention . another generalized arrangement for the ipfc is shown in fig4 . in this embodiment , n lines are compensated by n series inverters 48 , 50 and 52 which are all connected to the dc bus 56 . an additional inverter in the form of a shunt inverter 58 is also connected to the dc bus . the ac terminals of the shunt inverter are connected to an appropriate bus of the ac system by way of transformer trs . fig4 also shows a single ac bus 60 feeding two of the n transmission lines . of course , the ipfc is not limited in any way by the bus arrangement of the transmission system . the line fed via series inverters could be fed individually or in groups from an arbitrary number of related and unrelated buses . the purpose of the shunt inverter is to remove the previously stated requirement that the real power exchanged by all series inverters must sum to zero . in this case , the sum of the real powers exchanged , that is , i 2 v pq1r + i 2 v pq2r + . . . + i n v pqnr = p diff , is recirculated to the common ac bus by the shunt inverter . in other words , the shunt inverter is controlled to maintain the desired dc terminal voltage , and in doing so , it exchanges p diff = v bus i inv - real power ( positive or negative ) with the ac bus . in the expression v bus i inv - real , v bus is the line to neutral voltage of the ac bus and i inv - real is the current component in phase with v bus drawn by the shunt inverter . the shunt inverter increases the degree of freedom in the compensation and power transfer control of individual lines , which makes this arrangement particularly suitable to manage power transfer in a complex transmission system involving several lines . it should be evident to those skilled in the art that other implementations and applications of the invention are possible . for example , the ipfc could be implemented by the use of ac to dc current - sourced inverters , or by inverters operated with a resonant link , instead of the ac to dc voltage - sourced inverters shown in the fig1 embodiment . similarly , other types of power converters , such as ac to ac converters or frequency changers , could be employed to implement the ipfc . if an ac link is used , a passive resonant circuit can be coupled to the link . also , the dc terminals of the ipfc inverters , used in the preferred embodiment could be coupled to an energy source or storage device 62 such as a large storage capacitor , battery bank , superconducting magnetic storage , etc ., as shown in fig5 . voltage - sourced type inverters would be used when the link has voltage - source type characteristics ( e . g . the link is connected to a battery or capacitor bank ), and current - sourced type inverters would be used when the link has current - source type characteristics ( e . g . the link is connected to a rotating machine or inductive energy storage device ). in the embodiment of fig5 the energy storage device is coupled to the dc link 56 by way of a coupling circuit 64 . this arrangement would allow short term violation of the condition of the real power exchange the real power exchanged by all inverters at zero , stipulated for the basic ipfc arrangement shown in fig3 . in this way , the ipfc could be used to counteract transient disturbances , such as voltage sags , power oscillation , subsynchronous oscillations , etc ., in any one of the lines to which it is coupled , with the use of a single energy storage device rated to handle the disturbance only in one ( or a defined number ) line ( s ). one important application of the ipfc arrangement with an energy storage device is the dynamic compensation , or &# 34 ; restoration &# 34 ;, of voltage sags occurring on electric power distribution system feeder lines . with specific embodiments of the power circuit of the ipfc , and their various application features described above , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that further modifications and alterations , and additional applications to those described , could be developed in light of the overall teachings set forth above . consequently , the arrangements described are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention . for example , the energy source in fig5 could be a rotating electrical machine . the control system of the ipfc for the above example involving two transmission lines ( such as in fig1 ) is shown in fig6 . there are two essentially identical control units controlling inverters 26 and 28 . each unit is operated with an independent reactive impedance reference input ( control unit 66 with x c1 * and control unit 68 with x c2 *) to determine the degree of series reactive compensation for lines 12 and 14 . the real power reference , p 12 *, which determines the real power to be transferred from one line to the other is common to the two control units , except for the polarity which is made opposite for control unit 66 . in this way , a positive reference value for p 12 * means that the real power transfer is from line 14 to line 12 , and a negative reference value means that it is from line 12 to line 14 . the control units employ well established vector control techniques and functional blocks , such as are well explained in commonly owned application ser . no . 08 / 366 , 646 , filed dec . 30 , 1994 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . referring now to fig6 and in particular to control unit 68 , this unit operates inverter 28 to inject a voltage v pq 2 in series with line 14 . the magnitude and angle of v pq2 must be such that the component , v pq2r , in quadrature with transmission line current i 2 , will represent a virtual reactive impedance , x c2 = v pq2q / i 2 defined by reference x c22 *, and the component , v pq2r , in phase with current i 2 , will represent a virtual real impedance , r 2 = v pq2r / i 2 which gives real power p 12 = i 2 2 r 2 defined by reference p 12 *. as the block diagram of control unit 68 shows , the instantaneous values of the three phase currents in line 14 are represented by a current vector in a two axes , d and q , system of coordinates . this current vector has an instantaneous magnitude i 2 and an instantaneous phase angle θ 2 . the derivation of these quantities are accomplished by three control blocks : vector resolver 70 , vector phase locked loop 72 and vector magnitude calculator 74 . the details of these control blocks are shown in fig7 and their operation is well understood by those skilled in the art . further explanation can be found in commonly assigned application ser . no . 08 / 366 , 646 . the operation of inverter 28 is essentially determined by four variables : x c2 *, p 12 *, i 2 , and θ 2 . as seen in fig6 the power reference is converted into an instantaneous real reference : r 2 *= p 12 */ i 2 . from reference quantities x c2 *, r 2 *, and from current magnitude i 2 , the magnitude e 2 * and angle β 2 * of the desired series voltage vector with respect to the current vector of line 14 are derived by simple mathematical operation . since angle β 2 * defines the relative angular position of the desired series voltage vector , the total instantaneous phase angle of this voltages vector , and thus that of the voltage to be generated by inverter 28 , is given by : φ 2 = θ 2 + β 2 * . the magnitude of the output voltage produced by inverter 28 , is controlled by parameter τ 2 , defined as e 2 / v dc , where e 2 * is the amplitude of the output voltage v dc is the voltage of the dc link . thus , the ratio of the dc voltage to the magnitude of the desired series voltage e 2 */ v dc defines the instantaneous value of τ 2 , needed to operate inverter 28 . therefore , the quantities φ 2 and τ 2 can be used to operate inverter 28 via a look - up table of switch states that are sequentially stored for a defined set of τ 2 value and can be accessed as a function of φ 2 . as fig6 . shows , control unit 66 has the same structure and operates in the same way as control unit 68 , deriving control variables φ 2 and τ 2 to provide gating signals for the switches of inverter 26 . note , however , that the sign of reference r 1 *, where r 1 *= p 12 */ i 1 2 , is reversed ( multiplied by - 1 ) in order to ensure that that ( positive ) real power absorbed by inverter 28 from line 14 is delivered by inverter 26 to line 12 via the dc link . since r 1 * represents the same power as r 2 *, and since its sign is opposite , theoretically , the two inverters should accommodate smooth power flow with stable dc link voltage . however , even small practical differences in the power circuit losses or control accuracies of the two inverters could result in small differences in the delicate real power balance , causing the dc link voltage to fluctuate or even collapse . in order to stabilize the dc link voltage a special power equalization control 78 , in a closed - loop circuit arrangement , is employed . referring again to fig6 it is seen that reference inputs r 2 * and - r 1 * are modified by the addition of error signals δr 2 to yield r 2r * and δr 1 to yield r 1r *, used to derive control angles β 1 * and β 2 *. error signals δr 1 and δr 2 are derived through the process which starts by comparison of the required magnitude signal e 1 * and e 2 * of the injected voltages v pq1 and v pq2 , respectively , and selection of the larger one , e max *. this is accomplished by the function block max ( e 1 * e 2 *). the signal e max * is then compared to the appropriately scaled ( k dc ) value of the dc link voltage v dc . the voltage error obtained is divided by i 1 cosβ 1 * and i 2 cosβ 2 * ( the components of line currents i 1 and i 2 that are in phase with the injected voltages v pq1 and v pq2 , respectively ) to get a positive or negative real impedance difference indicating the need to increase , or the possibility to decrease , the dc voltage to facilitate the desired maximum line reactive compensation and real power transfer . the error , after appropriate amplification ( k 1 k 2 ), are added to - r 1 * and r 2 * to produce r 1r * and r 2s * to change β 1 * and β 2 *. it is seen that positive errors will increase β 2 * and decrease β 1 *, to increase the dc link voltage , whereas negative errors will do the opposite to decrease it . while specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the invention . accordingly , the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof . | 8 |
all percentages of components are weight percentages . it should also be noted that while the present invention is exemplified below using zinc oxide , various metal oxide is within the scope of the invention . the zinc oxide component of the present invention and for use in the dispersion of the present invention can have an average particle size of about 2 . 74 microns and still be transparent on the skin after application of a formulated product that includes this zinc oxide component . one zinc oxide that may be of particular use with regard to the present invention is a dispersion that includes 40 - 60 % zinc oxide , 30 - 59 % c 12 - 15 alkyl benzoate , and 1 - 5 % isostearic acid ( available as zinclear - im 50ab from advanced nanotechnology ). the present invention is not limited to the use of c 12 - 15 alkyl benzoate , however , as other esters are within the scope of the present invention . other zinc oxide components that may be used include , but are not limited to , 40 - 60 % zinc oxide , 30 - 59 % caprylic / capric triglyceride , and 1 - 5 % glyceryl isostearate ( available as zinclear - im 50cct ); uncoated zinc oxide and coated zinc oxide having an average particle size diameter of about 30 - 50 nanometers ( available as z - cote from basf ); and coated zinc oxides in which coating is added ( available as sih - 5 z - cote xp - m52 from basf ). the foregoing sih - 5 z - cote xp - m52 is a formulation of zinc oxide / silica / dimethicone methicone copolymer . also of interest for use with zinc oxide or in addition to any of the foregoing zinc oxides is c 12 - 15 alkyl benzoate ( available as finsolv tn ) and caprylic / capric triglyceride ( available as dermol m5 ). it should be understood that isostearic acid , triglycerides , and isostearates are derived from fatty acids . generally the zinc oxide lattice structure is “ reduced .” it is believed that in a zinc oxide in which the lattice structure is reduced , the zinc oxide particles possess an excess of zinc ions within an absorbing core . these are localized states and as such may exist within the band gap . however , the electrons and holes may then relax to the excess zinc ion states . thus , the electrons and holes may be trapped so that they cannot migrate to the surface of the particles and react with absorbed species . the electrons and holes may then recombine at the ionic zinc states accompanied by the release of a photon with an energy equivalent to the difference in the energy levels . additionally , a crystal of the enhanced zinc oxide is smaller than the crystal size of other zinc oxides , thus giving the zinc oxide more surface area than other zinc oxides . also , with regard to the zinc oxide of the present invention , smaller crystals are irreversibly aggregated so that the resulting particles have micron sizes instead of nanometer sizes before and after formulation . the zinc oxide formed by the combination of the reduced zinc oxide crystals aggregated with the zinc oxide crystals of larger size may result in the formation of “ trap sites ” that affect conductivity of the zinc oxide material and therefore the pyroelectric effect . these trap sites , which minimize migration of the electron / hole pairs , may be luminescence trap sites and / or killer sites . luminescence trap sites and killer sites are foreign ions designed to trap the electrons and positively charged holes and therefore inhibit migration of the electron / hole pairs . furthermore , the zinc oxides employed in the present invention are n - doped , thereby facilitating the movement of the electrons in one direction so they eventually cannot move anymore , and thereby resulting in a decrease in conductivity . in methods of the present invention in which the pyroelectric effects of zinc oxide are evaluated , it is believed that if the photons of sunlight are absorbed by the zinc oxide , then the enhanced zinc oxide would be more effective at or capable of absorbing photons of light than non - enhanced zinc oxide . because the pyroelectric effect is related to conductivity , it could be measured indirectly by subjecting the zinc oxide to microwaves . increases in temperature could be used as indicators of pyroelectric effects . higher temperatures indicate increased conductivity , and therefore increased pyroelectricity . this forms a basis to differentiate between zinc oxides and any changes influencing the crystal lattice structure . the equipment used in the experiments below included an 1100 watt microwave . 120 volts oven ( model # nn - s7588a commercially available from panosonic ) and a digital thermometer ( model # pt - 100 , surface temperature probe ). the apparatus set - up for the temperature study is as follows . a weighed amount of powder or dispersion was placed in the bottom of a polycarbonate cup . the cup was set on an upside down styrene cup to avoid heat transfer from microwave floor . the sample was microwaved for a set period of time , and the temperature was immediately recorded . as the method became more refined , 1 gram of sample was microwaved on high for 1 minute , temperature measured immediately during one minute “ rest ” interval , and then microwaved again , etc . procedure continued until temperature after microwaving was lower than previous reading . in these studies , the temperature probe was equilibrated to 83 c just prior to measurement of sample temperature to avoid heat loss when “ warming up ” the thermometer . in a first microwave study , 0 . 5 gram samples of zinc oxide were heated using microwaves for 60 seconds . the initial temperature for each sample was 75 degrees f . the highest temperature for the uncoated zinc oxide was 87 . 2 degrees f , and the highest temperature for the coated zinc oxide was 83 . 6 degrees f . it was determined that the coating on the coated zinc oxide interfered with the conductivity of the zinc oxide . two gram samples of zinc oxide suspension ( zinclear - im 50ab ) and alkyl benzoate ( finsolv tn ) were heated using microwaves for 30 seconds . the initial temperature for each sample was 83 degrees f . the highest temperature for the zinclear - im 50ab was 105 . 5 degrees f . the highest temperature for the finsolv tn was 100 . 2 degrees f . it was determined that the zinclear sample exhibited a pyroelectric effect , and that solvent for the dispersed zinc oxide also affects the pyroelectric effect . two gram samples of zinc oxide suspension ( zinclear - im 50cct ) and caprylic / capric triglyceride ( dermol m5 ) were heated using microwaves for 30 seconds . the initial temperature for each sample was 83 degrees f . the highest temperature for the zinclear - im 50cct was 99 . 4 degrees f . the highest temperature for the dermol m5 was 103 . 5 degrees f . it was determined that the zinclear sample exhibited a pyroelectric effect , but that the 50cct zinc oxide may be less pyroelectrically effective than the 50ab zinc oxide of example 4 . the waxy coating of isostearic acid versus glyceryl isostearate might also influence the pyroelectric effect of zinc oxide . in another microwave study , one gram of uncoated enhanced zinc oxide was placed in the bottom of a first polycarbonate cup , and one gram of uncoated non - enhanced zinc oxide was placed in the bottom of a second polycarbonate cup . the samples were subjected to intermittent heating by being heated using microwaves for one minute time periods with one minute rests in - between microwave exposures . surface temperatures were recorded during the one minute rests . the temperature probe was warmed to 83 degrees f before contact with the sample surface . the testing was performed as routinely as possible to minimize data variability . although some variability was noted , an overall general increase of about 5 - 6 fahrenheit degrees was noted for the enhanced zinc oxide versus the non - enhanced zinc oxide . the data showed a drop in temperature ( conductance ) after four one - minute exposures of high power microwaves , as shown in the figure . the data shown in the figure suggest that the electrons in the crystal lattice of the enhanced zinc oxide are easier to excite than the electrons in the crystal lattice of the non - enhanced zinc oxide . it is postulated that the ease of excitation in the enhanced zinc oxide is due to the “ reduction ” in the zinc oxide lattice structure , that the size of the crystal in the enhanced zinc oxide is smaller and has more surface area than the crystal in the non - enhanced zinc oxide , and that the smaller crystals of the enhanced zinc oxide were irreversibly agglomerated so that the resulting particles are of micron sizes instead of nanometer sizes before and after formulation . it is also postulated that a “ reduced zinc oxide crystal ” that has been “ aggregated ” gives rise to “ trap sites ” that affect conductivity and pyroelectric effect . although this invention has been shown and described with respect to the detailed embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those of skill in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed in the above detailed description , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the following claims . | 0 |
in fig1 two clock generators are indicated by pll0 and pll1 which are synchronized with a master clock , however , the clock supplied by them not being phase - locked . these clock generators supply two clock distribution systems v0 and v1 to which units e1 to en which need to be supplied are connected . as the drawing shows , the connection of these units to the clock systems varies depending on whether with some of these units due to a disturbance of the individual clock inputs change - over switching from one clock system to the other has taken place . the units e1 to en have individual monitor devices ( not shown ), which respond if the individual clock supply is disturbed which can have its causes in these units as well as may also be traced back to disturbances of the distribution systems or the clock supply through clock generators pll0 and pll1 . accordingly , the evaluation of the alarm signals supplied by these monitor devices can have different consequences . specifically , it can lead to a change of the connection to another of the two distribution systems for some of the units , or it can bring about change - over switching of the clock supply from one of the clock generators pll0 and pll1 to the other . parts t0 and t1 of the circuit configuration according to the invention each have one pair of further monitor devices ua0 , ub0 , and ub1 , ua1 . further , two pairs of on / alter switches are provided a / u01 ; a / u02 as well as a / u11 ; a / u12 . in their change - over position these on / alter switches depending on the switching position establish a connection between the output of the one or the other clock generator pll0 and pll1 and a contact 0 , 1 of one of the alter switches e of an alter switching device with the help of which either the one or the other clock generator is applied to the two distributor systems v0 and v1 . hence , for example through the on / alter switch a / u01 in the shown change - over position , the clock generator pll0 is applied to the one contact 1 of alter switch e0 via which the connection of the distribution system v0 to this clock generator pll0 takes place . in the other change - over position of the on / alter switch a / u01 ( with the same switching position of alter switch e0 ) the clock generator pll1 is connected to the distribution system v0 . the monitor circuits ua0 , ub0 , and ub1 , ua1 are so arranged that with them , in so far as the on / alter switches assume one of their change - over switching positions , it can be determined whether the one or the other clock generator properly supplies a clock all the way to the alter switching devices with the alter switches e0 and e1 . if the on / alter switches assume their switching off position , the particular monitor device is cut off from the clock generators . in the normal circuit configuration as it is shown in fig1 and again separately in fig2 the distribution systems v0 and v1 are supplied by clock generator pll0 , with the monitor device ua0 functioning to monitor whether or not the clock gets to alter switch e0 via which the distributor system v0 is reached and monitors the monitor device ub1 with respect to whether or not the clock gets to alter switch e1 of the alter switching device over which the distribution system v1 is reached . in this normal position the on / alter switches a / u02 and a / u12 assume such change - over position that the clock supplied by clock generator pll1 which functions as the stand - by generator reaches contact 0 of change - over switch e0 respectively contact 1 of alter switch e1 of the alter switching device . the monitor device ub0 functions accordingly to check the proper state of readiness of the clock for the distribution system v0 through the clock generator pll1 , while the monitor device ub1 monitors such state of readiness regarding the distribution system v1 . similarly , the monitor device ub0 monitors the state of readiness of a clock for the distribution system v0 and the monitor device ua1 the readiness for the distribution system v1 in each instance through clock generator pll1 . in fig1 timing diagrams are shown for the normal configuration and for the test configurations p1 to p6 corresponding to switch positions of the contacts a to d respectively 0 to 1 of the on / alter switches a / u01 to a / u12 respectively the change - over switching device e0 / 01 on the assumption that the clock generator pll0 is the currently active clock generator and the clock generator pll1 is the current stand - by generator . in the test configuration p1 according to fig3 the on / alter switches a / u01 and a / u11 still have the switching position shown in fig2 while on / alter switches a / u02 and a / u12 , are in their switching off position , which cuts off the monitor devices ub0 and ua1 from the clock generators . the two monitor devices must respond to operate properly . in test configuration p2 according to fig4 through appropriate activation of contacts c and b of the on / alter switches a / u02 and a / u12 a parallel path is set for the supply of the clock through clock generator pll0 to the alter switches e0 and e1 of the change - over switching device . this test configuration represents a preparatory step to the test configuration according to fig5 which differs from that according to fig4 in that now the alter switches e0 and e1 of the change - over switching device assume their other switching position . because of the previously set parallel paths in this changed switching position also the distribution systems v0 and v1 are supplied by clock generator pll0 so that a situation as previously described cannot occur in which , due to phase shifts data losses can occur . if the contacts of alter switches e0 and e1 do not close properly in the new switching position , the monitor device , at least if not all of units e1 are connected to one and the same distribution system , of one or several of these devices e1 to en will respond and in this way signal improper functioning of one of the alter switches e0 or e1 . in the test configuration p4 according to fig6 the on / alter switches a / u01 and a / u11 assume their switching off position , whereas the switching position of the two remaining on / alter switches relative to the configuration in fig5 remain unchanged . hence , the monitor devices ua0 and ub1 are cut off from clock generator pll0 so that they must respond if they are functioning properly respectively in the event that they do not respond their malfunctioning is signalled . with the test configuration p5 according to fig7 through activation of contacts a and d of the on / alter switches a / u01 and a / u11 again a parallel path for the supply of the clock to the alter switches e0 and e1 from the clock generator pll0 is set with which a preparatory step for resetting these alter switches according to the switching configuration p6 in fig8 has been taken . if after such change - over switching contact 1 of the upper alter switch e0 respectively of contact 0 of the lower alter switch e1 does not close properly , again , with the above discussed restriction in the case of one of devices of e1 to en , the monitor device present there will respond and thereby signal the improper functioning of these alter switches . the test configuration shown in fig9 corresponds to the standard configuration shown in fig2 . activation of the two alter switches e0 and e1 of the change - over switching device to produce the test configuration p3 respectively p6 must take place synchronously and during an interpulse period so that a distortion of the clock pulses is avoided . if the test process begins in a state in which the clock generator pll1 is the active and the clock generator pll0 the stand - by generator , corresponding test configurations result . | 7 |
fig1 shows a garment hanger 1 , in a perspective view , wherein the carrying element 2 , which is built as a generally rectangular rod 12 , runs centrally of the hanger 1 . the carrying element 2 has suspension hooks 3 at both ends with only one of them being shown in fig1 . several carrying bars 4 , 4 &# 39 ;, 5 , 5 &# 39 ; are slidably mounted in the carrying element 2 . the carrying bars 4 , 5 , 5 &# 39 ; are shown in a position for favorably receiving garments thereon , while the carrying bar 4 is in a rest position , i . e . after a corresponding garment , preferably a pair of trousers , has been hung thereon . the carrying bars 4 , 4 &# 39 ;, 5 , 5 &# 39 ; are slidably and pivotably mounted in bores 6 in the carrying element 2 , so that each carrying bar 4 , 4 &# 39 ;, 5 , 5 &# 39 ;, consisting of an upper bar 7 and a lower bar 8 , can each be brought together with the carrying element 2 into a rest position or an active position . the hanging and / or removal of the garments is considerably facilitated by the carrying bars 4 , 4 &# 39 ;, 5 , 5 &# 39 ; acting as telescopes with respect to the carrying element 2 . the individual carrying bars , and in particular the upper bars 7 thereof , are prevented from completely sliding out or from sliding too far by stop elements 9 located towards the end of the upper bar 7 . the stop element 9 and the stop element 9 &# 39 ; on the opposite side of the bar 7 limit and define a telescopic travel path 10 so that the optimal position of the hanger is preserved , independently of the position of each other individual carrying bar 4 , 4 &# 39 ;, 5 , 5 &# 39 ; at any given moment . the upper bar 7 and the lower bar 8 are joined together by a connecting u - shaped portion 11 to form a stable assembly , which can be moved back and forth along the upper rod 7 , through the bores 6 in the rod 12 , which is made of solid material to form the carrying element 2 . due to a corresponding width of the preferred rod 12 and its being made of a solid material , a secure support of the carrying bars 4 , 4 &# 39 ;, 5 , 5 &# 39 ; is ensured , independently of their respective positions . fig2 shows a preferred suspension hook 3 of the carrying element 2 , in order to show clearly that the suspension hooks 3 also provide particular features of the invention . as shown in fig2 the suspension hooks 3 are circularly designed , with one circle or arcuate segment cut out for the hook opening . the hook opening is located below the center 15 of the circle in order to prevent the garment hanger 1 from inadvertently sliding or falling off the clothes hanger bar gripped by the hook 3 . on the inner edge or top of the suspension hook 3 , a load area 16 is preferably suitably smooth , in order that the suspension hook 3 can optimally balance the load of the garment hanger in the horizontal or vertical position . for a preferred connection with the carrying element 2 , or with a corresponding extension which will be described later , at one end or side of the hook opening 14 a tilt rim or bearing surface 17 is provided . the rim or surface 17 is limited or defined by the slide - in stop element 18 at the inward end thereof and the stop rim 19 on the extended end thereof . the stop rim 19 , which is a thickened portion with respect to the tilt rim or bearing surface 17 , is provided with a notch 20 which is sufficiently long to extend , at least partially , into the rim or surface 17 , in order to create a kind of spring effect . the notch 20 and resulting spring effect facilitate the insertion into the holes at the end of the carrying element 2 and the subsequent fastening or retention in the carrying element 2 . it is advantageous that this notch 20 , as it cooperates with the design of the entire arresting means , creates the possibility of pivotably mounting the suspension hook 3 on the carrying element 2 in an effective and simple manner . while fig1 shows the position ( generally horizontal ) wherein the garment hanger 1 can be loaded with garments or wherein the individual garments can be removed , fig3 shows the rest or vertical position , wherein the entire garment hanger 1 is suspended by only one of the suspension hooks 3 mounted at the ends thereof . as shown , the lower hook 22 , however , is not in use , but is disposed for possible use when the garment hanger 1 is brought in the position shown in fig1 . in the preferred embodiment for hanging pants or dresses , the individual suspension hooks 3 , 22 are mounted on laterally offset extensions 23 of the carrying element 2 . each extension 23 is provided with a bore 24 for engaging receipt of the rim or surface 17 of the suspension hooks 3 , 22 therein . for the sake of simplicity in the drawings , only two bars 4 , 5 of the total of preferably five carrying bars are shown completely , while the others are only partially indicated . it should be clear that each lower bar 8 , together with its plastic coating 25 , in the position shown in fig3 slides into a groove 26 or 27 formed in the carrying element 2 , so that an almost vertical position of the carrying element 2 can be reached . accordingly , only an optimally reduced space is required . as seen in fig3 the individual carrying bars 4 , 5 are in an intermediate position , i . e . not completely in the rest or storage position , so that they can be slightly pushed to the left . not represented in fig3 are the extensions on the free ends of the upper bars 7 . although the extensions 23 are shown as being disposed at one side of the lateral edges of the carrying element 2 , the extensions 23 can , if required , be even farther laterally offset in order to provide equilibrium for the entire system . the individual grooves 26 , 27 each extend or run parallel to the bores 28 , 29 , 6 , as shown in fig4 and 5 , which respectively include in a frontal view and a side view of the carrying element 2 . while the grooves 26 , 27 according to fig3 are actually a kind of notch , fig5 shows an embodiment , wherein the grooves are correspondingly bow - shaped recesses between the individual bores 6 , 28 , 29 . fig6 shows one of the carrying bars 4 in a lateral view , to more clearly show that only the u - shaped portion 11 and the lower bar 8 are suitably provided with a plastic coating 25 . as a result , in the end area of the upper bar 7 , the desired additional stop member 9 &# 39 ; is formed , while the necessary stop member 9 is formed at the free end . the stop member 9 is provided by a thickened region 30 , in which a notch 31 is provided . the notch 31 makes possible a compression and the insertion into the bores 6 , 28 , 29 of the carrying element 2 . after the insertion and traversing of the bores , the two parts are separated by spring force , so that the desired stop member 9 is created . for the case where the carrying bar 4 , 5 is made in its entirety of a certain plastic material , the desired stop member 9 &# 39 ; can be formed by a corresponding thickened area or region , in order to increase the loading capacity with the u - shaped portion 11 and the lower bar 8 having a larger diameter than the upper bar 7 . fig7 shows a further suitable embodiment , in which the lower bar 8 is additionally or only by itself telescopically constructed . the upper bar 7 is extended through the u - shaped portion 11 so that the lower bar 8 , when provided with a corresponding recess 32 , can slide on top of it . in this embodiment , a stop member 9 &# 34 ; can be provided to effectively limit the telescopic travel path 10 . in the embodiment shown in fig7 depending on the expected load , it is possible to bring the entire carrying bar 4 toward the loading position by correspondingly adjusting the upper bar 7 in the carrying element 2 . additionally or alternatively , it would be possible , under certain circumstances , to employ the telescopic travel path 10 according to fig7 . as a result , it is also possible to use both telescopic travel paths , or telescopic travelpath segments 10 , 10 &# 39 ;, in order to create a widely extensible embodiment to facilitate the hanging of individual garments . in such a situation , the lower bar 8 might be pushed back first and , subsequently , the entire carrying bar 4 could be returned to the storage position . the embodiment illustrated in fig8 is remarkable primarily due to its higher stability because of the particular configuration of the u - shaped portion and of the lower carrying bar . in order to also make possible the simple hanging and arranging of skirts on the garment hanger , on each of the lower bars 8 , hooks 34 , 35 , 34 &# 39 ; are formed . the groups of hooks 34 , 35 , 34 &# 39 ; are open towards opposite sides , respectively , towards the ends of the lower bar 8 , so that the opening of the respective first hooks 34 , 34 &# 39 ; are limited by arresting dogs 36 , 36 &# 39 ;. once hung up , the garments cannot slip off the hook easily because of the adjacent hooks or the arresting dogs . essentially , the special configuration of the u - shaped portion 11 of fig8 does not serve to increase the stability of the entire system , but rather functions as a handle 37 for the extension and retraction of the bars 7 , 8 . the free end of the carrying bar 8 is also equipped with a similarly shaped handle 38 . both handles 37 , 38 are equipped with an arresting dog 36 which has already previously been described , while the handle 37 serves at the same time as a stop member 9 . fig9 shows an additional embodiment in which the u - shaped portion 11 is prolonged and squared to create a door hook means , such as an angular door hook 39 . in the embodiment seen in fig9 the horizontal web 40 is extensible , so that an optimal adjustment to the object on which the garment hanger 1 is supposed to hang is possible . it is sufficient , for instance , in a hanger having five such carrying bars 4 , 5 , for only two to have corresponding door hooks 39 . as seen in fig1 , an alternative garment hanger device 40 is installed on a clothes hanging bar 90 and includes a rigid bar member 42 with hooks 44 and 46 respectively pivotably mounted at the opposite ends thereof . the rigid bar 42 includes a plurality of holes formed along the longitudinal axis 50 of the rigid bar 42 . the holes 48 are evenly spaced along the longitudinal axis 50 for the receipt of each of a plurality of coat hanger elements 52 therein . the coat hanger elements 52 preferably include an enlarged end 54 and are of the type which are generally used for hanging suits or the like . as seen in fig1 and 13 , the preferred rigid bar 42 and the preferred hooks 44 , 46 are both formed of strudy , slightly deflectable plastic material . the rigid bar 42 is preferably molded between a pair of molding dies 60 , 62 . the molding dies 60 , 62 cooperate to generally mate at the central plane 64 of the rigid bar 42 for the formation of the holes 48 and the pivot holes 58 for eventual receipt of the hooks 44 , 46 therein . as will be seen , in order to provide proper balance and alignment of the preferred garment hanging device 40 , the holes 48 and the pivot holes 58 extend perpendicular to the central plane 64 of the preferred rigid bar 42 . as a result , formation of the preferred rigid bar 42 in this manner provides the holes 48 and the pivot holes 58 in proper alignment and with smooth interior surfaces for the respective receipt of hanger elements and the pivot axis of the hooks therein . as seen in fig1 , the preferred hooks 44 , which are identical to the hooks 46 , are preferably formed of the same type of strudy but slightly deflectable plastic material as is the rigid bar 42 . an upper mold 61 and a lower mold 63 cooperate to provide various features for the hooks 44 , 46 . the hooks 44 , 46 are preferably similar to the hooks 3 shown in fig2 and discussed hereinabove . molding the preferred hooks 44 , 46 ( and the hooks 3 ) as shown in fig1 provides a simple means for providing a slot 66 at the pivot end of the hook . as will be seen , the use of such a slot 66 simplifies installation of the hooks 44 , 46 in the pivot holes 58 of the rigid member 42 and insures proper retention therein throughout the expected use of the garment hanging device 40 . the slot 66 in similar to the slot 20 of the hook 3 shown in fig2 and in generally formed in the pivot axis 68 at the pivot end 70 of the hook 44 , 46 . the pivot axis 68 is dimensioned to be received within the pivot hole 58 of the rigid member 42 . a first bearing member 72 is also formed at the pivot end 70 of the hook 44 , 46 for providing a radial bearing surface 74 for smooth , sliding contract against a first side 76 of the right bar 42 around the pivot hole 58 . a second bearing member 78 on the opposite end of the pivot axis 68 is configured to bear against the other side 80 of the rigid bar 42 around the pivot hole 58 . preferably , both the first side 76 and the other side 80 of the rigid bar are substantially parallel with the central plane 64 thereof . as seen in fig1 , the hook 44 , 46 is inserted in a direction as indicated by the arrow i as an outside force f is applied to the second bearing member 78 to inwardly deflect the slot 66 . deflection of the second bearing member 78 in this manner reduces the dimensions of the second bearing member 78 to allow insertion of the pivot axis 68 within the pivot hole 58 . clearly , although not preferred , other forms of single or multiple slot configurations could be employed to proide the desired inward deflection . as seen in fig1 , upon insertion of the pivot axis 68 within the pivot hole 58 , the biased characteristics of the plastic causes the slot to expand , thereby disposing the second bearing member 78 against the side 80 for retention of the hook , 44 , 46 in the hole 58 . as also seen in fig1 , the relatively large radial bearing surface 74 provides significant stabilizing contact with the first side 76 of the rigid bar 42 around the pivot hole 58 to maintain proper alignment of the hook 44 , 46 relative to the rigid bar 42 . formation of the preferred rigid bar 42 and the hooks 44 , 46 of plastic in the manner described hereinabove tends to insure continued , reliable operation of the preferred garment hanger over an extended period of time . the preferred plastic , as mentioned above , in rigid yet deflectable for facilitating assembly in the manner described hereinaboe . additionally , the preferred plastic may also include a relatively low coefficient of friction to allow smooth , relative movement of the pivot axis 68 within the pivot hole 58 and of the radial bearing surface 74 against the side 76 about the pivot hole 58 . the use of a plastic having a relatively low coefficient of friction will also be seen to be advantageous for providing a proper surface on the interior of the holes 48 for the receipt of various hangers 52 . as discussed above with respect to fig2 the preferred hook 3 , and thus the preferred hooks 44 , 46 , are generally disposed so as to lie within the arc of a circle having a center 15 , shown in fig2 and 10 . the free or extended end 82 of the hook 44 , 46 is preferably located , as seen in fig1 , below the center 15 of the hook 44 , 46 . clearly , such a location of the extended end 82 may not be required , but the angular extension of the hook 44 , 46 from the pivot end 70 to the extended end 82 should be at least as much as 240 ° to 270 ° and preferably greater than 270 ° of the circle extending about the center 15 . as seen in fig1 , it should now be clear that the type of pivot axis 68 and pivot hole 58 as described hereinabove provide each of the hooks 44 , 46 with an alignment which disposes the center 15 within the central plane 64 of the rigid bar 42 throughout relative rotation of the pivot axis 68 within the pivot hole 58 . additionally , the preferred alignment allows a point 16 on the hooks 3 , 44 , or 46 to rest against the top of the clothes hanger bar 90 . the point 16 is preferably aligned with the center 15 and with the pivot axis 68 . accordingly , the point 16 will thereby also remain within the central plane 64 throughout the complete pivoting of the hook . as the hooks 44 , 46 are disposed toward each other ( with hook 44 rotated to the left and hook 46 rotated to the right , as generally viewed in fig1 ), each of the hooks 44 , 46 will tend to lie on top of the upper surface 84 of the rigid bar 42 . with each hook 44 , 46 lying against the upper surface 84 in this manner , grasping of the hooks 44 , 46 in a single hand is simplified . by contrast , the angled , misalignment of the hooks of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 308 , 962 may allow full 360 ° rotation but does not therefore provide a convenient means for aligning the hooks toward one another for simple grasping by one hand . as will be seen , the general misalignment of the hooks in this manner will also tend to cause the rigid bar thereof to be misaligned when utilizing either both or only one of the hooks . additionally , as seen in fig1 , the previously discussed alignment of the pivot axis 68 and the pivot hole 58 , which causes the center 15 and the point 16 to be disposed within the central plane 64 of the rigid bar 42 , ensures that the rigid bar 42 tends to remain in a vertical position as generally shown in fig1 . such vertical alignment of the central plane 64 facilities insertion of each of the hangers 52 in its corresponding hole 48 . with the preferred rigid bar 42 being provided with some thickness for support of the hangers therein , the non - vertical , angled disposition of the rigid bar by the hook configuration disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 308 , 962 would significantly complicate insertion of the hangers 52 in the holes 48 . the preferred rigid bar 42 includes another feature , as seen in fig1 and fig1 , to facilitate insertion of a hook 52 in a hole 48 in a crowded or darkened closet . specifically , the rigid bar has a first transverse dimension t1 which is in the central plane 64 and is generally prependicular to the longitudinal axis 50 at each of the holes 48 . additionally , the rigid bar 42 has a second transverse dimension t2 which is in the central plane 64 and is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 50 in the area thereof between each of the holes 48 . with the transverse dimension t1 being larger than the transverse dimension t2 , location of each of the holes 48 for insertion of a hanger is simplified even in a darkened or crowded closet . by making the transverse dimension t1 greater than the transverse dimension t2 , the size of each hole 48 may also be enlarged to readily receive hangers 52 of the type which are used on suit or dress coats and which have the enlarged ends 54 . in the configuration shown in fig1 , the preferred garment hanger device 40 is being hung on the clothes hanger rod 90 by only the support hook 44 thereof . the clothes hangers 52 are again of the larger and contoured type typically used for suit or dress coats to allow a slight separation of each of the coats 92 which are hung thereon . accordingly , with the use of asymmetrical hangers 52 , the preferred garment hanger device 40 may hang generally downwardly from one hook 44 at a slightly angle ( as seen in fig1 ) to allow a more relaxed support of each of the coats 92 thereon . however , this slight angle , as seen in fig1 , does not prevent the central plane 64 from hanging vertically below the rod 90 . with the central plane 64 remaining in the vertical position , the coats 92 thereon remain vertically aligned . however , with such an angle as is seen in fig1 , it should be clear that the device disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 308 , 962 includes additional disadvantages which would tend to restrict smooth , relatively even alignment of the garments thereon . as previously discussed , the side or angled disposition of the hooks relative to the rigid bar in the device disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 308 , 962 will cause the rigid bar to hang downwardly from a single hook in an inclined manner . as a result , the upper holes would tend to be disposed forward in the closet and the lower holes rearward in the closet . the &# 34 ; central plane &# 34 ; of the rigid bar of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 308 , 962 would not hang in a truly vertical position when either two hooks or only one hook engages the clothes hanger rod . accordingly , removal of a lower garment from the device shown in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 308 , 962 would be difficult without completely returning the rigid bar to the horizontal position . however , in the preferred garment hanging device 40 of the present invention , the central plane 64 of the rigid bar 42 ( which is parallel to the surface of the drawing in fig1 ) during the vertical disposition shown in fig1 will remain truly vertical . accordingly , each of the coat hangers 52 will remain directly above the coat hangers therebelow . as a result , removal of one of coat hangers from its corresponding hole 48 is possible without requiring that the entire rigid bar 42 be returned to the horizontal position by repositioning the hook 46 on the clothes hanger rod 90 . as seen in fig1 , an alternative hole 48 &# 39 ; for the rigid bar 42 &# 39 ; includes an opening 96 at one side thereof . such an opening would allow even easier insertion of a hanger 52 therein . however , the opening 96 would preferably be located at one side , rather than centrally , of the hole 48 &# 39 ; in order to securely support a hanger therein when only one hook is used to support the rigid bar 42 &# 39 ;. obviously , with such openings 96 , the generally preferred symmetrical configuration of the preferred garment hanging device 40 is lost . as a result , only one and the same hook 44 , 46 ( that one toward the openings 96 ) could be used for support of the rigid bar 42 &# 39 ; in the vertical position . any and all patents and publications , if any , mentioned herein are specifically incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein . the invention as described hereinabove in the context of a preferred embodiment is not to be taken as limited to all of the provided details thereof , since modifications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 0 |
the principles of the present invention are particularly useful for producing an electrode comb or device 46 , ( see fig6 - 9 ) which has a body portion 50 that has a resin strip or rib 40 extending along one edge . the resin strip 40 on an outer surface has a recording edge 39 . at each end of the body 50 , reinforcing ribs 51 and 52 are provided . the body between the reinforcing ribs 51 and 52 and the rib 40 tends to taper in thickness from a maximum size at an edge 53 opposite the rib 40 to a minimum thickness adjacent the rib 40 . the device or comb 46 includes a pair of circuit boards 10 and 12 which have a plurality of conductor paths which are connected by ribbon conductors 36 that extend out of the ends of the body 50 for connection to a control circuit . in addition , the device 46 has a first row 55 ( fig9 ) of needle - shaped recording electrodes with each of the electrodes having an even spacing and being connected to separate conductor paths of the circuit board 10 . in a similar manner , a second row 56 of needle - shaped recording electrodes are connected to the conductor paths of the circuit board 12 . both rows 55 and 56 while in the rib 40 extend parallel to each other with the electrodes of the row 56 being positioned to be offset by half the spacing therebetween from the electrodes of the row 55 so that the electrode in the row 56 is opposite a space between two adjacent electrodes in the row 55 . as illustrated , the electrodes in both rows 55 and 56 extend to the recording edge 39 . in order to manufacture or produce the device 46 , the present invention is directed to a device or mold member generally indicated at 1 in fig1 which member is composed of two halves 2 and 3 which are symmetrical . when the halves are arranged as illustrated in fig1 the device or mold forms a winding core and when the halves 2 and 3 are assembled as illustrated in fig2 the device 1 then is a casting or injection mold . as illustrated , each of the halves 2 and 3 have a substantially rectangular cross - section with a first face 11 which has a flat planar surface . opposite the first face 11 , each of the halves has a second face 60 which is interconnected to the first face 11 by a third face 61 and a fourth face 62 . as mentioned hereinabove , each of the halves 2 and 3 is absolutely identical with the sole difference being that the half 3 has two set pins 4 which extend from the second face 60 and are received in corresponding bores that are provided in the second face 60 of the half 2 to enable assembling the two halves as a casting mold as illustrated in fig2 and 5 . the adjustment or positioning of the two halves 2 and 3 while assembled as illustrated in fig1 and 4 to form a winding core is obtained by means of set pins 5 which are inserted in corresponding bores 6 of the two halves . the device 1 includes means for holding the two halves together in both the winding position as illustrated in fig1 and in the molding position as illustrated in fig2 which means utilizes four sets of nuts and bolts 7 ( fig3 ). the second face 60 of the half 2 has a rectangular recess 8 which receives a circuit board 10 . in a similar manner , the second face 60 of the half 3 has a recess 9 for receiving the circuit board 12 . the recess 8 has a bottom or inclined surface 64 while the recess 9 has a bottom or inclined surface 65 and each of the bottom surfaces 64 and 65 extend in a plane that forms an acute angle with both the remaining surfaces of the face 60 as well as the plane of the surface forming the first face 11 . as illustrated , these two planes of the bottom surfaces 64 and 65 are symmetrical relative to the plane of the first faces 11 . the second face 60 of the first half immediately below the recess 8 has a recess 13 which is spaced by a support surface 15 therefrom . in a similar manner , the second half 3 on the second face 60 has a recess 14 which is spaced from the recess 9 by a support surface 16 . the support surfaces 15 and 16 , as will be explained hereinafter , form support stays for holding the individual turns of a wound wire 17 which is indicated in dot - dash lines in fig1 and 2 . as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the third face 61 of the half 2 has a recess 23 adjacent the first face 11 . in a similar manner , the fourth face 62 has a recess 23 &# 39 ;. the other half or second half 3 on its third face 61 has a recess 24 adjacent the first face 11 and the fourth face 62 has a recess 24 &# 39 ; adjacent the first face 11 . in addition , the corner between the third face 61 and the second face 60 of the half 2 is provided with a bevel 18 while the corner between the second face 60 and the fourth face 62 is provided with a bevel 18 &# 39 ;. in a similar manner , the corner between the first face 60 and the third face 61 of the second half 3 has a bevel 19 with a bevel 19 &# 39 ; being positioned at the corner between the fourth face 62 and the second face 60 . each of these bevels 18 , 18 &# 39 ;, 19 and 19 &# 39 ; can be provided with means 20 for maintaining a mutual spacing and pitch for a wire 17 which is wound on the core . this means 20 can be a series of grooves as illustrated in fig3 . after the circuit boards 10 and 12 have been inserted in the recesses 8 and 9 of the halves 2 and 3 which are arranged as a winding core , a wire 17 is wound onto the two halves with the turns of each winding having a slight lead of approximately 250 um in a circumferential direction . in order to hold the turns of the wire precisely as determined , the means 20 for maintaining predetermined mutual spacing between turns and pitch for the turns is utilized . after the individual turns have been wound and contacted to the corresponding circuit paths of each of the circuit boards 10 and 12 such as by soldering , the winding wire 17 is clamped by means of clamp strips 21 and 22 which are received in the recesses 23 and 24 of the halves 2 and 3 adjacent the third face . the clamp strip 21 coacts with a clamp strip 25 that is urged into tight engagement therewith by threaded members such as screws 27 . in a similar way , the clamp strip 22 coacts with a clamp strip 26 which is urged thereagainst by threaded fasteners or screws 28 . in addition , the recesses 23 &# 39 ; and 24 &# 39 ; which are associated with the fourth surface receive clamp strips 21 &# 39 ; and 22 &# 39 ; respectively . each of these clamp strips 21 &# 39 ; and 22 &# 39 ; are provided with a sawtooth configuration 29 ( fig4 ) with the saw teeth extending opposite to the direction of tension on the wire . each of the clamp strips such as 21 and 21 &# 39 ;, 22 and 22 &# 39 ; as well as the strips 25 and 26 are composed of hardened steel . in order to maintain a prestress on the wound turns of the wire 17 , rubber strips 30 are provided on the surfaces of the faces 61 and 62 of the first half 2 while the second half 3 has rubber strips 31 on its faces 61 and 62 . after winding the wire 17 onto the core which is formed with the halves 2 and 3 assembled as illustrated in fig1 and 4 , the wire is clamped as mentioned and then the turns are cut or severed on the parting plane 11 or parallel thereto . this cutting can be done by utilizing a double guillotine shear 32 which coacts with the hardened strips such as 21 &# 39 ; and 22 &# 39 ; to cut the wires . after severing the turns , the halves 2 and 3 are disassembled and one of the halves such as the half 2 with its clamped wires 17 &# 39 ; is rotated through 180 ° so that the second faces 60 of the two halves are facing each other as illustrated in fig2 with the two rows of wires 17 &# 39 ; and 17 &# 34 ;. as mentioned hereinbefore , the set pins 4 of the half 3 are received in the bores of the half 2 to determine the alignment . with the halves 2 and 3 assembled in the second position such as illustrated in fig2 the recesses 8 and 9 form a first cavity 34 which has a wedge - shaped cross - section due to the fact that the bottom surfaces 64 and 65 extend at an angle to the surface of the second faces 60 . thus , the circuit boards 10 and 12 will assume a slightly inclined position relative to one another and be symmetrical to a comb plane 33 whereas the surfaces of the support surfaces 15 and 16 are disposed parallel to one another . in addition , the recesses 13 and 14 will form a second cavity 70 which , after it is filled with the plastic resin , will eventually form the rib or resin strip 40 which is best shown in fig9 . the resin is inserted into the cavity from the top as indicated by the arrow a and in order to prevent lateral escape of the resin , sealing strips 35 ( fig3 - 5 ) are provided and act to terminate the cavity to form the ends of the body 50 . the sealing strips 35 , however , do allow the tape - shaped leads 36 of each circuit or printed circuit board 10 and 14 to be passed through the end of the mold . to facilitate this , web - shaped emission openings or grooves 37 ( fig3 - 5 ) are provided in each of the halves 2 and 3 . each of the cavities or recesses , which receive the circuit boards as best illustrated in fig4 and 5 adjacent the sealing strips 35 , are enlarged as indicated at 71 so that the cavity 34 has enlarged cavities or portions 38 to produce the end beads or ribs 51 and 52 as illustrated in fig6 . these enlarged beads 51 and 52 act to stabilize the body 50 . after the cavities 34 and 70 have been filled , the actual recording edge 39 will occur at a lower end of the cavity 70 as illustrated in fig2 . the projecting portion of the wires 17 &# 39 ; and 17 &# 34 ; are trimmed and removed at the recording edge 39 to be flush with the surface thereof . thus , the wires that remain are the pieces which are embedded in the rib 40 and form the actual needle - shaped recording electrodes . so that the changes in the presentation patterns are not produced in the followup work of the recording edge 39 , the wires must be conducted to extend parallel to one another at least in the rib portion 40 . to this end , the halves 2 and 3 when pinned together are pinned at a slight relative slant to one another in order to oompensate for the angle of the thread pitch during winding of the wire 17 on the winding core . in order to reinforce the rib 40 , it is desirable to include fiberglass reinforcing strips 41 and 42 as illustrated in fig9 . in order to do this , the strips 41 and 42 are inserted in the recesses 13 and 14 ( fig1 ) prior to filling the mold with the resin . to hold the strips in the particular recesses 14 and 13 , conical pins 43 are provided and enable easy removal of the molded part with the reinforcing strips after the molding operation . the conical pin will leave conical pin holes 43 &# 39 ; ( fig9 ) which serve as fixing points in the cast comb for the first ply of the wound wire . as best illustrated in fig3 the bottom surfaces such as 64 and 65 of the recesses 8 and 9 can be provided with parallel channels such as 44 . each of these channels taper down to a bottom which is flat so that they have a substantially truncated triangular cross - section . the grooves 44 serve the purpose of suctioning the circuit or printed circuit boards 10 or 12 with a suction bore when the conductor paths are soldered to the individual wire turns . the particular cross - sectional shape of each of the channels 44 enable easy removal of the cast part from the mold after the molding operation . the adjustment of the circuit or printed circuit boards preferably occurs after the winding of the wire on the core . pins 45 ( fig3 ) serve the purpose of pre - centering and therefore exhibit a fitting sleeve which can be removed from above for adjustment after the winding step . as mentioned hereinabove , to provide a connection for each of the needle - shaped electrodes of a single row , a single circuit board is provided and has a plurality of conductor paths . the electrodes are connected to the individual conductor paths in a grid dimension of approximately 250 um . at the same time , a test electrical strength of 500 volts must be guaranteed . in order to achieve this , each of the conductor paths of the circuit board are completely covered with a temperature - proof insulation so that the solderable insulation of the neighboring wire is not destroyed from below due to the thermal conductivity of the conductor paths . for increasing the electrical and thermal insulation , the tracks or paths of the circuit boards are preferably completely provided with the temperature - proof insulation and are only exposed at those points where they are to be connected to an electrode . if need be , these exposed areas can be metallically elevated up to the upper edge of the insulating layer and can be provided with a solder surface for a reliable connection . although various minor modifications may be suggested by those versed in the art , it should be understood that we wish to embody within the scope of the patent granted hereon , all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the art . | 1 |
the group b in formula i may represent various aromatic and heterocyclic rings . these rings may be attached to the group --( ch 2 ) k -- ( or to the n atom of the middle ring of structural formula i if k is zero ) via any of the available substitutable atoms of such b aromatic or heterocyclic aromatic ring . examples of suitable aryl heterocyclic groups b include 2 -, 3 - or 4 - pyridinyl , 2 - or 3 - furanyl , 2 - or 3 - thienyl , 2 , 4 - or 5 - thiazolyl , 2 -, 4 - or 5 - imidazolyl , 2 -, 4 -, 5 - or 6 - pyrimidinyl , 2 - or 3 - pyrazinyl , 3 - or 4 - pyridazinyl , 3 -, 5 - or 6 -[ 1 , 2 , 4 - triazinyl ], 2 -, 3 -, 4 -, 5 -, 6 - or 7 - benzofuranyl , 2 -, 3 -, 4 -, 5 -, 6 - or 7 - indolyl , or 3 , 4 - or 5 - pyrazolyl . also , in formula iv , when r 1 and r 2 together represent a heterocyclic ring system , all possible orientations of the heteroatoms in such rings are intended . for example , r 1 and r 2 together with the adjacent carbon atoms of the ring ## str15 ## to which they are attached may form a furanyl ring with the oxygen atom thereof in any possible position in the furanyl ring . as noted above , the compounds of the invention may include up to three q substituents on an aromatic &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; group depending upon the available sites for substitution . in compounds where there is more than one such q substituent , they may be the same or different . thus , compounds having combinations of different q substituents are contemplated within the scope of the invention . examples of suitable q substituents include hydroxy , methyl , chloro , bromo , nitro , cyclohexyl , allyloxy , 2 - propynyloxy , methylthio , methylsulfonyl , carboxy , acetoxymethoxy , acetylamino , methylsulfonylamino and the like . where two substituents appear on the same group , e . g . r e in so 2 n ( r e ) 2 or r f in n ( r f ) 2 , such substituents may be the same or different . the same is true when a particular substituent ( such as r e ) appears in two or more positions in a compound of formula i . for example , when in formula i , z is nr e , ring w is formula ii , and r 1 represents coor e , the r e groups may be the same or different . certain compounds of the invention may exist in isomeric forms . the invention contemplates all such isomers both in pure form and in admixture , including racemic mixtures . the compounds of the invention of formula i can exist in unsolvated as well as solvated forms , including hydrated forms , e . g ., hemihydrate . in general , the solvated forms , with pharmaceutically acceptable solvents such as water , ethanol and the like are equivalent to the unsolvated forms for purposes of the invention . certain compounds of the invention will be acidic in nature , e . g . those compounds which possess a carboxyl or phenolic hydroxyl group . these compounds may form pharmaceutically acceptable salts . examples of such salts are the sodium , potassium , calcium , aluminum , gold and silver salts . also contemplated are salts formed with pharmaceutically acceptable amines such as ammonia , alkyl amines , hydroxyalkylamines , n - methylglucamine and the like . certain compounds of the invention also form pharmaceutically acceptable salts , e . g ., acid addition salt and quaternary ammonium salts . for example , the pyrido - or pyrazino - nitrogen atoms may form salts with strong acid , while compounds having basic q substituents such as amino groups also form salts with weaker acids . examples of suitable acids for salt formation are hydrochloric , sulfuric , phosphoric , acetic , citric , oxalic , malonic , salicyclic , malic , fumaric , succinic , ascorbic , maleic , methanesulfonic and other mineral and carboxylic acids well known to those in the art . the salts are prepared by contacting the free base form with a sufficient amount of the desired acid to produce a salt in the conventional manner . the free base forms may be regenerated by treating the salt with a suitable dilute aqueous base solution such as dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide , potassium carbonate , ammonia and sodium bicarbonate . the quaternary ammonium salts are prepared by conventional methods , e . g ., by reaction of a tertiary amino group in a compound of formula i with a quaternizing compound such as an alkyl iodide , etc . the free base forms differ from their respective salt forms somewhat in certain physical properties , such as solubility in polar solvents , but the salts are otherwise equivalent to their respective free base forms for purposes of the invention . the compounds of the invention which possess an aromatic ring nitrogen atom , as defined above , may also form quaternary salts at an aromatic ring nitrogen atom . all such acid , base and quaternary salts are intended to be pharmaceutically acceptable salts within the scope of the invention and all acid and base salts are considered equivalent to the free forms of the corresponding compounds for purposes of the invention . the following processes a . to d . may be employed to produce various compounds in accordance with formula i . processes a . to c . produce compounds of formula i where ring w is in accordance with formulas ii , iii , iv , v and vi , z is o , and the dotted lines in ring t represent double bonds : a . a compound of formula x ## str16 ## is reacted with a compound of formula xi ## str17 ## wherein m , t , v , x , k , and b are as previously defined , ring w is in accordance with formulas ii to vi , and l 1 is a leaving group to produce a compound of formula i , a compound of formula ia , ## str18 ## or a mixture of compounds of formulas i and ia , and if only a compound of formula ia is produced , followed by converting the compound of formula ia to a compound of formula i by treatment of the compound of formula ia with strong acid ; or if a mixture of compounds of formulas i and ia was produced , optionally followed by treatment of the mixture with strong acid to convert the compound of formula ia to a compound of formula i . the starting materials having structural formula x and xi are known in the art . l 1 can be , for example , phenoxy , alkoxy , phenylalkoxy , etc . compounds in accordance with formula x having -- oh in the position of l 1 can be converted to compounds wherein l 1 is phenoxy , alkoxy or phenylalkoxy , by standard methods . compounds of formula x wherein x and m are n , i . e ., 2 - substituted amino - 3 - pyrazine carboxylate esters may be prepared by known methods . for example , 2 - phenylamino - 3 - pyrazine carboxylic acid is known from c . a ., 75 20154e ( 1971 ). the ketones xi , may be prepared by standard procedures or by obvious variations thereof . other ketones having structural formula xi such as cyclopentanone , cyclohexanone and the like are available commercially . the reaction of the compounds of formulas x and xi may be carried out by contacting x and xi in a nonreactive solvent in the presence of a basic reagent , preferably at an elevated temperature for a sufficient amount of time until the reaction is substantially completed . the progress of the reaction may be monitored by thin layer chromatography , if desired . suitable nonreactive solvents for purposes of the reaction are tetrahydrofuran , toluene , dimethylsulfoxide , n , n - dimethylformamide and the like . suitable basic reagents are lithium bistrimethylsilylamide , sodium amide and the like . other suitable basic reagents and solvents will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art . the reaction of x and xi may yield compounds of formula i , compounds of formula ia , or a mixture of the two . if only a compound of formula ia is formed , it may be converted to a compound of formula i by treatment with a strong acid such as p - toluenesulfonic acid in boiling toluene . other strong acids such as sulfuric acid , aqueous hydrobromic acid , etc . may be used . b . a compound of formula xii ## str19 ## is reacted with a compound of formula xiii ## str20 ## wherein m , t , v , x , k , and b are as previously defined , ring w is in accordance with formulas ii to vi , l 2 is a leaving group and l 3 is a leaving group ( which also acts as an activating group in formula xiii ), to produce a compound of formula i , a compound of formula ib ## str21 ## or a mixture of compounds of formulas i and ib , and if only a compound of formula ib is produced , followed by converting the compound of formula ib to a compound of formula i by treatment of the compound of formula ib with strong acid , or if a mixture of compounds of formulas i and ib was produced , optionally followed by treatment of the mixture with strong acid to convert the compound of formula ib to a compound of formula i . compounds of formula xii are known or may be prepared by known methods . the choice of leaving groups l 2 is not critical . l 2 may , for example , be cl , br or -- oso 2 r , wherein r is phenyl , alkyl , -- cf 3 , etc . for example , known compounds of the formula ## str22 ## may be converted to compounds of the formula ## str23 ## for example , by reaction with socl 2 or pocl 3 or pcl 5 to produce compounds of formula xiib . compounds of formula xiib are reacted with an appropriate primary amine , the ester group is then hydrolyzed off with , for example , base , and then the resulting compound is reacted to form the acid chloride , e . g . with thionyl chloride . for example , the following reaction scheme illustrates this process : ## str24 ## l 3 is a leaving group , preferably a tertiary amino leaving group , e . g ., of the formula ## str25 ## wherein r u and r v are alkyl , arylalkyl , heteroarylalkyl , or r u and r v , together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached may form a 5 to 8 membered saturated ring , e . g ., pyrrolidine , piperidine , or morpholine . many enamine compounds of formula xiii are known . others may be made by known procedures , e . g ., j . am . chem . soc . 76 , 2029 ( 1954 ). l 3 may also be , for example , sch 3 , e . g . from the enamine 1 - methyl - 2 - methylmercapto - 2 - pyrroline . the reaction of compounds of formulas xii and xiii is carried out in solvent , e . g ., dichloromethane , benzene , toluene , etc ., at temperatures ranging from - 10 ° c . to the boiling point of the solvent . the reaction proceeds in the presence of at least 2 moles of tertiary amine base , of which one mole must be of compound formula xiii . the additional base can be extra compound xiii or a different base such as , for example , triethylamine , diisopropylethylamine , etc . the reaction of xii and xiii may yield compounds of formula i , formula ib , or a mixture of the two . if only a compound of formula ib is formed , it may be converted to a compound of formula i by treatment with a strong acid such as p - toluene - sulfonic acid in boiling toluene . other strong acids , such as sulfuric acid , aqueous hydrobromic acid , etc ., may be used . c . a compound of formula xiv ## str26 ## is reacted with a compound of formula xv ## str27 ## wherein m , t , v , x , k , and b are a previously defined , ring w is in accordance with formulas ii to vi , l 4 is a leaving group and l 5 is a leaving group , to produce a compound of formula i , a compound of formula ic ## str28 ## or a mixture of compounds of formulas i and ic , and if only a compound of formula ic is produced , followed by converting the compound of formula ic to a compound of formula i by treatment with non - nucleophilic strong acid , or if a mixture of compounds of formulas i and ic was produced , optionally followed by treatment of the mixture with non - nucleophilic strong acid to convert the compound of formula ic to a compound of formula i . compounds of formula xiv may be made by the following reaction : ## str29 ## in formula xiva , l 6 and l 4 are leaving groups such as cl , br , alkoxycarbonyloxy , phenoxy , benzyloxy , trifluoromethoxy , etc . in formulas xivb , l 5 is the same as l 3 from formula xiii . the reaction of compounds xiva and xivb takes place in solvent , e . g ., ch 2 cl 2 , chcl 3 , ccl 4 , benzene , toluene , etc ., at - 10 ° c . to about 25 ° c ., preferably at about 0 ° c . this reaction like process b described above requires at least 2 moles of base of which one mole must be a compound of formula xivb . the primary amines of formula xv are well known and commercially available or can be made by conventional means . the reaction of compounds xiv and xv takes place in solvent , e . g ., benzene , toluene , xylene , etc . at elevated temperatures up to the boiling point of the solvent . alternatively , the reaction can be carried out in the solvent and 1 equivalent of a strong , non - nucleophilic , preferably anhydrous acid such as p - toluenesulfonic acid , trifluoromethanesulfonic acid , etc . the reaction of compounds xiv and xv may yield compounds of formula i , formula ic , or a mixture of the two . if only a compound of formula ic is formed , it may be converted to a compound of formula i by treatment with a non - nucleophilic strong acid , preferably an anhydrous acid . preferred acids for this purpose are p - toluenesulfonic acid and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid . of course others may be used . the reaction takes place in solvent , e . g . benzene , toluene , ch 2 cl 2 , etc . at elevated temperatures , preferably the boiling point of the solvent . of course , this step may be omitted if the reaction of compounds xiv and xv is carried out in presence of the acid . d . to produce a compound of formula i wherein z is o , the dotted lines in ring t represent double bonds , and w is ## str30 ## wherein j and l and the dotted line are as previously defined , a compound of formula xxi ## str31 ## wherein m , t , v , x , k , and b are as previously defined , is reacted with a compound having the formula xxiia or xxiib ## str32 ## to form compounds of formula i wherein w is of formula vii and the dotted line in formula vii represents a single bond , or with a compound of formula xxiic to form compounds of formula i wherein w is of formula vii and the dotted line in formula vii represents a double bond . in formula xxiib , l 7 and l 8 are leaving groups , e . g ., halo , preferably bromo . compounds of formula xxiia , xxiib and xxiic are well known or can be prepared by conventional methods . a process for making compounds in accordance with formula xxi is described later . the reaction of compounds xxi with xxiia , xxiib , or xxiic takes place in solvent , for example , ethyl acetate , benzene , chcl 3 , at elevated temperatures , preferably the boiling point of the solvent . if a compound of formula xxiib is employed , the reaction should take place in the presence of a base such as pyridine . in the above processes , especially in processes a , b , and c , it is desirable and sometimes necessary to protect the groups in column 1 of the following table . conventional protecting groups are operable . preferred protecting groups appear in column 2 of the table . ______________________________________1 . group to beprotected 2 . protected group______________________________________cooh cooalkyl , coobenzyl , coophenyl ## str33 ## ## str34 ## ## str35 ## ## str36 ## oh ## str37 ## nhr , wherein r is any substituent on an amino group allowed by the ## str38 ## nh . sub . 2 ## str39 ## ______________________________________ of course other protecting groups well known in the art may be used . after the reaction or reactions , the protecting groups may be removed by standard procedures well known in the art . compounds of formula i produced by processes a , b , c , or d may be converted to other compounds of formula i or to solvates or pharmaceutically acceptable salts by standard techniques . examples of such conversions follow . to make a compound of formula i wherein z is o , the dotted lines in ring t represent double bonds and w is ## str40 ## wherein r 1 and r 2 together with two adjacent carbon atoms on the ring represent aziridine , a compound of formula xvi ## str41 ## wherein m , t , v , x , k , and b are as previously defined and w 1 is ## str42 ## wherein l 9 is alkyl or alkoxy , is reacted with alkali metal hydroxide to produce a compound of formula xvii ## str43 ## wherein w 2 is ## str44 ## the reaction is carried out in solvent , e . g ., ethanol - water . compounds of formula xvi are produced by the following reaction sequence ## str45 ## wherein w 3 is ## str46 ## other suitable bases that may be used in the last step are nah and lithium diisopropylamide . the reaction may be carried out in a non - nucleophilic aprotic solvent such as tetrahydrofuran or benzene . since a mixture of compounds in accordance with formula xvii is produced , pure compounds may be isolated if desired by using standard techniques . to make compounds of formula xvii , wherein w 2 is ## str47 ## the position of the hydroxyl on formula xviia is shifted by standard techniques so that the starting compound has the formula xviie ## str48 ## the above described reaction sequence is then followed . to produce a compound of formula i wherein z is q , the dotted lines in ring t represent double bonds , and w is ## str49 ## wherein r 1 and r 2 together with two adjacent carbon atoms on the ring represent an epoxide ring , a compound of formula xviii ## str50 ## wherein w 4 is ## str51 ## is reacted with a per acid to produce a compound of formula xix ## str52 ## wherein w 5 is ## str53 ## the production of compounds of formula xviii has been described in the previous process . per acids that may be reacted with compounds of formula xviii include , for example , meta - chloroperbenzoic acid , peracetic acid , and trifluoroperacetic acid . the reaction takes place at 0 ° c . to room temperature in solvents such as chcl 3 , ch 2 cl 2 , etc . to produce a compound of formula i wherein z is o , the dotted lines in ring t represent double bonds , and w is ## str54 ## wherein e is n + -- o - , a compound of formula xx ## str55 ## is reacted with h 2 o 2 in the presence of sodium tungstate catalyst . compounds of formula xx may be made by processes a , b , or c . the reaction of compound xx with h 2 o 2 takes place in water , as solvent , in the presence of sodium tungstate catalyst at 0 ° to 25 ° c . to make a compound of formula i wherein the dotted lines in ring t are not double bonds and wherein m and x are the same or different and are ch ( r a ) or nh , i . e ., as in formula xxv below , a compound of formula xxiv ## str56 ## ( wherein x and m are the same or different and are c ( r a ) or n and wherein b , k and w are as previously defined ) is hydrogenated to form a compound of formula xxv ## str57 ## the reaction with hydrogen gas may be carried out over 10 % pd / c catalyst in glacial acetic acid or other suitable solvent at about room temperature . the pressure may range from 1 to 4 atmospheres or higher . the temperature may range from room temperature to 100 ° c . or higher . to form a compound of formula i wherein at least one of m and x represents n ( a ) wherein a is as defined previously but other than hydrogen , and the dotted lines in ring t are not double bonds , a compound of formula xxv ## str58 ## wherein at least one of m and x is nh and w is as defined previously , is reacted with a compound of formula xxvi wherein l 10 is a leaving group and a 1 is a radical in accordance with the previous definitions of a , but other than hydrogen . in formula xxvi , if a 1 is alkyl , l 10 may be iodine , chlorine , bromine , etc . the reaction of xxv with xxvi requires a base , e . g ., nah , and a solvent , e . g ., dimethylformamide . the temperature can range from 0 ° to 50 ° c ., if a 1 is other than alkyl , l 10 is preferably chlorine or bromine , the solvent is toluene , ch 2 cl 2 or benzene , and the base is pyridine or triethylamine . the temperature may be 0 ° to 50 ° c . to make a compound of formula i wherein z is s a compound of formula i wherein z is o is reacted with p 2 s 5 or lawesson &# 39 ; s reagent , or other reagent capable of introducing sulfur in place of oxygen . the reaction may take place at elevated temperature in pyridine or other suitable solvent . lawesson &# 39 ; s reagent has the formula ## str59 ## numerous conversions of a compound of formula i to another compound of formula i are possible . many of the examples illustrate such conversions . compounds wherein z represents nr e or n ( or i ) may be prepared by reacting the compounds wherein z is oxygen first with an oxaphile such as socl 2 , pocl 3 , pcl 5 , etc ., and then with the appropriate amine or hydroxylamine . the compounds of this invention can be used to treat allergies and their preferred use is for treating allergic chronic obstructive lung diseases . chronic obstructive lung disease as used herein means disease conditions in which the passage of air through the lungs is obstructed or diminished such as is the case in asthma , bronchitis and the like . the anti - allergy method of this invention is identified by tests which measure a compound &# 39 ; s inhibition of anaphylactic bronchospasm in sensitized guinea pigs having antigen - induced srs -- a mediated bronchoconstriction . allergic bronchospasm was measured in actively sensitized guinea pigs by a modification of the procedure of konzett and rossler , arch . exptl . pathol . pharmakol ., 194 , pp . 71 - 74 ( 1940 ). male hartley guinea pigs were sensitized with 5 mg ovalbumin injected ip and 5 mg injected sc in 1 ml saline on day 1 and 5 mg ovalbumin injected ip on day 4 . the sensitized animals were used 3 - 4 weeks later . to measure anaphylactic bronchospasm , sensitized guinea pigs were fasted overnight and the following morning were anesthetized with 0 . 9 ml / kg ip of dialurethane . the trachea and jugular vein were cannulated and the animals were ventilated by a harvard rodent respirator . a side arm to the tracheal cannula was connected to a harvard pressure transducer to obtain a continuous measure of intratracheal pressure . an increase in intratracheal pressure was taken as a measure of bronchoconstriction . each guinea pig was injected iv with 1 mg / kg propranolol , 5 mg / kg indomethacin and 2 mg / kg mepyramine given together in a volume of 1 ml / kg . fifteen minutes later , the animals were challenged with antigen ( 0 . 5 percent ovalbumin ) delivered as an aerosol generated from a devilbiss model 65 ultrasonic nebulizer and delivered through the tracheal cannula for 30 seconds . bronchoconstriction was measured as the peak increase in intratracheal pressure occurring within 15 minutes after antigen challenge . for example , the compound 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydrobenzo [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one ( compound b ), was found to inhibit anaphylactic bronchospasms in such test procedure when given at an oral dose of 0 . 2 mg / kg . said compound was also found to inhibit allergen - induced srs -- a and histamine release from sensitized guinea pig lung tissue . the compounds are effective non - adrenergic , non - anticholinergic antianaphylactic agents . the compounds may be administered by any conventional mode of administration for treatment of allergic reactions employing an effective amount of a compound of formula i for such mode . for example , when administered orally they are active at doses from about 0 . 2 to 10 mg / kg of body weight ; when administered parenterally , e . g ., intravenously , the compounds are active at dosages of from about 0 . 1 to 5 mg / kg body weight ; when administered by inhalation ( aerosol or nebulizer ) the compounds are active at dosages of about 0 . 1 to 10 mg per puff , one to four puffs may be taken every 4 hours . the compounds of this invention are also useful for the treatment of inflammation ; thus , they are useful for the treatment of : arthritis , bursitis , tendonitis , gout and other inflammatory conditions . the anti - inflammatory use of the compounds of the present invention may be demonstrated by the reversed passive arthus reaction ( rpar )- paw technique as set forth below using male lewis rats ( obtained from charles river breeding laboratories ) weighing 180 - 220 grams . the potency of the compounds is determined using indomethacin as the standard . on the basis of the test results , an oral dosage range of about 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day to about 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day in divided doses taken at about 4 hour intervals is recommended , again with any of the conventional modes of administration for treatment of inflammation being suitable . the dosage to be administered and the route of administration depends upon the particular compound used , the age and general health of the patient and the severity of the inflammatory condition . thus , the dose ultimately decided upon must be left to the judgment of a trained physician . the anti - inflammatory activity may be demonstrated by the following test procedures : male lewis inbred albino rats weighing 180 - 220 grams obtained from charles river breeding laboratories are used in these experiments . the rats are housed 3 animals / cage and food and water are allowed ad libitum . the animals are numbered 1 - 3 in each cage and color marked for identification purposes . all reagents and drugs are prepared just prior to the study . crystallized and lyophilized bovine serum albumin ( bsa ), obtained from sigma chemical company , is solubilized without shaking in cold sterile pyrogen free saline ( 10 mg / ml ). lyophilized anti - bovine serum albumin ( igg fraction ), obtained from cappel laboratories , is suspended in sterile distilled water and diluted with cold pyrogen free saline ( pfs ) just prior to use . the final concentration of anti - bovine serum albumin is 0 . 5 mg / ml of pfs . both bsa and anti - bsa solutions are iced during use . drugs are suspended or solubilized in an aqueous solution of methyl cellulose ( mc ) with a homogenizer just prior to administration . groups of animals ( 6 / group ) are dosed with drug in mc by gavage one hour prior to sensitization with bsa . controls are given mc alone and drug - standard is usually included in each assay for verification purposes . drugs are prepared so as to provide a dose for a 200 gram animal which is equivalent to the mg / kg dose for the experiment . thus each rat receives an oral dose in a volume of approximately 2 . 0 cc . one hour after dosing the animals are lightly anesthetized with ether and sensitized by injecting into the penile vein 0 . 2 ml of pfs containing 1 . 0 mg of bsa . one hour later they are injected in the plantar region of one hind paw with 0 . 1 ml of pfs containing 0 . 1 mg of the anti - bovine serum albumin . immediately after the subplantar injection , the injected paw is dipped ( up to the lateral maleolus ) into the mercury well of a plethysmograph . the volume of mercury displaced is converted to weight and recorded . this value is considered to be the control paw volume for the animal . paw volumes are also recorded with a plethysmograph during the development of the inflammation at 2 and 4 hours post - challenge . compounds b , c and d provided ed 50 values of about 0 . 4 , 0 . 1 and 0 . 4 mg / kg , respectively , p . o . in this procedure . another procedure for testing for acute anti - inflammatory activity measures the reverse passive arthus reaction in the pleural cavity of rats as described in myers et al , inflammation , vol . 9 , no . 1 , 1985 , pp . 91 - 98 . compounds b and c provide ed 50 values of about 0 . 4 mg / kg and 0 . 1 mg / kg , respectively , p . o . in such procedure . the compounds of this invention are also useful in the treatment of peptic ulcers . they display chemotherapeutic activity which enables them to relieve the symptoms of peptic ulcer disease , stress ulceration , and promote healing of gastric and / or duodenal ulcers . the compounds are also useful as conjunctive therapeutic agents for coadministration with such anti - inflammatory / analgesic agents as aspirin , indomethacin , phenylbutazone , ibuprofen , naproxen , tolmetin and other agents . the compounds of this invention prevent the untoward side effects of irritation and damage to the gastrointestinal tract caused by such agents . the anti - ulcer activity of the compounds of this invention is identified by tests which measure their cytoprotective effect in rats . the compounds of this invention may be evaluated for their antiulcer activity characteristics by the procedures which measure the cytoprotective effect in rats e . g ., as described in chiu et al ., archives internationales de pharmacodynamie et de therapie , 270 , 128 - 140 ( 1984 ). compound a at 10 mg / kg provided an 82 % inhibition of indomethacin - induced gastric ulcers . in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease , and the prevention and treatment of drug - induced gastric ulceration , the active compounds of this invention can be administered in conventional unit dosage forms such as tablets , capsules , pill , powders , granules , sterile parenteral solutions or suspensions , suppositories , mechanical delivery devices , e . g ., transdermal , and the like . the compounds of this invention may be administered at doses of about 0 . 3 to about 30 mg / kg , preferably , from about 2 to about 15 mg / kg , of body weight per day . preferably , the total dosages are administered 2 - 4 divided doses per day . the compounds of the invention are also useful as antihypertensive agents in the treatment of hypertension . the compounds effectively lower blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats ( shr ), an animal model of human essential hypertension , without affecting the blood pressure of normotensive rats . this activity may be demonstrated by the procedure described below . 7 - acetyl - 10 - phenyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 - hexahydropyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one ( hereinafter compound f ) has been found to be particularly useful for this activity . male spontaneously hypertensive rats or normotensive sprague - dawley rats were used . blood pressure is measured according to standard procedures as described in detail in baum t ., sybertz e . j ., watkins r . w ., et al ., antihypertensive activity of sch 31846 , a non - sulfhydryl angiotensin - converting enzyme inhibitor . j . cardiovas . pharmacol . 5 : 655 - 667 , 1983 . animals are allowed at least 1 . 5 - 2 hours equilibration prior to experimentation . test drugs are administered orally in a methylcellulose vehicle in a volume of 2 ml / kg and blood pressure is monitor for 4 hours following dosing . compound a above at oral dosages of 10 and 30 mg / kg , reduced blood pressure significantly by - 21 ± 4 ( mean ± sem ) and - 35 ± 4 mm hg , respectively , in the spontaneously hypertensive rats . in contrast , compound a did not lower blood pressure in the normotensive sprague dawley rats . compounds b and c at an oral dosage of 30 mg / kg lowered blood pressure by - 19 ± 2 and - 24 ± 2 mm hg , respectively , in the shr and caused neglibible changes in blood pressure of normotensive sprague dawley rats . compound f above at oral dosages of 1 , 3 , 10 and 30 mg / kg reduced blood pressure by - 20 ± 6 ( mean ± sem ), - 30 ( mean ), - 28 ( mean ) and - 47 ( mean ) mm hg , respectively , in spontaneously hypertensive rats . the dosage range for the antihypertensive method of the invention may vary from about 3 to about 100 mg / kg , preferably about 10 to about 30 mg / kg per day , in divided doses if desired . the dose will be varied depending on a number of factors , including inter alia the hypertensive disease being treated , the patient , the potency of the particular compound employed , etc . the compounds of formula i can be administered by conventional modes , e . g . orally , intraveneously , etc ., in any conventional form for such purpose such as solutions , capsules , tablets , pills , powders , sterile parenteral solutions or suspensions , transdermal compositions or the like . the compounds of formula i are useful in the treatment of hyperproliferative skin disease , e . g ., psoriasis , in mammals , e . g ., humans , which may be demonstrated by the arachidonic acid mouse ear test as described below . charles river , female , cd , ( sd ) br mice , 6 weeks old , are caged 8 / group and allowed to acclimate 1 - 3 weeks prior to use . arachidonic acid ( aa ) is dissolved in reagent grade acetone ( 2 mg / 0 . 01 ml ) and stored at - 20 ° c . for a maximum of 1 week prior to use . inflammatory reactions are induced by apply 10 ml of aa to both surfaces of one ear ( 4 gm total ). test drugs are dissolved in either reagent grade acetone or aqueous ethanol ( only if insoluble in acetone ) at the same doses selected by opas et al ., fed . proc . 43 , abstract 2983 , p . 1927 ( 1984 ) and young et al ., j . invest . dermatol . 82 , pp . 367 - 371 ( 1984 ). these doses are employed to ensure maximum responses and to overcome any difference in topical absorption which could occur with any drug applied in an aqueous ethanol vehicle . the test drug is applied 30 minutes prior to challenge with aa . the severity of the inflammation is measured as a function of increased ear weight . a 6 mm punch biopsy is removed 1 hour after aa challenge and weighed to the nearest 0 . 1 mg . mean ± standard error and all possible comparisons are made via duncan &# 39 ; s multiple range statistic . compounds a , b , and c provided ed 50 values of 0 . 15 mg , 0 . 07 mg and 0 . 01 mg , respectively in the above test procedure . representative compounds of the invention have also been tested with human and / or mouse cells in vitro and have been found to provide 5 - lipoxygenase inhibitory activity , which activity has been associated with anti - inflammatory and anti - hyperproliferative skin disease effects . when administered for the treatment of hyperproliferative skin disease , the compounds of formula i may be administered topically , orally , rectally or parenterally . when administered topically , the amount of compound administered varies widely with the amount of skin being treated , as well as with the concentration of active ingredient applied to the affected area . when administered orally , the compounds of formula i are effective for the treatment of hyperproliferative skin disease at doses ranging from about 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg , preferably from about 5 mg / kg to about 50 mg / kg , which may be administered in divided doses . when administered rectally , the compounds of formula i may be administered in doses ranging from about 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg . when administered parenterally , the compounds of formula i are effective for the treatment of hyperproliferative skin disease in doses ranging from about 0 . 1 mg / kg body weight to about 10 mg / kg body weight which may be administered in divided doses . as a result of the topical administration of a compound of formula i , a remission of the symptoms of the psoriatic patient , in most cases , can be expected . thus , one affected by psoriasis can expect a decrease in scaling , erythema , size of the plaques , pruritus and other symptoms associated with psoriasis . the dosage of medicament and the length of time required for successfully treating each individual psoriatic patient may vary , but those skilled in the art of medicine will be able to recognize these variations and adjust the course of therapy accordingly . included within the invention are preparations for topical application to the skin whereby the compounds having structural formula i are effective in the treatment and control of skin diseases characterized by rapid rates of cell proliferation and / or abnormal cell proliferation , e . g ., psoriasis . in a preferred method of treating hyperproliferative skin diseases , a pharmaceutical formulation comprising a compound of formula i , ( usually in concentrations in the range of from about 0 . 001 percent to about 10 percent , preferably from about 0 . 1 percent to about 5 percent ) together with a non - toxic , pharmaceutically acceptable topical carrier , is applied several times daily to the affected skin until the condition has improved . topical applications may then be continued at less frequent intervals ( e . g . once a day ) to control mitosis in order to prevent return of severe disease conditions . the compounds of the invention are also useful in the treatment of autoimmune and other immunological diseases including graft rejection in which t cell proliferation is a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of disease . the effectiveness of these compounds as immunosuppressing agents may be demonstrated by the following tests which involve the inhibition of t cell functions using these compounds . to induce a gvhr , c57 b1 / 6xa / j ( f6af1 ) male mice were injected intravenously with parental ( c57b1 / 6j ) spleen and lymph node cells . the compound ( compound a ) was then administered orally for 10 days beginning on the day prior to the cell transfer . on the day following the last treatment , the animals were sacrificed , and their spleens were excised and weighed . the enlargement of the spleen of the host is a result of a gvhr . to some extent it is the host &# 39 ; s own cells which infiltrate and enlarge the spleen although they do this because of the presence of graft cells reacting against the host . the amount of spleen enlargement , splenomegaly , is taken as a measure of the severity of the gvhr . in carrying out the gvhr the animal in the experimental group is injected with parental cells , cells of the same species but of different genotype , which cause a weight increase of the spleen . the animal in the control group is injected with syngeneic cells , genetically identical cells which do not cause a weight increase of the spleen . the effectiveness of the compounds administered to the mice in the experimental group is measured by comparing the spleen weight of the untreated and treated gvh animal with that of the syngeneic control . compound b reduced spleen weight by 12 %, 29 % and 100 % at doses ( mg / kg ) of 25 , 50 and 100 , respectively , as compared to the untreated animals ; while compound c reduced spleen weight by 46 %, 129 % and 100 % at doses ( mg / kg ) of 25 , 50 and 100 , respectively , compared to untreated animals . the immunosuppressive activity of the compounds may also be shown by a decrease in spleen weight after dosing bdf 1 mice orally with the drug for seven ( 7 ) consecutive days . the mice are sacrificed on the eighth day . the percent decrease in spleen weight is measured for each dosage level . in this procedure , compound b provided a 27 %, 25 % and 24 % spleen weight decrease at dosage levels of 25 , 50 and 100 mg / kg , respectively ; while compound c provided a 31 %, 35 % and 33 % spleen weight decrease at dosage levels of 25 , 50 and 100 mg / kg , respectively . as noted above , the subject compounds possess acute anti - allergy and anti - inflammatory activities . for example , compounds b and c have ed 50 values of less than about 0 . 5 mg / kg and 5 mg / kg , respectively , p . o . in tests measuring the inhibition of anaphylactic bronchospasm in sensitized guinea pigs having antigen - induced bronchoconstriction and ed 50 values of about 0 . 4 mg / kg and 0 . 1 mg / kg , respectively , p . o . in tests measuring the reverse passive arthus reaction in the pleural cavity of rats ( as described by myers et al ., inflammation , vol . 9 , no . 1 , 1985 , pp . 91 - 98 ). compounds b and c have ed 50 values of greater than about 50 mg / kg and 25 mg / kg , respectively , in the gvhr test as described above . these results for compound b and c and similar results obtained for other compounds of formula i tested to date indicate that an immunosuppressive effective dose for such compounds is several times or more their anti - inflammatory and anti - allergy effective doses . the usual dosage range for the immunosuppressive method of the invention with the compounds of formula i in a 70 kg mammal is an oral dose of about 0 . 1 to 250 mg / kg , preferably 0 . 1 to 150 mg / kg , in 3 or 4 divided doses per day . of course , the dose will be regulated according to the potency of compound employed , the immunological disease being treated , and the judgment of the attending clinician depending on factors such as the degree and the severity of the disease state and age and general condition of the patient being treated . to treat immunological diseases , the active compounds of formula i can be administered in unit dosage forms such as tablets , capsules , pills , powders , granules , sterile parenteral solutions or suspensions , suppositories , transdermal compositions and the like . such dosage forms are prepared according to standard techniques well known in the art . some of the compounds of this invention are also useful in preventing cardiac anaphylaxis . for preparing pharmaceutical compositions from the compounds described by this invention , inert , pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can be either solid or liquid . solid form preparations include powders , tablets , dispersible granules , capsules , cachets and suppositories . a solid carrier can be one or more substances which may also act as diluents , flavoring agents , solubilizers , lubricants , suspending agents , binders or tablet disintegrating agents ; it can also be an encapsulating material . in powders , the carrier is a finely divided solid which is in admixture with the finely divided active compound . in the tablet the active compound is mixed with carrier having the necessary binding properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired . the powders and tablets preferably contain from 5 to about 70 percent of the active ingredient . suitable solid carriers are magnesium carbonate , magnesium stearate , talc , sugar , lactose , pectin , dextrin , starch , gelatin , tragacanth , mehylcellulose , sodium carboxymethyl - cellulose , a low melting wax , cocoa butter and the like . the term &# 34 ; preparation &# 34 ; is intended to include the formulation of the active compound with encapsulating material as carrier providing a capsule in which the active component ( with or without other carriers ) is surrounded by carrier , which is thus in association with it . similarly , cachets are included . tablets , powders , cachets and capsules can be used as solid dosage forms suitable for oral administration . for preparing suppositories , a low melting wax such as a mixture of fatty acid glycerides or cocoa butter is first melted , and the active ingredient is dispersed homogeneously therein as by stirring . the molten homogeneous mixture is then poured into convenient sized molds , allowed to cool and thereby solidify . liquid form preparations include solutions , suspensions and emulsions . as an example may be mentioned water or water - propylene glycol solutions for parenteral injection . liquid preparations can also be formulated in solution in polyethylene glycol and / or propylene glycol , which may contain water . aqueous solutions suitable for oral use can be prepared by adding the active component in water and adding suitable colorants , flavors , stabilizing , sweetening , solubilizing and thickening agents as desired . aqueous suspensions suitable for oral use can be made by dispersing the finely divided active component in water with viscous material , i . e ., natural or synthetic gums , resins , methylcellulose , sodium carboxymethylcellulose and other well - known suspending agents . formulations for topical application , e . g ., for use in treating hyperproliferative skin diseases , may include the above liquid forms , creams , aerosols , sprays , dusts , powders , lotions and ointments which are prepared by combining an active ingredient according to this inventions with conventional pharmaceutical diluents and carriers commonly used in topical dry , liquid , cream and aerosol formulations . ointment and creams may , for example , be formulated with an aqueous or oily base with the addition of suitable thickening and / or gelling agents . such bases may , thus , for example , include water and / or an oil such as liquid paraffin or a vegetable oil such as peanut oil or castor oil . thickening agents which may be used according to the nature of the base include soft paraffin , aluminum stearate , cetostearyl alcohol , propylene glycol , polyethylene glycols , woolfat , hydrogenated lanolin , beeswax , etc . lotions may be formulations with an aqueous or oily base and will , in general , also include one or more of the following , namely , stabilizing agents , emulsifying agents , dispersing agents , suspending agents , thickening agents , coloring agents , perfumes and the like . powders may be formed with the aid of any suitable powder base , e . g ., talc , lactose , starch , etc . drops may be formulated with an aqueous base or nonaqueous base also comprising one or more dispersing agents , suspending agents , solubilizing agents , etc . the topical pharmaceutical compositions according to the invention may also include one or more preservatives or bacteriostatic agents , e . g ., methyl hydroxybenzoate , propyl hydroxybenzoate , chlorocresol , benzalkonium chlorides , etc . the topical pharmaceutical compositions according to the invention may also contain other active ingredients such as antimicrobial agents , particularly antibiotics , anesthetics , analgesics and antipruritic agents . also included are solid form preparations which are intended to be converted , shortly before use , to liquid form preparations for either oral or parenteral administration . such liquid forms include solutions , suspensions and emulsions . these particular solid form preparations are most conveniently provided in unit dose form and as such are used to provide a single liquid dosage unit . alternatively , sufficient solid may be provided so that after conversion to liquid form , multiple individual liquid doses may be obtained by measuring predetermined volumes of the liquid form preparation as with a syringe , teaspoon or other volumetric container . when multiple liquid doses are so prepared , it is preferred to maintain the unused portion of said liquid doses at low temperature ( i . e ., under refrigeration ) in order to retard possible decomposition . the solid form preparations intended to be converted to liquid form may contain , in addition to the active material , flavorants , colorants , stabilizers , buffers , artificial and natural sweeteners , dispersants , thickeners , solubilizing agents and the like . the solvent utilized for preparing the liquid form preparation may be water , isotonic water , ethanol , glycerine , propylene glycol and the like as well as mixtures thereof . naturally , the solvent utilized will be chosen with regard to the route of administration , for example , liquid preparations containing large amounts of ethanol are not suitable for parenteral use . preferably , the pharmaceutical preparation is in unit dosage form . in such form , the preparation is subdivided into unit doses containing appropriate quantities of the active component . the unit dosage form can be a packaged preparation , the package containing discrete quantities of preparation , for example , packeted tablets , capsules and powders in vials or ampoules . the unit dosage form can also be a capsule , cachet or tablet itself or it can be the appropriate number of any of these in packaged form . when administered parenterally , e . g . intravenously , the compounds are administered at a dosage range of about 1 - 30 mg / kg of body weight in single or multiple daily doses . th quantity of active compound in a unit dose of preparation may be varied or adjusted from 1 mg to 100 mg according to the particular application and the potency of the active ingredient . the compositions can , if desired , also contain other therapeutic agents . the dosages may be varied depending upon the requirements of the patient , the severity of the condition being treated and the particular compound being employed . determination of the proper dosage for a particular situation is within the skill of the art . generally , treatment is initiated with smaller dosages which are less than the optimum dose of the compound . thereafter , the dosage is increased by small increments until the optimum effect under the circumstances is reached . for convenience , the total daily dosage may be divided and administered in portions during the day if desired . the following examples are intended to illustrate , but not to limit , the present invention . dissolve 2 - chloronicotinoyl chloride ( 0 . 10 mole ) in chcl 3 ( 90 ml ). add the resulting solution to a 5 ° c . solution of triethylamine ( 0 . 10 mole ) and an enamine , 1 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1 - cyclopentene ( 0 . 10 mole ), dissolved in chcl 3 ( 90 ml ). allow c - acylation to proceed for 21 hrs ., while the temperature of the reaction mixture rises to 25 ° after the second hour . monitor the course of the reaction by thin - layer chromatography as needed . wash the resulting solution with water , aqueous nahco 3 solution , and with water . after drying , carefully evaporate solvent to obtain the enaminoketone , ( 2 - chloro - 3 - pyridinyl )[ 2 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1 - cyclopenten - 1 - yl ] methanone , m . p . 102 . 5 °- 104 . 0 ° c ., after recrystallization from ethyl acetate . this compound is referred to in examples 1 and 3 below as compound 1 . by employing the acid chloride and enamine listed in columns 1 and 2 of table 1 below , the compounds listed in column 3 are prepared . in some instances ch 2 cl 2 is used in place of chcl 3 and the reaction time is varied . 2 - chloronicotinoyl and 2 - chloro - 3 - pyridazinylcarbonyl chloride are available from chemo dynamics inc ., whereas the aldrich chemical co . supplies certain enamines , e . g . 1 - pyrrolidino - 1 - cyclopentene , 1 - morpholino - 1 - cyclohexene , and 1 - pyrrolidino - 1 - cyclohexene . other enamines employed here and elsewhere in the following examples are prepared according to j . am . chem . soc . 76 , 2029 ( 1954 ) or other methods . for example , the indicated enamines may be prepared by the methods disclosed in the articles listed after each : 2 -( 1 - pyrrolidino )- indene , j . org . chem . 26 , 3761 ( 1961 ); 1 - methyl - 2 - methylmercapto - 2 - pyrroline , org . syn . 62 , 158 ( 1984 ) and liebigs ann . chem . 725 , 70 1969 ); 4 - carbethoxy - 1 -( 1 - pyrroidino )- cyclohexene , 1 , 2 - dicarbethoxy - 4 -( 1 - pyrrolidino )- 4 - pyrroline , 1 - acetyl - 3 -( 1 - pyrrolidino )- 2 - pyrroline , and 1 - acetyl - 4 -( 1 - pyrrolidino )- 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 - tetrahydropyridine , j . am . chem . soc . 76 , 2029 , ( 1954 ); and 5 , 6 - dihydro - 4 -( 1 - pyrrolidino )- 2h - thiopyran , zh . organ . khim ., 1 , 1108 ( 1965 ). the following ketone starting materials for the enamines may be prepared , for example , by the methods disclosed in the articles listed after each : 4 - carbethoxycyclohexanone , synth . commun . 15 , 541 ( 1985 ); 1 , 2 - dicarbethoxy - 4 - pyrrolidinone , j . org . chem . 38 , 3487 ( 1973 ); 1 - acetyl - 3 - pyrrolidinone , j . med . chem . 5 , 762 ( 1962 ). table 1__________________________________________________________________________col . 1 col . 2 col . 3 col . 4acid chloride product . sup . 1 ## str60 ## ## str61 ## x m l . sup . 4 enamine g ═ product m . p . ° c . ( solvent of crystallization ) __________________________________________________________________________n n cl ## str62 ## ## str63 ## 110 - 112 ( ccl . sub . 4 - pet . ether ) ch ch br &# 34 ; &# 34 ; oilch n cl ## str64 ## ## str65 ## oilch n cl ## str66 ## ## str67 ## oilch n cl ## str68 ## ## str69 ## 168 - 172 ° ( ch . sub . 3 cooc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 x , m and l . sup . 4 same as in column 1 . . sup . 2 referred to as compound 2 in example 2 below . add equimolar amounts of ethyl glycinate hydrochloride , triethylamine , and ( 2 - chloro - 3 - pyridinyl )-[ 2 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1 - cyclopenten - 1 - yl ] methanone to t - butyl alcohol ( 170 ml per 0 . 020 mole of amine ). reflux the resulting mixture for 34 hrs , monitoring the reaction by thin - layer chromatography as needed . cool the reaction mixture , and evaporate solvent . wash a chcl 3 solution of the residue with water and with saturated aqueous nacl solution . after drying the organic solution , evaporate the solvent to obtain the resulting enaminoketone , ( 2 - chloro - 3 - pyridinyl )[ 2 -( 1 - ethoxycarbonylmethanaminyl )- 1 - cyclopenten - 1 - yl ] methanone , m . p . 114 . 5 °- 117 . 5 ° c ., after recrystallization from isopropanol . dissolve the primary amine , 3 - nitroaniline , and the enaminoketone ( compound 1 above ) in benzene containing anhydrous p - toluenesulfonic acid . let the molar ratio of the primary amine to enaminoketone be about 1 . 25 and that of acid to enaminoketone be 1 . use enough benzene to give a solution that is initially 1m in enaminoketone . reflux the resulting solution 26 hours , and monitor the course of the reaction by thin - layer chromatography as needed . cool the reaction mixture , evaporate the solvent , and dissolve the residue in chcl 3 . wash the chcl 3 solution with water , aqueous nahco 3 solution , dilute aqueous hcl solution , and with water . after drying the chcl 3 solution , evaporate solvent to obtain the resulting naphthyridinone , 9 -( 3 - nitrophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one , m . p . 276 °- 277 ° c ., after recrystallization from ch 3 cn . dissolve 3 - chloroaniline ( 0 . 0733 mol ) and the enaminoketone ( compound 2 in table 1 above ) ( 0 . 0539 mol ) in benzene ( 50 ml ) containing p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate ( 0 . 0523 mol ). reflux the solution for 18 hours , removing water with a dean stark trap . cool the resulting mixture and evaporate the solvent , dissolving the residue in chcl 3 . wash the chcl 3 solution with water , 2n hcl , water , in nahco 3 , and with water . dry and filter the chcl 3 solution , and evaporate the solvent to give 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydrobenzo [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one , m . p . 195 °- 198 ° c . after crystallization from ch 3 cn . by employing the primary amine the enaminoketone as indicated on columns 1 and 2 of table 2 below , the naphthyridinones or pyrazinopyridones as indicated in column 3 of table 2 are prepared by basically the same methods as described in examples 1 and 2 . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ col . 3 product . sup . 3 b in nh . sub . 2bprimary aminecol . 1 ## str70 ## ## str71 ## ( solvent of crystallization ) roduct m . p . ° c . col . __________________________________________________________________________ 4 ## str72 ## h ch cl ## str73 ## ## str74 ## 321 - 324 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str75 ## h ch cl ## str76 ## ## str77 ## 306 - 308 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str78 ## h ch cl ## str79 ## ## str80 ## 230 - 233 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str81 ## h ch cl ## str82 ## ## str83 ## 303 - 306 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str84 ## h ch cl ## str85 ## ## str86 ## 287 - 290 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str87 ## h ch cl ## str88 ## ## str89 ## 294 - 296 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str90 ## h ch cl ## str91 ## ## str92 ## 270 - 273 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 o ( co ) ch . sub . 2 * * * * ## str93 ## 151 - 153 . 5 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str94 ## h ch cl ## str95 ## ## str96 ## 212 - 215 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str97 ## h ch cl ## str98 ## ## str99 ## 242 - 244 . 5 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str100 ## h ch cl ## str101 ## ## str102 ## 210 . 5 - 213 . 5 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str103 ## h n cl ## str104 ## ## str105 ## 278 - 280 ( chcl . sub . 3 / ch . sub . 3 coch . sub . 3 ) ## str106 ## h n cl ## str107 ## ## str108 ## & gt ; 300 ( d ) ( chcl . sub . 3 / ch . sub . 3 coch . sub . 3 ) ## str109 ## h n cl ## str110 ## ## str111 ## & gt ; 300 ( d ) ( ch . sub . 3 coch . sub . 3 ) ## str112 ## h n cl ## str113 ## ## str114 ## & gt ; 300 ( d ) ( ch . sub . 3 coch . sub . 3 ) ## str115 ## h ch cl ## str116 ## ## str117 ## 255 - 259 ( 1 , 4 - dioxane ) ## str118 ## h ch cl ## str119 ## ## str120 ## 256 . 5 - 260 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str121 ## h ch cl ## str122 ## ## str123 ## 207 - 209 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str124 ## h ch cl ## str125 ## ## str126 ## 221 - 223 ( chcl . sub . 3 / ch . sub . 3 coch . sub . 3 ) ## str127 ## h ch cl ## str128 ## ## str129 ## 185 - 187 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str130 ## h ch cl ## str131 ## ## str132 ## 201 - 203 ( ch . sub . 3 coch . sub . 3 ) ## str133 ## h ch cl ## str134 ## ## str135 ## 192 - 194 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str136 ## h ch cl ## str137 ## ## str138 ## 230 - 233 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str139 ## h ch cl ## str140 ## ## str141 ## 265 - 267 ( 1 , 4 - dioxane ) ## str142 ## h ch cl ## str143 ## ## str144 ## 238 - 239 . 5 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str145 ## h ch cl ## str146 ## ## str147 ## & gt ; 350 ( dmf ) ## str148 ## h ch cl ## str149 ## ## str150 ## 235 - 238 . 5 ( ch . sub . 3 cooc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 / ch . sub . 3 oh ) ## str151 ## h ch cl ## str152 ## ## str153 ## 245 . 5 - 248 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str154 ## h ch cl ## str155 ## ## str156 ## 225 - 230 ( eluent on silica gel column is 1 % ch . sub . 3 oh in chcl . sub . 3 ) ## str157 ## h ch cl ## str158 ## ## str159 ## 201 - 203 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str160 ## ch . sub . 3 ch cl ## str161 ## ## str162 ## 218 - 220 . 5 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 3 b same as in column 1 and x and v same as in column 2 . * prepared using the compound of preparative example 2 . by employing the primary amines and enaminoketones as indicated in columns 1 and 2 of table 3 below , the compounds of column 3 may also be prepared by basically the same method . table 3__________________________________________________________________________col . i col . 2 col . 3primary amine enaminoketone product . sup . 4 ## str163 ## ## str164 ## b in nh . sub . 2b v x l . sup . 4 g ## str165 ## __________________________________________________________________________ ## str166 ## h ch cl ## str167 ## ## str168 ## ## str169 ## h n cl ## str170 ## ## str171 ## ## str172 ## h ch cl ## str173 ## ## str174 ## ## str175 ## h ch cl ## str176 ## ## str177 ## ## str178 ## h ch cl ## str179 ## ## str180 ## __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 4 b same as in column 1 and x and v same as in column 2 . mix aniline and the enaminoketone ( compound 1 above ) in a molar ratio of 1 . 25 : 1 , and heat the mixture 51 hours at 110 ° c . and 24 hours at 125 ° c . cool the resulting mixture , dissolve it in chcl 3 , and treat the chcl 3 solution as described in example 1 above to produce 9 - phenyl - 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one , m . p . 235 °- 237 ° c ., after recrystallization from ch 3 cn . by employing the primary amines and enaminoketones as indicated in columns 1 and 2 of table 4 below , the compounds listed in column 3 thereof are prepared by basically the same method varying the reaction time from 4 . 5 - 100 hrs . and the temperature from 110 °- 130 ° c . as necessary . if the amine used in this example is hydrazine , then use a molar ratio of hydrazine to enaminoketone of 8 . 5 : 1 . table 4__________________________________________________________________________col . 1 col . 2 col . 3 col . 4primary amine enaminoketone product . sup . 5nh . sub . 2 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . kb ## str181 ## ## str182 ## k b x l . sup . 4 g ═ ## str183 ## product m . p . ° c . ( solvent of crystallization ) __________________________________________________________________________0 nh . sub . 2 ch cl ## str184 ## ## str185 ## 206 - 210 ( d ) ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str186 ## ch cl &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 261 - 264 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str187 ## ch cl &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 177 - 178 . 5 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str188 ## ch cl &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 259 . 5 - 261 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str189 ## ch cl &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 242 - 243 ( ch . sub . 3 cooc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 5 b and k same as in column 1 and x same as in column 2 . reflux a solution of ( 2 - bromophenyl )[ 2 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1 - cyclopenten - 1 - yl ]- methanone ( 14 . 1 g ) ( from preparative example 1 ) in benzene ( 100 ml ) containing aniline ( 4 . 5 ml ) and p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate ( 8 . 8 g ) for 19 hrs . remove water continuously with a dean - stark trap . wash the cooled solution with water , 1m nahco 3 solution , and with water . dry the benzene solution , filter it , and evaporate the solvent . crystallize to obtain ( 2 - bromophenyl )[ 2 -( phenylamino )- 1 - cyclopenten - 1 - yl ] methanone , m . p . 106 - 5 - 108 . 5 ° from ch 3 cn . reflux a mixture of ( 2 - bromophenyl )[ 2 -( phenylamino )- 1 - cyclopenten - 1 - yl ]- methanone ( 5 . 8 mmol ), potassium tert .- butoxide ( 0 . 71 g ), and tert .- butanol ( 25 ml ) under nitrogen for 1 hr . monitor the ensuing reaction by thin - layer chromatography , and cool the mixture when reaction is complete . evaporate tert .- butanol , add water ( 25 ml ) to the residue , and filter off the product , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - 4 - phenyl - 9h - cyclopenta [ b ] quinolin - 9 - one , m . p . 265 - 267 , after crystallization from ch 3 cn / chcl 3 . prepare 2 -( 3 - chlorophenylamino ) pyridinyl - 3 - carbonyl chloride as follows . add excess thionyl chloride ( 0 . 6 ml per mmol of acid ) to 2 -( 3 - chlorophenylamino ) pyridinyl - 3 - carboxylic acid ( 0 . 38 mol ), and allow the resulting mixture to stand or stir at 25 ° c . for 2 hours . to catalyze the reaction , add n , n - dimethyl formamide ( 0 . 008 ml per mmol of acid ) as needed . when acid chloride formation is complete , evaporate excess thionyl chloride . remove any traces of the reagent by adding benzene and evaporating it . to ensure that solid products are relatively dense and therefore easily manipulated , carry out evaporation at an elevated temperature ; a temperature not exceeding 50 ° c . is suitable . wash the resulting solid with benzene and petroleum ether to give 2 -( 3 - chlorophenylamino ) pyridinyl - 3 - carbonylchloride , m . p . 110 °- 114 ° c . by employing the 2 - arylaminopyridinyl - 3 - carboxylic acid listed below in table 5 , basically the same process may be used to prepare the corresponding carbonyl chlorides thereof . the 2 - arylaminopyridinyl - 3 - carboxylic acids that are needed to apply this method may be prepared according to u . s . pat . no . 3 , 689 , 653 . table 5______________________________________2 - arylamino - pyridyl - 3 - carboxylic acid ## str190 ## v ar______________________________________ ## str191 ## h ## str192 ## h ## str193 ## h ## str194 ## h ## str195 ## ch . sub . 3 ## str196 ## ______________________________________ add equimolar amounts of the enamine , 1 - acetyl - 4 -( 1 - pyrrolidino )- 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 - tetrahydropyridine ( 40 mmol ) and triethylamine ( 43 mmol ), both dissolved in dichloromethane ( 27 ml per mmol of the enamine ), to a stirred , cooled solution of an equimolar amount of 2 -( 3 - chlorophenylamino ) pyridinyl - 3 - carbonyl chloride in dichloromethane ( 175 ml ). when addition is complete , allow the reaction mixture to stir for 1 hour at 0 ° c . and for 20 hours at 25 ° c . wash the organic solution with water , dilute aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution and with water . dry the organic solution over a suitable dessicant , filter , and evaporate dichloromethane and any excess triethylamine . crystallize the residue , 7 - acetyl - 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydropyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 7h )- one , m . p . 238 °- 242 ° c . after recrystallization from ch 3 cn . alternatively , the residue may be triturated with ether , and the solid collected on a filter and then crystallized . by employing the 2 - arylaminopyridinyl - 3 - carboxyl chloride and enamine listed in columns 1 and 2 of table 6 below , the compounds listed in column 3 thereof are prepared by basically the same procedure . if the enamine bears a methylthio group on the same carbon attached to the enamine nitrogen atom , pass nitrogen gas through the resulting solution to remove liberated methane thiol . table 6__________________________________________________________________________ col . 3 product . sup . 6 ## str197 ## enaminecol . 2 ## str198 ## ( solvent of crystallization ) product m . p . ° c . col . __________________________________________________________________________ 4 ## str199 ## h ## str200 ## ## str201 ## 165 - 167 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str202 ## h ## str203 ## ## str204 ## 170 - 173 ( ch . sub . 3 cnchcl . sub . 3 ) ## str205 ## h ## str206 ## ## str207 ## 207 - 209 ( ch . sub . 3 cnchcl . sub . 3 ) ## str208 ## h ## str209 ## ## str210 ## 289 - 292 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str211 ## h ## str212 ## ## str213 ## 173 - 175 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str214 ## h ## str215 ## ## str216 ## 201 . 5 - 202 . 5 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh ) ## str217 ## h ## str218 ## ## str219 ## 211 . 0 - 212 . 0 ( ch . sub . 3 cooh . sub . 2 o ) ## str220 ## h ## str221 ## ## str222 ## 232 - 234 . 5 ( ch . sub . 3 cnchcl . sub . 3 ) ## str223 ## h ## str224 ## ## str225 ## 289 - 293 ( chcl . sub . 3c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5oocch . sub . 3 ) ## str226 ## h ## str227 ## ## str228 ## 278 - 279 ( d ) ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh ) ## str229 ## h ## str230 ## ## str231 ## 228 - 229 . 5 ( d ) ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str232 ## h ## str233 ## ## str234 ## 195 - 198 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str235 ## h ## str236 ## ## str237 ## 262 - 263 ( ch . sub . 3 coch . sub . 3 ) ## str238 ## h ## str239 ## ## str240 ## 276 - 277 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str241 ## h ## str242 ## ## str243 ## 228 - 229 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str244 ## h ## str245 ## ## str246 ## 219 - 223 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str247 ## h ## str248 ## ## str249 ## 201 - 203 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str250 ## h ## str251 ## ## str252 ## 304 - 307 ( d ) ( chcl . sub . 3c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh ) ## str253 ## h ## str254 ## ## str255 ## 203 - 206 ( chcl . sub . 3ch . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) ## str256 ## h ## str257 ## ## str258 ## 198 - 200 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str259 ## h ## str260 ## ## str261 ## 257 - 260 ( chcl . sub . 3hexane ) ## str262 ## ch . sub . 3 ## str263 ## ## str264 ## 212 - 216 ( ch . sub . 3__________________________________________________________________________ cn ) . sup . 6 ar and v same as in column 1 . by employing the 2 - arylaminopyridinyl - 3 - carboxylic chlorides and enamines listed in columns 1 and 2 of table 7 below , the products listed in column 3 thereof may be prepared . table 7__________________________________________________________________________ col . 3 product . sup . 7 ## str265 ## enaminecol . 2 ## str266 ## __________________________________________________________________________ ## str267 ## ## str268 ## ## str269 ## ## str270 ## ## str271 ## ## str272 ## ## str273 ## ## str274 ## ## str275 ## ## str276 ## ## str277 ## ## str278 ## ## str279 ## ## str280 ## ## str281 ## ## str282 ## ## str283 ## ## str284 ## __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 7 ar same as in column 1 . . sup . 8 may be prepared from the corresponding ketone described in j . het . chem . 21 1569 ( 1984 ). . sup . 9 may be prepared from the corresponding ketone described in heterocycles 22 2313 ( 1984 ). . sup . 10 may be prepared from the corresponding ketone described in chem . abstr . 87 68119 ( 1977 ). . sup . 11 may be prepared from corresponding ketone available from aldrich chemical co . with some compounds , the process of example 5 may result in incomplete cyclization , i . e . intermediates of formula ib or mixtures of such intermediates with the desired cyclized product may be produced . in such instances , the intramolecular cyclization of the intermediate to the desired product may be carried out by the following process . the procedure of example 4 above is repeated , except that the 2 -( 3 - chlorophenylamino )- pyridinyl - 3 - carboxylic chloride and 2 -( 1 - pyrrolidino )- indene are employed as the 2 - arylaminopyridinyl - 3 - carbonyl chloride and enamine respectively . the intermediate product of the reaction , i . e ., [ 2 -( 3 - chlorophenylamino )- pyridinyl ][ 2 -( 1 - pyrrolidino ]- 1 - indenyl ] methanone , ( or mixture with the corresponding cyclized product ) is treated with paratoluenesulfonic acid basically as described in example 1 above ( but substituting the intermediate ( or mixture ) for the primary amine and the enaminoketone ) to produce 11 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 10 , 11 - dihydro - 5h - indeno [ 2 , 1 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one , m . p . 304 °- 307 ° c . ( d ) after crystallization from c 2 h 5 oh . dissolve ethyl chloroformate ( 0 . 01 mole ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 40 ml ). add the resulting solution over 30 min . to a 3 ° c .- solution of 2 - anilinonicotinic acid ( 0 . 01 mole ) and triethylamine ( 0 . 01 mole ) dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 ( 400 ml ). keep the resulting solution at 3 ° c . for 2 hrs . to provide a solution containing 2 - anilino - 3 - ethoxy - carbonyloxycarbonyl - pyridine . add a solution of the enamine 3 , 3 - dimethyl - 9 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1 , 5 - dioxaspiro [ 5 . 5 ] undec - 8 - ene ( 0 . 01 mole ) dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 ( 60 ml ) over 15 min . when the last addition is complete , keep the reaction mixture at 3 ° c . for another 2 hrs and at 25 ° c . for 24 hrs . wash the ch 2 cl 2 solution with aqueous nahco 3 solution , with water , with four portions of dilute aqueous hcl solution , and finally with water . after drying the ch 2 cl 2 solution , evaporate solvent to obtain the naphthyridinone , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 5 &# 39 ;, 5 &# 39 ;- dimethyl - 10 - phenyl - spiro [ benzo -[ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 7 -( 5h ), 2 ,[ 1 , 3 ] dioxan ]- 5 - one , which is chromatographed as needed and is finally crystallized from ethyl acetate / methanol , m . p . 235 . 5 °- 238 . 5 ° c . 1 - acetyl - 4 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 - tetrahydropyridine can be employed as the enamine to produce 7 - acetyl - 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 10 - phenyl - pyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 7h )- one , m . p . 209 . 5 °- 212 . 5 °, after crystallization from ch 3 cn . u . s . re . pat . no . 26 , 655 describes the commercially available ( aldrich chemical co .) 2 - anilinonicotinic acid . the pyrrolidine enamine of 1 . 4 - cyclohexanedione mono - 2 , 2 - dimethyltrimethylene ketal is known ( synth . comm . 7 , 417 ( 1977 )), and the pyrrolidine enamine of 4 - acetyl - 1 - piperidone is made according to j . am . chem . soc . 76 , 2029 ( 1954 ). dilute a 1m solution ( 73 ml ) of lithium bistrimethylsilylamide in hexane with dry thf ( 75 ml ), and add a solution of cyclopentanone ( 0 . 070 m ) in thf . after brief stirring at 25 ° c ., add a solution of methyl 2 - phenylaminonicotinate ( 0 . 073 mol ) in thf ( 48 ml ). reflux the solution for 22 hours , monitoring progress of the condensation by thin - layer chromatography . when condensation is complete , cool the reaction mixture , evaporate solvent , and dissolve the residue in chcl 3 . wash the chcl 3 solution with water and with saturated aqueous nacl solution . after drying the chcl 3 solution , evaporate the solvent to obtain the crude naphthyridinone . purify the crude product by chromatography on silica gel with chcl 3 , and crystallization from ch 3 cn to provide 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 9 - phenyl - 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ]- naphthyridin - 5 - one . by employing the ketones and arylaminonicotinates indicated in columns 1 and 2 of table 8 below in basically the same process , the compounds listed in column 3 are prepared . in these reactions thf or toluene are employed as solvents and lithum bistrimethylsilylamide , sodium hydride or freshly prepared sodium amide are employed as the base . table 8__________________________________________________________________________ ketonecol . 1 ## str285 ## ## str286 ## crystallization )( solvent ofproduct m . p . ° c . col . __________________________________________________________________________ 4 ## str287 ## c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n ch ## str288 ## ## str289 ## 195 - 198 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str290 ## c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n ch ## str291 ## ## str292 ## 268 - 272 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh ) ## str293 ## ch . sub . 3 n ch ## str294 ## ## str295 ## 256 . 6 - 260 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str296 ## c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 n ch ## str297 ## ## str298 ## 200 - 206 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str299 ## ch . sub . 3 n ch ## str300 ## ## str301 ## 220 - 224 ( ch . sub . 3 oh ) ## str302 ## ch . sub . 3 n ch ## str303 ## ## str304 ## 248 - 251 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh ) ## str305 ## ch . sub . 3 n ch ## str306 ## ## str307 ## 301 - 304 . 5 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh ) ## str308 ## * ## str309 ## 273 - 277 ( dmf ) __________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 12 ar , m and x same as in column 2 . * made using nphenyl isatoic anhydride , i . e ., ar in the formula of column is phenyl , and m and x are both ch . with some compounds , the process of example 8 results in incomplete cyclization to the desired naphthyridinone , i . e ., a 1 , 3 - diketone ( or a mixture thereof with the desired cyclized product ) results ( see formula ia above ). in such instances , the intramolecular cyclization to the naphthyridinone may be accomplished by subjecting the 1 , 3 - diketone ( or mixture ) which results from the process of example 8 to the following procedure . for example , with 3 , 4 - dihydro - 6 - methoxy - 1 - naphthalenone as the ketone and methyl 2 - phenylaminonicotinate as the arylaminonicotinate , the 1 , 3 - diketone , 3 , 4 - dihydro - 6 - methoxy - 2 -[[ 2 -( phenylamino )- 3 - pyridinyl ]- carbonyl ]- 1 ( 2h )- napthalenone , results from the process of example 8 . to cyclize , reflux 9 g of the diketone in 400 ml of toluene containing a catalytic amount of p - toluenesulfonic acid . collect the evolved water in a dean - stark trap . remove the heat after 21 / 2 hours and allow the mixture to stand overnight . distill the toluene under vacuum on a steam bath and crystallize the residue from acetonitrile , to provide the product 5 , 6 - dihydro - 3 - methoxy - 12 - phenylnaphtho [ 1 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 7 ( 12h )- one , m . p . 234 °- 237 . 5 ° c ., after crystallization from ch 3 cn . by employing basically the same procedure and employing the ketones and arylaminonicotinates listed in columns 1 and 2 of table 9 below , the compounds listed in column 3 are prepared . table 9__________________________________________________________________________col . 1 col . 2 col . 3 col . 4 arylaminonicotinate product ## str310 ## ## str311 ## ketone r . sup . x ar ## str312 ## product m . p . ° c . ( solvent of crystallization ) __________________________________________________________________________ ## str313 ## ch . sub . 3 ## str314 ## ## str315 ## 197 . 5 - 201 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str316 ## &# 34 ; &# 34 ; ## str317 ## 288 - 291 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str318 ## &# 34 ; &# 34 ; ## str319 ## 207 . 5 - 211 . 5 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) ## str320 ## &# 34 ; &# 34 ; ## str321 ## 261 - 266 ( dmf ) ## str322 ## &# 34 ; &# 34 ; ## str323 ## 234 - 238 ( ch . sub . 3 cn ) __________________________________________________________________________ the compound 3 , 4 - dihydro - 6 - methoxy - 2 -[[ 2 -( phenylamino )- 3 - pyridinyl ] carbonyl ]- 1 ( 2h )- naphthalenone , may be cyclized and dealkylated by heating 10 g of the diketone in 160 ml 48 % hydrobromic acid on a steam bath with stirring for 48 hours . remove the steam bath and stir for an additional 48 hours at ambient temperature . pour the reaction mixture into ice water and basify with 50 % sodium hydroxide solution while stirring . collect the yellow precipitate by filtration and wash with ether . stir the solid product in 200 ml of water and acidify the solution with glacial acetic acid . collect the precipitated solid by filtration and wash with dilute acetic acid and then with water . recrystallize the product 5 , 6 - dihydro - 3 - hydroxy - 12 - phenylnaphtho [ 1 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 7 ( 12h )- one from dmf , m . p . & gt ; 340 ° c . basically the same procedure is used with 3 , 4 - dihydro - 7 - methoxy - 2 -[[ 2 -( phenylamino )- 3 - pyridinyl ] carbonyl ]- 1 ( 2h )- naphthalenone to make 5 , 6 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 12 - phenyl - naphtho [ 1 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 7 ( 12h )- one , m . p . & gt ; 330 °, after crystallization from c 2 h 5 oh . oxidize 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydropyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one with sodium tungstate and hydrogen peroxide , following the procedure of chem . commun . 874 - 875 ( 1984 ), to provide a mixture of a nitrone and a pyridine n - oxide which are separated by column chromatography on silica gel , each compound being eluted from the column by dichloromethane containing 2 % methanol . the two compounds are 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 8 , 9 - dihydro - pyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one - 7 - oxide , hemihydrate ( m . p . 208 °- 209 ° c . after crystallization from ch 3 cn ) and 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) pyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ]- naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one - 7 - oxide m . p . 262 °- 265 ° c . after crystallization from chcl 3 / ch 3 cooc 2 h 5 . reflux 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 8 , 9 - dihydropyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one - 7 - oxide ( 7 . 3 mmol ), n - phenylmaleimide ( 7 . 4 mmol ) in a solvent of ethylacetate ( 100 ml ) and benzene ( 50 ml ) for 15 hrs . evaporate the solvents after filtration , and elute the residue from silica gel with chloroform . crystallize the product , 8 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 13b , 13c - tetrahydro - 2 - phenylpyrrolo [ 3 &# 34 ;, 4 &# 34 ;: 4 &# 39 ;, 5 &# 39 ;] isoxazolo [ 2 &# 39 ;, 3 &# 39 ;: 1 , 2 ] pyrido [ 4 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 1 , 3 , 13 ( 2h , 3ah , 8h )- trione , from diisopropylether / ch 3 cn , m . p . 255 °- 258 ° c . by employing the same nitrone and the compounds listed in column 1 of table 10 in place of n - phenylmaleimide in basically the same procedure , the compounds as listed in column 2 of table 10 are prepared . table 10__________________________________________________________________________ col . 2 product ## str324 ## col . 1 ## str325 ## crystallization )( solvent ofproduct m . p . ° c . col . 3__________________________________________________________________________ ## str326 ## ## str327 ## 197 - 202 ( ch . sub . 3 cnpet . ether ) ## str328 ## ## str329 ## 169 - 172 ( ch . sub . 3 cnpet . ether ) __________________________________________________________________________ by basically the same procedure as described above employing the same nitrone and the compound listed in column 1 of table 11 below in place of phenylmaleimide , the compounds listed in column 2 of table 11 may be prepared , except that the last listed compound may be prepared by the procedure described in j . org . chem . 46 , 3502 ( 1981 ). table 11______________________________________ col . 2 product ## str330 ## col . 1 ## str331 ## ______________________________________ ## str332 ## ## str333 ## ## str334 ## ## str335 ## ## str336 ## ## str337 ## ## str338 ## ## str339 ## ______________________________________ charge a paar bottle with 5 , 6 - dihydro - 3 - hydroxy - 12 - phenyl - naphtho [ 1 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 7 ( 12h )- one , an equal weight of 5 % pd on carbon , and ethanol . pressurize the bottle with hydrogen to about 50 psi , and shake the contents in a paar apparatus at 25 ° c . monitor the progress of hydrogenation by pressure changes or by thin - layer chromatography . when hydrogen uptake ceases , remove catalyst by filtration and ethanol by evaporation . crystallize the residue to obtain 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 - hexahydro - 3 - hydroxy - 12 - phenyl - naphtho [ 1 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 7 ( 12h )- one , m . p . & gt ; 330 ° c . after crystallization from c 2 h 5 oh . by starting with the compounds listed in column 1 of table 12 , the compounds listed in column 2 thereof are prepared by basically the same procedure : table 12__________________________________________________________________________col . 1 col . 2 col . 3 product . sup . 18 ## str340 ## ## str341 ## ## str342 ## ## str343 ## crystallization )( solvent ofproduct of m . p . ° c . __________________________________________________________________________ ## str344 ## ## str345 ## 265 - 270 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh ) ## str346 ## ## str347 ## 248 . 5 - 253 ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 oh ) ## str348 ## ## str349 ## 265 - 267 ( ch . sub . 3 cooc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5ch . sub . 3 oh ) __________________________________________________________________________ oxidize 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 9 -( 3 - methylthiophenyl )- 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one with 3 - chloroperbenzoic acid dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 . use one equivalent of peracid oxidant at 0 °- 5 ° c . for 5 hrs to make the corresponding sulfoxide , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 9 -( 3 - methylsulfinylphenyl )- 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one . wash the reaction mixture with aqueous nahco 3 solution and with water . after drying the ch 2 cl 2 solution , evaporate the solvent , and chromatograph the residue on silica gel . elute the sulfoxide with chcl 3 containing increasing amounts of ch 3 oh and crystallize the product from ch 3 cn , m . p . 257 °- 259 ° c . by basically the same reaction but employing two equivalents of the peracid oxidant at 25 ° c . for 50 hrs ., the corresponding sulfone , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 9 -( 3 - methylsulfonylphenyl )- 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5one is prepared , m . p . 271 °- 273 °, after crystallization from ch 3 cn . similarly , starting with 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 5h - thiopyrano [ 4 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one or 4 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 2 , 3 , 4 , 9 - tetrahydrothieno [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 9 - one and one equivalent of the peracid oxidant , the sulfoxides , 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 5h - thiopyrano [ 4 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one - 7 - oxide ( m . p . 211 °- 212 ° c . after crystallization from ch 3 cn / ch 3 cooc 2 h 5 ) or 4 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 2 , 3 , 4 , 9 - tetrahydrothieno [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 9 - one - 1 - oxide ( m . p . 266 °- 267 ° c . after crystallization form ch 3 cn ), respectively , are prepared . by employing two equivalents of the preacid oxidant , the corresponding dioxides are prepared ; i . e ., 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 5h - thiopyrano [ 4 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one - 7 , 7 - dioxide ( m . p . 249 °- 250 ° c . after crystallization from ch 3 cn / pet . ether ) and 4 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 2 , 3 , 4 , 9 - tetrahydrothieno [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 9 - one - 1 , 1 - dioxide ( m . p . 277 °- 278 ° c . after crystallization from chcl 3 -- ch 3 cn ). reflux 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 5 &# 39 ;, 5 &# 39 ;- dimethyl - 10 - phenyl - spiro [ benzo [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 7 -( 5h ), 2 &# 39 ;-[ 1 , 3 ] dioxan ]- 5 - one ( 32 mmoles ) with water ( 6 ml ) and p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate ( 3 . 2 g ) dissolved in 2 - butanone ( 319 ml ) for 3 days . monitor the progress of hydrolysis by thin - layer chromatography . when hydrolysis is complete , cool the solution and evaporate the 2 - butanone . wash a ch 2 cl 2 solution of the residue with aqueous nahco 3 solution and with water . evaporate the ch 2 cl 2 after drying the organic solution , and crystallize the residue from c 2 h 5 oh -- chcl 3 to obtain 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 10 - phenyl - benzo [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 , 7 - dione , m . p . 244 °- 247 ° c . ( d ). treat 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 - hexahydro - 3 - methoxy - 12 - phenyl - naphtho [ 1 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 7 ( 12h )- one ( 10 mmoles ) with equimolar amounts of acetyl chloride and triethylamine dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) at 0 °- 25 ° c . for 3 days . wash the resulting solution with aqueous nahco 3 solution and with water , and dry the organic solution . evaporate the ch 2 cl 2 , and chromatograph the residue on silica gel . elute the n - acetylated product with 2 % meoh in chcl 3 , and crystallize it from isopropyl acetate / disopropyl ether to provide 11 - acetyl - 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 - hexahydro - 12 - phenyl - naphtho [ 1 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 7 ( 12h )- one , m . p . 178 . 5 °- 182 ° c . reflux 7 - acetyl - 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 10 - phenylpyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 7h )- one ( 10 . 9 grams ) with hot , dilute ( 10 %) aqueous hydrochloric acid ( 240 ml ) in 95 % ethanol ( 129 ml ) for 8 hrs . cool the resulting solution and collect the hydrochloride salt by filtration . if desired , the corresponding free base can be prepared by treating the hydrochloride salt with 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution . crystallize the product , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 10 - phenylpyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 7h )- one , monohydrate hydrochloride , from ch 3 oh / c 2 h 5 oocch 3 , m . p . 277 °- 279 . 5 ° c . by employing 7 - acetyl - 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydropyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 7h )- one as the acetamide ( 30 g ) in a similar procedure , ( using n hcl ( 445 ml ) and 95 % ethanol ( 225 ml ) for 15 hours ), the product , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) pyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 7h )- one may be prepared , m . p . 212 °- 215 ° c . after crystallization from ch 2 cl 2 / ch 3 coch 3 . charge a stainless - steel bomb with 9 -( 3 - dimethylaminophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one ( 2 g ), and with methyl iodide ( 80 ml ). close the bomb and heat it in a 140 ° c . oil bath for 20 hrs . cool the bomb and contents , filter the latter , and wash the collected solid with ether to provide the product , 9 -( 3 - trimethylammonium )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 -( 5h )- one iodide salt , m . p . 235 °- 239 ° c ., after crystallization from h 2 o . by a similar method 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydropyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one may be quaternized , using methyl iodide or ethyl iodide , respectively , to yield the products , 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 7 , 7 - dimethyl - pyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ]- naphthyridinium - 5 ( 10h )- one , iodide ( m . p . 305 °- 308 ° c . after crystallization from ch 3 oh ) or 10 ( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 7 , 7 - diethylpyrido [ 4 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridinium -( 5 ( 10h )- one iodide 1 / 4 hydrate ( m . p . 256 °- 258 ° c . after crystallization from ch 3 oh -- chcl 3 ), respectively . react 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydropyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one ( 5 mmol ) with benzylbromide ( 5 . 8 mmol ) in acetone ( 40 ml ) at 25 ° c . for 3 hours . evaporate the acetone solvent , and elute the product from silca gel with chloroform to provide the product , 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 7 - n - benzyl - pyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one , m . p . 157 °- 161 ° c . after crystallization from ch 3 cn . oxidize 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydropyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one ( 1 . 6 mmol ) in a refluxing solution of xylene ( 15 ml ), using air as the oxidant and 5 % pd on c ( 15 mg ) as the catalyst . follow the procedure of tetrahedron letters 26 , 1259 - 1260 ( 1985 ); pass air through the hot solution for 15 hours . evaporate the xylene and elute the residue from silica gel with chloroform to provide 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) pyrido [ 2 , 3 - b ][ 1 , 6 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one , m . p . 222 °- 224 ° c . after crystallization from ch 3 cl / pet . ether . saponify 7 - ethoxycarbonyl - 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydrobenzo [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one ( 7 . 1 g ) with potassium hydroxide ( 1 . 10 g ) in a solvent of ethanol and water ( 142 ml , 9 : 1 by volume ). after 21 hours at 25 ° c ., add water ( 200 ml ), cool the resulting solution in ice , and acidify ( ph 2 ) the solution with concentrated hydrochloric acid . collect the resulting precipitate on a filter , and crystallize it from ethanol to provide 7 - carboxy - 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydrobenzo [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one , m . p . 279 °- 280 . 5 ° c . reduce 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - 10 - phenylbenzo [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 , 7 - dione ( 2 mmol ) with sodium borohydride ( 50 mg ) in a solvent of ethanol ( 30 ml ) and water ( 0 . 25 ml ). after 15 minutes , pour the reaction mixture over ice and collect the resulting precipitate on a filter . reserve the precipitate , and extract the aqueous filtrate with chloroform . dry the extracts , evaporate the chloroform , and combine the residue with the reserved precipitate to give the product , 10 - phenyl - 7 - hydroxy - 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - benzo [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 10h )- one , m . p . 283 °- 286 ° c . after crystallization from ethanol . reduce the nitro group of 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 9 -( 3 - nitrophenyl )- 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one with stannous chloride in hydrochloric acid following the procedure of org . syn . ( coll . vol . iii , 1955 , p . 453 ), precipitating the product , 9 -( 3 - aminophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydrocyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 5h )- one from h 2 o , m . p . 284 . 5 °- 285 . 5 ° c . reflux a mixture of 4 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrothieno [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 9 ( 9h )- one ( 0 . 11 g ), ethanol ( 100 ml ), and commercial aged raney nickel ( from 5 ml of an aqueous suspension ) for 10 hours under nitrogen . filter the resulting mixture , evaporate the solvent , and chromatograph the residue over silica gel . elute with chcl 3 to give 4 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- thieno [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 9 ( 4h )- one , m . p . 264 °- 267 ° c . from chcl 3 hexane . add a solution containing a mixture of 1 - acetyl - 3 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 3 - and 2 - pyrrolines ( 3 . 55 g ) and triethylamine ( 2 . 17 g ) in dichloromethane ( 20 ml ) to a cooled , stirred suspension of 2 -( 3 - chlorophenylamino )- pyridinyl - 3 - carbonyl chloride ( 5 . 26 g ) in an atmosphere of n 2 . use an ice bath for cooling . when addition is complete ( 30 minutes ), remove the ice bath and allow stirring to continue at ambient temperature for 20 hours . wash the resulting solution with 1m nahco 3 solution , with h 2 o , with 1m hcl and with h 2 o . dry the ch 2 cl 2 solution , filter it , and evaporate the ch 2 cl 2 . crystallize the residue to give 7 - acetyl - 9 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 5h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 4 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one , m . p . 289 °- 293 ° c . from chcl 3 -- c 2 h 5 oocch 3 . chromatograph the mother liquor over silica gel , and elute the column with 2 % ch 3 oh in ch 2 cl 2 to obtain 1 - acetyl - 2 -[ 2 -[( 3 - chlorophenyl ) amino ]- 3 - pyridinylcarbonyl ]- 3 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1h - pyrrole , m . p . 170 °- 173 ° c . from ch 3 cn . reflux a mixture of 1 - acetyl - 2 -[ 2 -[( 3 - chlorophenyl ) amino ]- 3 - pyridinylcarbonyl ]- 3 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 1h - pyrrole ( 0 . 45 g ), p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate ( 0 . 21 g ) in a solvent of benzene ( 20 ml ), and tert - butanol for 12 hours . evaporate solvent and partition the residue between chcl 3 and 1m nahco 3 . wash the chcl 3 solution with water , dry and filter the solution . evaporate the solvent , and triturate the residue with chcl 3 to give 4 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 1 , 4 - dihydro - 9h - pyrrolo [ 3 , 2 - b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 9 - one , m . p . 300 °- 301 ° c . a . a mixture of 2 - chloro - 3 - pyridinecarboxylic acid ( 78 . 75 g , 0 . 500 mol ), 3 - chloroaniline ( 127 . 6 g , 1 . 00 mol ), paratoluenesulfonic acid . h 2 o ( 8 . 5 g , 45 mmol ), and h 2 o ( 500 ml ) was refluxed 4 hrs . the solids dissolved , and after 1 hr , the solution gave a precipitate . the cooled mixture was filtered , and the collected yellow solid was washed with cold h 2 0 and was dried ( 60 ° ) to give 2 -[( 3 - chlorophenyl ) amino ]- 3 - pyridinecarboxylic acid ( 116 . 0 g , 93 . 3 %), mp 197 °- 199 ° c . b . stirring 2 -[( 3 - chloro - phenyl ) amino ]- 3 - pyridinecarboxylic acid ( 30 . 8 g , 124 mmol ) with socl 2 ( 50 ml , 680 mmol ) and dmf ( 0 . 5 ml ) at 25 ° c . for 1 hr gave a solution which deposited a precipitate . excess thionyl chloride was evaporated , the residue was mixed with benzene , and the solvent was evaporated to give crude , solid 2 -[( 3 - chlorophenyl ) amino ]- 3 - pyridinecarbonyl chloride which was used directly in the next step c . collecting , washing with benzene and petroleum ether , and drying the precipitate gave 2 - 8 ( 3 - chlorophenyl ) amino ]- 3 - pyridinecarbonyl chloride ( 32 g , 96 %) as a yellow solid , mp 112 °- 115 ° c . c . a solution of n ( c 2 h 5 ) 3 ( 1 . 3 ml , 9 . 3 mmol ) and 1 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl ) cyclohexene ( 1 . 41 g , 9 . 3 mmol ) in toluene ( 5 ml ) was added dropwise over 10 min . to a magnetically stirred , cooled ( ice - acetone bath at - 10 ° c .) suspension of crude acid chloride ( prepared by the procedure of step 26b above from 9 . 3 mmol of the corresponding acid ) and toluene ( 40 ml ). the solid dissolved , and the dark red reaction mixture was kept 2 hrs . between - 5 to + 5 ° c . and then warmed to room temperature over 0 . 5 hr . the reaction mixture was then heated in an oil bath for 4 hrs ; the oil bath temperature was 80 ° c . the reaction mixture was allowed to cool and to stand at room temperature for 12 hrs ., after which toluene was evaporated . the residue was dissolved in ch 2 cl 2 ( 100 ml ) and the solution was washed with 100 ml portions of h 2 o , 1n hcl , 1m na 2 co 3 , and with h 2 o . aqueous extracts were backextracted with ch 2 cl 2 , and combined organic solutions were dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered , and evaporated . the residue was crystallized from acetonitrile to provide the desired product 10 -( 3 - chlorophenyl )- 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydrobenzo [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 ( 7h )- one the following formulations exemplify some of the dosage forms of the compositions of this invention . in each , the term &# 34 ; active compound &# 34 ; designates 9 - phenyl - 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one . it is contemplated , however , that this compound may be replaced by equally effective amounts of other compounds of formula i . ______________________________________pharmaceutical dosage form examplesexample atabletsno . ingredient mg / tablet mg / tablet______________________________________1 . active compound 100 5002 . lactose usp 122 1133 . corn starch , food grade , 30 40 as a 10 % paste in purified water4 . corn starch , food grade 45 405 . magnesium stearate 3 7 total 300 700______________________________________ mix item nos . 1 and 2 in a suitable mixer for 10 - 15 minutes . granulate the mixture with item no . 3 . mill the damp granules through a coarse screen ( e . g ., 1 / 4 &# 34 ;) if needed . dry the damp granules . screen the dried granules if needed and mix with item no . 4 and mix for 10 - 15 minutes . add item no . 5 and mix for 1 - 3 minutes . compress the mixture to appropriate size and weight on a suitable tablet machine . ______________________________________example bcapsulesno . ingredient mg / capsule mg / capsule______________________________________1 . active compound 100 5002 . lactose usp 106 1233 . corn starch , food grade 40 704 . magnesium stearate nf 4 7 total 250 700______________________________________ mix item nos . 1 , 2 and 3 in a suitable blender for 10 - 15 minutes . add item no . 4 and mix for 1 - 3 minutes . fill the mixture into suitable two - piece hard gelatin capsules on a suitable encapsulating machine . ______________________________________example dinjectableingredient mg / vial______________________________________active compound 100methyl p - hydroxybenzoate 1 . 8propyl p - hydroxybenzoate 0 . 2sodium bisulfite 3 . 2disodium edetate 0 . 1sodium sulfate 2 . 6water for injection q . s . ad 1 . 0 ml______________________________________ 1 . dissolve p - hydroxybenzoate compounds in a portion ( 85 % of the final volume ) of the water for injection at 65 °- 70 ° c . 2 . cool to 25 °- 35 ° c . charge and dissolve the sodium bisulfite , disodium edetate and sodium sulfate . 4 . bring the solution to final volume by added water for injection . 5 . filter the solution through 0 . 22 membrane and fill into appropriate containers . ______________________________________example enasal spray mg / ml______________________________________active compound 10 . 0phenyl mercuric acetate 0 . 02aminoacetic acid usp 3 . 7sorbitol solution , usp 57 . 0benzalkonium chloride solution 0 . 2sodium hydroxide 1n solution to -- adjust phwater purified usp to make 1 . 0 ml______________________________________ the following formulations f and g exemplify some of topical dosage forms in which &# 34 ; active compound &# 34 ; refers to 9 -( 3 - nitrophenyl )- 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - 5h - cyclopenta [ b ][ 1 , 8 ] naphthyridin - 5 - one , but again other compounds of formula i may be substituted therefor . ______________________________________example fointmentformula mg / g______________________________________active compound 1 . 0 - 20 . 0benzyl alcohol , nf 20 . 0mineral oil , usp 50 . 0white petrolatum , usp to make 1 . 0 g______________________________________ disperse active compound in a portion of the mineral oil . mix and heat to 65 ° c ., a weighed quantity of white petrolatum , the remaining mineral oil and benzyl alcohol , and cool to 50 °- 55 ° c . with stirring . add the dispersed active compound to the above mixture with stirring . cool to room temperature . ______________________________________example gcreamformula mg / g______________________________________active compound 1 . 0 - 20 . 0stearic acid , usp 60 . 0glyceryl monostearate 100 . 0propylene glycol , usp 50 . 0polyethylene sorbitan monopalmitate 50 . 0sorbitol solution , usp 30 . 0benzyl alcohol , nf 10 . 0purified water , usp to make 1 . 0 g______________________________________ heat the stearic acid , glyceryl monostearate and polyethylene sorbitan monopalmitate to 70 ° c . in a separate vessel , dissolve sorbital solution , benzyl alcohol , water , and half quantity of propylene glycol and heat to 70 ° c . add the aqueous phase to oil phase with high speed stirring . dissolve the active compound in remaining quantity of propylene glycol and add to the above emulsion when the temperature of emulsion is 37 °- 40 ° c . mix uniformly with stirring and cool to room temperature . while the present invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments set forth above , many alternatives , modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . all such alternatives , modifications and variations are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention . | 2 |
referring to fig1 - 4 , an illustrative embodiment of a fan assembly in accordance with the present invention includes a fan body 10 , a first support member 20 , and a second support member 30 . the fan body 10 comprises a fan ( not shown ), preferably an elongated spinning drum having a plurality of fan blades , situated inside a substantially cylindrical fan housing , which includes a substantially tubular portion 11 , a first end cap member 12 , a second end cap member 13 , and at least one ventilation opening 14 , preferably a grille . the substantially tubular portion 11 is preferably rotatable with respect to the end cap members 12 and 13 . the end cap members 12 and 13 define a first surface 15 and a second surface 16 substantially perpendicular to the first surface 15 . preferably , the end cap member 12 includes a first receiving member 17 on the first surface 15 . similarly , the end cap members 12 and 13 each includes a second receiving member 18 on the second surface 16 . the receiving members 17 and 18 are present to enable the first and second support members 20 and 30 to be attached to the fan body 10 , respectively , which is described in further detail below . as such , the receiving members 17 and 18 may take any suitable form , including a socket , a clip , a clamp , and any other connecting , coupling or locking mechanisms . preferably , however , the first receiving member 17 is in the form of a socket and the second receiving member 18 includes at least one clip . in operation , a user may choose a first or upright operational configuration by attaching the fan body 10 to the first support member 20 via the first receiving member 17 and a first attaching member 21 , as illustrated in fig2 and 3 . in addition to the first attaching member 21 , the first support member 20 preferably includes a locking clip 22 , which may be spring loaded . the fan body 10 is securely attached to the first support member 20 by inserting the first attaching member 21 into the first receiving member 17 , and securing the position using the locking clip to prevent the first attaching member 21 from slipping out of the first receiving member 17 . in this first or upright operational configuration , the substantially tubular portion 11 of the fan housing rotates circumferentially about the fan drum ( not shown ), and oscillates back and forth to generate a transverse airflow moving in radial directions away from a rotation axis defined by the rotations of the fan drum and the tubular portion 11 . the first support member 20 may be detached from the fan body 10 for easy storage or in preparation of operating the fan assembly in a second or horizontal configuration . turning now to fig4 and 5 , the second or horizontal operational configuration is formed by attaching the fan body 10 to the second support member 30 via the second receiving member 18 and a second attaching member 31 . the fan body 10 is securely attached to the second support member 30 by inserting the second attaching member 31 into the second receiving member 18 , as shown in fig5 , such that the second receiving member 18 securely clips into the second attaching member 31 . note that the relative male - to - female roles of the receiving members 17 and 18 and their corresponding attaching members 21 and 31 may be reversed without deviating from the principles of the present invention . in the second configuration , therefore , the substantially tubular portion 11 of the fan housing rotates circumferentially about the fan drum ( not shown ), and oscillates back and forth to generate a vertically oscillating airflow moving in radial directions away from the rotation axis of the fan drum and the tubular portion 11 . the second support member 30 may be detached from the fan body 10 for easy storage or in preparation of operating the fan assembly in the first configuration . referring now to fig6 - 8 , another embodiment of a fan assembly in accordance with the present invention includes a fan body 40 , a first support member 50 , and a second support member 60 . similar to the first embodiment , the fan body 40 comprises a fan ( not shown )— preferably an elongated spinning drum having a plurality of fan blades — situated inside a substantially cylindrical fan housing , which includes a substantially tubular portion 41 , a first end cap member 42 , a second end cap member 43 , and at least one ventilation opening 44 , preferably a grille . the substantially tubular portion 41 is preferably rotatable with respect to the end cap members 42 and 43 . in this embodiment , however , the first supporting member 50 and the first end cap member 42 are one and the same . that is , the fan body 40 rests on the first end cap member 42 when the fan assembly operates in a first or vertical configuration . the fan assembly generates a transversely oscillating airflow similar to the fan assembly of the first embodiment described above . to use the fan assembly in a second or horizontal configuration , one simply tilts the fan assembly approximately 90 degrees such that the fan assembly rests on the second support member 60 , which is preferably attached fixedly to the fan body 40 . as illustrated , the second support member 60 preferably comprises four legs 61 connected by a u - shaped tube 62 . the u - shaped tube 62 adds structural integrity to the fan assembly and is an optional feature . the second support member 60 may additionally include a handle bar 63 for easy handling . in this second configuration , the fan assembly generates a vertically oscillating airflow similar to the fan assembly of the first embodiment described above . the uniqueness of the embodiment illustrated in fig6 - 8 is that the fan assembly is a whole unit , with both of the supporting members 50 and 60 already attached . as such , this embodiment is most suitably used as a personal unit on top of a desk , for example . as shown in fig9 , a fan body similar to fan bodies 10 and 40 may increase the air outflow by employing a grille member with varied thickness in a circumferential direction about the fan drum . it is believed that pockets of air currents that form small eddies or vortexes inside a traditional fan unit having a fan grille of uniform thickness are reduced by using a grille member with varied thickness . with the absence or a reduction of conflicting air currents inside the fan housing , the air outflow from a fan assembly will increase , and the fan assembly may be used more efficiently . referring to fig9 , the thickness of a grille member 80 in accordance with the present invention decreases in a circumferential direction about the fan drum 70 opposite to the rotation of the fan drum 70 , creating a tapered portion 81 for the grille member 80 . although the invention herein has been described with references to particular embodiments , it is to be understood that the embodiments are merely illustrative of , and are not intended as a limitation upon , the principles and application of the present invention . it is therefore to be understood that various modifications may be made to the above mentioned embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the fan bodies 10 and 40 as described above may comprise a fan housing with a stationary tubular portion 11 or 41 , respectively , resulting in a constant and stationary airflow . | 5 |
as shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration , the present invention is concerned with a novel fluid collection and disposal apparatus , generally designated in fig1 by the reference number 20 . this improved fluid collection and disposal apparatus 20 comprises a fluid impermeable plastic bag 22 , and a collapsible drain stand 24 for holding the bag 22 in a manner facilitating flow of fluid to be collected into the bag . to this end , the drain stand 24 includes means for engaging the open end 26 of the bag 22 to hold it in an open , fluid receiving position . additionally , means are provided for funneling fluid drained through the open end 26 , to the remainder of the bag 22 in a manner preventing larger solid objects from entering the bag . further , means are provided for positioning the drain stand 24 in an appropriate position beneath a drain . the improved fluid collection and disposal apparatus 20 of this invention is designed to be shipped in a flat condition , unfolded quickly for use , and is inexpensive to the degree that it is ultimately disposable . it is preferred that the drain stand 24 be constructed from a generally rectangular piece of flat , rigid base material which , in connection with the bag 22 , provides an apparatus which is convenient to use , and which provides a safe and efficient means for properly disposing of fluids such as engine crankcase oil . in accordance with the present invention , and as best illustrated in fig1 and 9 - 16 , the bag 22 is preferably constructed of flexible polyethylene to have a tubular gusseted design . when intended for use in the collection and disposal of engine crankcase oil , the bag 22 should have approximately a ten quart volumetric capacity to accommodate virtually all anticipated applications . the drain stand 24 is preferably constructed of a corrugated fiberboard material having a one sixteenth inch cross - sectional dimension . it has been found that such material exhibits all the necessary structural capabilities for convenient and reliable use , yet it is durable enough to withstand the stresses and strains normally imposed on the drain stand 24 during normal use . further , it should be understood that other materials may be used for the drain stand 24 , such as double weight gauge chipboard or resilient plastic sheeting . as shown in fig1 the illustrated fluid collection and disposal apparatus 20 may be used to conveniently collect oil 28 drained from an oil pan 30 beneath an automobile ( not shown ) through a drain 32 . the open end 26 of the bag 22 is stretched over the upper edge of the drain stand 24 in order to collect the oil 28 as it flows from the drain 32 . the drain stand 24 is constructed so that the bag may extend downwardly through the interior 34 of the drain stand 24 , and outwardly from the drain stand as needed to accommodate the length of the bag 22 . referring now more particularly to fig9 - 11 , the drain stand 24 is preferably constructed of a single rectangular piece of base material folded along a mirror - image fold line 36 , and having its free ends glued to one another . the drain stand 24 includes four side wall panels 38a - d , and a pair of end wall panels 40a and 40b situated between two of the side wall panels 38 . these side wall panels 38a - d provide the primary ground support for the fluid collection and disposal apparatus 20 , and function as drain stand legs . these side wall panels 38a - d , together with the end wall panels 40a and 40b , further form the upper edge of the drain stand 24 , which engages the bag 22 in a manner more fully described below . the drain stand 24 additionally includes a pair of inner support panels 42a and 42b which are attached and extend downwardly from a respective one of the end wall panels 40a and 40b . these inner support panels 42a and 42b slope downwardly from the respective end wall panel 40a or 40b , and inwardly toward one another to create a trough sufficiently wide to permit fluid to flow easily therethrough , yet narrow enough to prevent larger solid objects from falling therethrough . where it is intended that engine oil 28 will be the primary fluid collected by the fluid collection and disposal apparatus 20 , the trough would be sized to permit the liquid oil to easily flow through the trough , and yet narrow enough to prevent a drain plug ( not shown ) from falling past the inner support panels 42a and 42b . attached to the lower edge of the inner support panels 42a and 42b are disposal bag guide panels 44a and 44b which facilitate passage of the open end 26 and adjacent portions of the bag 22 through the trough from the lower side of the drain stand 24 . these guide panels 44a and 44b extend downwardly and slightly outwardly from their attachment point to the inner support panels 42a and 42b as best shown in fig1 . each lateral end of these guide panels 44a and 44b support a locking tab 46 which includes a strap portion 48 , a narrowed locking tab neck portion 50 , and a locking tab head 52 . the locking tab head 52 further includes a solid circular base portion 54 , and a plurality of nodules 56 which extend outwardly from the base portion 54 . these locking tabs 46 interact with a corresponding slot 58 through an adjacent side wall panel 38 , and a locking tab anchor 60 hinged to an aperture 62 situated near the slot 58 . the drain stand 24 can be conveniently manufactured utilizing two alternate preliminary methods . the first , illustrated in fig2 - 4 , requires that a single rectangular piece of base material 64 be folded along the mirror - image fold line 36 ( which is perpendicular to the long axis of the base material ), to place the opposite free ends 66 and 68 of the base material 64 generally adjacent one another . one free end 68 is provided an attachment panel 70 intended to facilitate attachment of the free ends 66 and 68 by a glue adhesive or the like . the mirror - image fold line 36 provides a reference from which the base material 64 is cut and folded , whereby a cut or fold on one side of the mirror - image fold line is generally duplicated on the other side . the folding of the base material 64 prior to any cutting thereof ensures the creation of a symmetrical drain stand 24 . after the base material 64 has been so folded and the free ends 66 and 68 attached to one another , the base material is then cut and stamped in a single operation to form the various elements of the drain stand 24 described above . more particularly , a pair of cuts 72 would be made to separate the inner support panels 42 from the side wall panels 38 . further cuts would be made to create the slots 58 , the apertures 62 and the locking tabs 46 . to facilitate assembly of the drain stand 24 , several fold lines are also provided . specifically , a fold line 74 is provided between the end wall panels 40 and the inner support panels 42 . further , fold lines 76 define the boundary between the end wall panels 40 and the side wall panels 38 . additional fold lines 78 and 80 are provided between the inner support panels 42 and the guide panels 44 , and also between the guide panels 44 and the locking tabs 46 . as illustrated in fig5 and 6 , however , the cutting of the base material 64 need not take place after the base material has been folded about the mirror - image fold line 36 . rather , the base material 64 can be cut while still unfolded , and then subsequently folded along the mirror - image fold line 36 . the free ends 66 and 68 may also be subsequently attached together with the attachment panel 70 . with reference now to fig7 after the base material 64 has been folded , cut , and its free ends 66 and 68 attached to one another , the two opposing sides of the base material 64 are separated from one another in a manner spacing the end wall panels 40a and 40b from one another , but leaving the side wall panels 38a and 38b , and the side wall panels 38c and 38d attached to one another . this separation of the two opposing sides of the base material 64 effectively creates a definable interior 34 of the drain stand 24 . the inner support panels 42 would then be bent upwardly and inwardly along their fold line 74 with the end wall panels 40 to create the trough mentioned earlier . the inner support panels 42 are rigidly positioned by inserting the locking tab head 52 , the neck portion 50 and the strap portion 48 of the locking tab 46 through the adjacent slot 58 ( fig8 ). once fully inserted , the locking tab 46 is bent along the fold line 80 to place the locking tab head 52 next to the aperture 62 . the locking tab head 52 is then pushed through the aperture 62 in a manner deforming the locking tab head as it passes through the aperture , but permitting the locking tab head to resiliently resume a shape having dimensions larger than those of the aperture after passing therethrough . this is facilitated by the provision of the nodules 56 which tend to easily pass through the aperture 62 , but because their diametric dimension is greater than that of the aperture 62 , they resist being withdrawn back through the aperture . to further ensure that the locking tab head 52 remains within the aperture 62 , the locking tab anchor 60 engages a face 82 of the locking tab head 52 in the manner illustrated in fig1 and 15 . after the drain stand 24 has been so constructed , the bag 22 is then preferably drawn through the bottom of the drain stand between the oppositely facing guide panels 44a and 44b . the open end 26 of the plastic bag 22 is then preferably stretched over the upper end of the drain stand 24 as illustrated in fig1 and 11 . since the side wall panels 38 provide drain stand legs effectively elevating the inner support panels 42 above the supporting surface , the bag 22 may conveniently extend between these legs outwardly from the drain stand 24 in a manner conveniently accommodating bags 22 of varying lengths . oil or other fluids may then be conveniently drained through the open end 26 of the plastic bag 22 as illustrated in fig1 . after the oil has been completely drained , the drain plug ( not shown ) would typically be replaced into the drain 32 , the portion of the plastic bag 22 adjacent its open end 26 pulled upwardly and over the upper surface of the drain stand 24 , and then the bag 22 would be carefully pulled downwardly through the trough between the guide panels 44a and 44b and the opposing ends of the inner support panels 42a and 42b to remove the bag from the drain stand 24 . this bag 22 could then be conveniently sealed and transported to an appropriate disposal site , such as an oil recycling center , for disposal in a safe , convenient and ecologically sound manner . as illustrated in fig1 , one method of sealing off the open end 26 of the bag 22 would be to twist the bag to form a rope - type effect , then tie an overhand knot into that upper portion of the plastic bag . above the overhand knot the roped portion of the bag could then be doubled over and then secured by a tie strap 84 having a securing mechanism 86 which interacts with small rachet teeth 88 . from the foregoing it is to be appreciated that the fluid collection and disposal apparatus 20 of the present invention can be inexpensively manufactured , is convenient to use , and provides a safe and efficient means for properly disposing hazardous waste fluids , such as engine crankcase oil . the apparatus 20 can be shipped in a flat condition , unfolded quickly for use , and lends itself well to promotional uses by manufacturers in connection with other types of goods . in this regard , it should be apparent that the base material 64 , either before or after the cutting and stamping procedure , can be printed with a manufacturer &# 39 ; s logo or other advertisements . additionally , the novel apparatus described eliminates the clean up of parts after the oil has been drained , and provides a very convenient means for transporting the oil to a recycling center . although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be limited , except as by the appended claims . | 1 |
when describing the pyrazine derivatives and uses thereof , unless stated otherwise , the following terms and phrases as used herein are intended to have the following meanings . as used herein , the term “ alkyl ” refers to an unsubstituted or substituted straight - chain , branched - chain , or cyclic - chain having up to 15 carbon atoms ; the straight - alkyl includes , for example , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , n - butyl , n - pentyl , n - hexyl , n - heptyl and n - octyl , the cyclic alkyl (“ cycloalkyl ”) includes , for example , cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl , and further the alkyl can be substituted by one or more substituents which include but not limited to nh 2 , no 2 , n ( ch 3 ) 2 , ono 2 , f , cl , br , i , oh , och 3 , co 2 h , co 2 ch 3 , cn , aryl , and hetroaryl . the term “ alkyl ” may also refer to an unsubstituted or substituted straight - chain , branched - chain , or cyclic alkyl having up to 15 carbon atoms , which further contains in the chain at least one heteroatom ( e . g ., nitrogen , oxygen , or sulfur ); the above straight - chain alkyl includes , for example , ch 2 ch 2 och 3 , ch 2 ch 2 n ( ch 3 ) 2 and ch 2 ch 2 sch 3 ; the branched - chain alkyl includes , for example , ch 2 ch ( och 3 ) ch 3 , ch 2 ch ( n ( ch 3 ) 2 ) ch 3 and ch 2 ch ( och 3 ) ch 3 , the cyclic alkyl includes , for example , ch ( ch 2 ch 2 ) 2 o , h ( ch 2 ch 2 ) 2 nch 3 and ch ( ch 2 ch 2 ) 2 s , and further the alkyl can be substituted by one or more substituents which include but not limited to nh 2 , no 2 , n ( ch 3 ) 2 , ono 2 , f , cl , br , i , oh , och 3 , co 2 h , co 2 ch 3 , cn , aryl , and heteroaryl . as used herein , the term “ aryl ” refers to an unsubstituted or substituted aromatic group , carbocyclic group and heteroaryl . the aryl can be either a monocyclic group or a fused polycyclic group ; for example , phenyl is a monocyclic aryl , and naphtyl is a fused polycyclic aryl . the aryl can be substituted by one or more substituents , which include but not limited to nh 2 , no 2 , n ( ch 3 ) 2 , ono 2 , f , cl , br , i , oh , och 3 , co 2 h , co 2 ch 3 , cn , aryl , and heteroaryl . the heteroaryl relates to substituted or an unsubstituted monocyclic or polycyclic group , where the ring contains at least one heteroatom , such as nitrogen , oxygen and sulfur . for example , a typical heteroaryl includes one or more nitrogen atoms such as in tetrazolyl , pyrrolyl , pyridyl ( e . g ., pyrid - 4 - yl , pyrid - 3 - yl , pyrid - 2 - yl ), pyridazinyl , indyl , quinolyl ( e . g ., quinol - 2 - yl , quinol - 3 - yl ), imidazolyl , isoquinolyl , pyrazolyl , pyrazinyl , pyrimidinyl , pyridonyl and pyridazinyl ; a typical hetroaryl includes at least one oxygen atom such as in fur - 2 - yl , fur - 3 - yl and benzofuryl ; a typical hetroaryl includes at least one surfur atom such as in thienyl and benzothienyl ; a typical heteroaryl containing more than one kind of heteroatoms includes furoazetidinyl , oxazolyl , isoxazolyl , thiazolyl and phenothioxinyl . the heteroaryl can be substituted by one or more substituents which include but not limited to nh 2 , no 2 , o - alkyl , nh - alkyl , n ( alkyl ) 2 , nhc ( o )- alkyl , ono 2 , f , cl , br , i , oh , ocf 3 , oso 2 ch 3 , co 2 h , co 2 - alkyl , cn , aryl , and polyaryl . furthermore , the heteroaryl also includes those with a heteroatom in the ring being oxidized , for example , to form n - oxide , ketone , or sulfone . the phrase “ pharmaceutically acceptable ,” as used herein , means that there is no unacceptable toxicity in a salt or excipient . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts include inorganic anions such as those of chloride , bromide , iodide , sulfate , sulfite , nitrate , nitrite , and phosphate and phosphite , and organic anions such as those of acetate , propionate , cinnamate , tosylate , citrate , lactate and gluconate . in adding to the pharmaceutically acceptable excipients described herebelow , see also : e . w . martin , in remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences mack publishing company ( 1995 ), philadelphia , pa ., 19 th ed . in one aspect , the present invention provides pyrazine derivatives of formula i : r 1 and r 2 are each independently hydrogen , hydroxyl , or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from amino , carboxyl , alkyl , alkoxy , aryl , heteroaryl , esters , amines , carbamic acid ester , and nitrone ; r 3 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen , hydroxyl , or a substituted or unsubstituted group selected from amino , carboxyl , alkyl , alkoxy , aryl , heteroaryl , esters , amines , carbamic acid ester , and nitrone group ; or r 3 and r 4 taken together with the carbon atom ( s ) they are attached form a substituted or unsubstituted fused ring . r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 are not simultaneously hydrogen or methyl group ; if only one of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 is a nitrone group , the nitrone group is not substituted by tertiary butyl . in some embodiments , r 1 and r 3 in formula i are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted nitrone group , r 2 and r 4 are alkyls , and the pyrazine derivatives have a structure of formula ii : wherein , r 5 and r 6 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted straight - chain alkyl , branched - chain alkyl , or cycloalkyl . in a preferred exemplary embodiment , r 2 and r 4 in formula ii are methyl , and r 5 and r 6 are tert - butyl . thus , the pyrazine derivative has a structure of tn - 2 as follows : in another preferred exemplary embodiment , r 2 and r 4 in formula ii are methyl , and r 5 and r 6 are cyclohexyl . thus , the pyrazine derivative has a structure of tn - 3 as follows : in addition , in different embodiments of the compounds of formula i , r 3 and r 4 taken together with the carbon atom ( s ) they are attached form a substituted fused ring , while the substitute on the ring can be an alkyl , or one or more of nitrate groups . in some exemplary embodiments , the pyrazine derivatives have a structure of tn - 4 or tn - 5 as follows : in other embodiments , the pyrazine derivatives of formula i have a dimeric structure of formula iii , or even a polymeric structure , through substitution on r 9 and / or r 4 : wherein , r 7 , r 8 and r 9 are each independently hydrogen , or a substituted or unsubstituted group of hydroxyl , alkyl , or nitrone group ; x is c , o , n or s , attached to an adjacent carbon atom to form a hydrocarbon , ether , ammonia or sulfhydryl , or attached to an adjacent carbon atom that can be optionally further oxidized into carbonyl , to form a ketone , acyloxy , or acylamino . in some embodiments , the pyrazine derivatives have the above - described dimeric structure , wherein x is n - tbu for example , and thus have a structure of formula iv : further , the pyrazine derivatives , having the dimeric structure of formula iv , can be selected from at least one of the compounds of tn - 6 through tn - 14 as follows : tn - 6 : r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 7 , r 8 , r 9 ═ ch 3 ; tn - 7 : r 1 ═ hc ═ n + ( o -) tbu , r 2 , r 3 , r 7 , r 8 , r 9 ═ ch 3 ; tn - 8 : r 1 , r 9 ═ hc ═ n + ( o -) tbu , r 2 , r 3 , r 7 , r 8 ═ ch 3 ; tn - 9 : r 1 , r 8 ═ hc ═ n + ( o -) tbu , r 2 , r 3 , r 7 , r 9 ═ ch 3 ; tn - 10 : r 1 , r 3 , r 8 ═ hc ═ n + ( o -) tbu , r 2 , r 7 , r 9 ═ ch 3 ; tn - 11 : r 1 , r 7 , r 8 ═ hc ═ n + ( o -) tbu , r 2 , r 3 , r 9 ═ ch 3 ; tn - 12 : r 1 , r 2 , r 7 , r 8 ═ hc ═ n + ( o -) tbu , r 3 , r 9 ═ ch 3 ; tn - 13 : r 1 , r 2 , r 7 , r 8 ═ hc ═ n + ( o -) tbu , r 3 , r 9 ═ ch 3 ; tn - 14 : r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 7 , r 8 , r 9 ═ hc ═ n + ( o -) tbu o in addition , in exemplary embodiments , the pyrazine derivatives with the dimeric structure of formula iv can be tn - 15 or tn - 16 as follows : further , in some other embodiments , the pyrazine derivatives of formula i can have a structure of formula v : wherein , r 10 is a substituted or unsubstituted straight - chain alkyl , branched - chain alkyl , cycloalkyl , or biologically active small molecule moiety including , lipoate or cysteine for example . furthermore , a pharmaceutical composition can be formed from the pyrazine derivative or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof . the pharmaceutical composition may include the pyrazine derivative , as a pharmaceutical active ingredient in a therapeutically effective amount , and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and excipient . in the other aspect , methods of preparation of the pyrazine derivatives as described herein are provided in the invention . the methods , for example , can include the steps of oxidizing a starting compound of pyrazine into an aldehyde using active selenium dioxide , and refluxing the resulting aldehyde with an appropriate hydroxylamine for 3 hours to give a pyrazine derivative with a mono - substituted or multi - substituted nitrone . in some other embodiments , a method of preparation of the pyrazine derivative includes the steps of reacting a starting compound of pyrazine via bromination with nbs , and further reacting with an active compound to form a pyrazine composition . wherein , the active compound can be selected from , for example , the following ones : in additional embodiments , a method of preparation of the pyrazine derivative includes the steps of reacting 3 , 6 - dimethyl - 2 , 5 - pyrazine dicarboxaldehyde with tert - butyl hydroxylamine ; or reacting 3 , 6 - dimethyl - 2 , 5 - dibromo methylpyrazine with tert - butyl hydroxylamine , and then oxidizing with sodium tungstate and hydrogen peroxide . the novel compounds as described herein include compositions of pyrazine derivatives with nitrones and pyrazine derivative with other biologically active moieties , both of the compositions are antioxidants with antithrombotic activity . on one hand , these compounds are able to eliminate the radicals in the blood and tissues of human body including superoxide anion ( o 2 . − ), peroxynitrite nitrate ( onoo − ) and hydroxyl radical (. oh ); and on the other hand , these compounds are able to dissolve thrombus in blood vessels . therefore , these compounds can be used for treating and / or preventing the diseases caused by excessive production of free radicals and / or thrombosis . these diseases include but not limited to nervous system diseases , such as hypoxic - ischemic herebral damage , stroke , cerebral trauma , alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , epilepsy , parkinson disease , huntington &# 39 ; s disease , amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , aids dementia , multiple sclerosis , chronic pain , priapism , cystic fibrosis , schizophrenia , depression , premenstrual syndrome , anxiety , addiction , and migraines ; also include cardiovascular diseases , such as cardiopulmonary lateral flow , respiratory distress syndrome , heart ischemia - reperfusion , heart ischemia - reperfusion , toxic shock syndrome , adult respiratory distress syndrome , cachexia , myocarditis , atherosclerosis , coronary heart disease , and heart attack ; also include inflammatory infectious diseases , such as inflammatory bowel disease , diabetes mellitus , rheumatoid arthritis , asthma , hepatic cirrhosis , allograft rejection , encephalomyelitis , meningitis , pancreatitis , peritonitis , vasculitis , lymphocytic choriomeningitis , glomerulonephritis , systemic lupus erythematosus , stomach bowel disorders , obesity , hunger disease , hepatitis , and renal failure ; also include eye disorders , such as diabetic retinopathy , uveitis , glaucoma , blepharitis , chalazion , allergic ocular disease , corneal ulcers , keratitis , cataract , senile macular degeneration , and optic neuritis ; and further these compounds can be used for treating and / or preventing cancers , such as neuroblastoma . the embodiments of the invention provide compositions of pyrazine derivatives with nitrons and pyrazine derivatives with biologically active moieties , and these compositions can be used to patients in the form of a pharmaceutical acceptable salts or complex drugs . a certain component needs to be mixed with an appropriate carrier or excipient to form a pharmaceutical composition to reach a desirable therapeutically effective amount . “ therapeutically effective amount ” is intended to include a necessary amount of a compound described herein , or of a combination of compounds described herein when the compound or the combination of the compounds are used to attain a therapeutic effect for treating and / or preventing a disease , such as the effects of restraining excessive amount of radicals , and mitigating cell damages caused by stroke , heart attack or infectious disease . the compounds as described herein can be prepared in different dosage forms , which include solid , semi - solid , liquid , and aerosol ( remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , mack . publishing company ( 1995 ), philadelphia , pa ., 19 th ed ). these dosage forms can be further divided into more specific forms , including tablet , pill , sugar lozenge , granule , gel , paste , solution , suppository , injection , inhalant and spray . these dosage forms can be used for local or systemic administration and for immediate - release or sustained release . there are many routes of administration of these drugs , which include oral , buccal , rectal , peritoneal , intraperitoneal , transdermal administration , subcutaneous and endotracheal administrations . when the compound or composition as described herein is applied in a dosage form of injection , the compound or composition can be prepared , by using a water - soluble or lipid - soluble solvent , into a solution , suspension or emulsion . the lipid - soluble solvent can be , for example , plant oil , synthetic fatty acid glyceride , higher fatty acid ester and / or proylene glycol . the compounds as described herein are more readily dissolved in hank &# 39 ; s solution , ringer &# 39 ; s solution or physiological saline . when applied through oral administration , the compound or composition as described herein can be prepared through certain common techniques into a complex by adding a pharmaceutical acceptable excipient . such excipients can be used to prepare these compounds into different dosage forms , such as tablet , pill , suspension , and gel . there are many ways for oral preparation , for example , by mixing the compound and the solid excipient , grinding fully the resulting mixture , adding appropriate auxiliary agents , and processing the mixture into particles . the auxiliary agents , which can be used for oral preparation , include , for example , sugars such as lactose , sucrose , mannitol , or sorbitol ; celluloses such as corn starch , wheat starch , potato starch , gelatin , gummi tragacanthae , methyl cellulose , hydroxyproylmethyl - cellulose , sodium carboxymethyl cellulose , and polyethylene pyrrole ketones . the compounds as described herein can be prepared also in the form of spray , which can be achieved by using a pressurizer and a sprayer or dry powder inhaling device . suitable spray agents used for spraying include , for example , dichlorodifluoromethane , fluorine chloroform , dichloro - tetrafluoroethane , carbon dioxide , and dimethyl ether . the amount of spray delivered from a sprayer can be controlled by the adjustment of the injecting valve of the sprayer . the dosage forms as described herein are all related to the therapeutically effective amount of the compounds of the invention . the therapeutically effective amount of the compounds as described herein may depend on specific conditions of patients under the treatment . to determine the appropriate dose , various factors much be taken into account , for example , the route of administration to be used , weight and conditions of the patient to be treated , and observation and subjective judgment made by the prescribing physician . the therapeutically effective amount is usually determined by an experienced prescribing physician . the following examples are intended for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way . in a 500 ml three - necked flask was placed methanol ( 200 ml ), and 3 , 6 - dimethyl - 2 , 5 - pyrazine dicarboxaldehyde ( 2 . 0 g , 0 . 012 mol ) was added , then tert - butyl hydroxylamine ( 4 . 3 g , 0 . 048 mol ) was added , and the reaction was heated under reflux for 3 hrs . the obtained mixture was separated by column chromatography ( ethyl acetate 100 %) to obtain a light yellow solid compound tn - 2 ( 1 . 0 g ). yield : 26 . 8 %, mp : 198 - 201 ° c . 1 hnmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 61 ( s , 18h ), 2 . 48 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 50 ( s , 3h ), 7 . 83 ( s , 2h ); esi - ms : 307 [ m + h ] + , 329 [ m + na ] + ; anal . ( c 12 h 19 n 3 o ) c . h . n . found c 62 . 52 %, h 8 . 73 %, n 18 . 19 %; requires : c , 65 . 13 ; h , 8 . 65 ; n , 18 . 99 . in a 250 ml round - bottomed flask was placed 2 , 5 - di - tert - butylamine methyl - 3 , 6 - dimethyl pyrazine ( 5 . 6 g , 0 . 02 mol ) was added , an appropriate amount of methanol was added , then na 2 wo 4 . 2h 2 o ( 1 . 64 g , 0 . 005 mol ) and 30 % h 2 o 2 ( 10 ml ) were added , and the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 2 hrs . the resultant mixture was filtered and evaporated to remove methanol , saturated na 2 s 2 o 3 was added , extracted with ethyl acetate , evaporated to remove most of the ethyl acetate . the product was separated by using column chromatography ( ethyl acetate , 100 %) to obtain a white solid tn - 2 ( 1 . 97 g ), in a yield of 32 %. the analytical data are the same as above in example 1 . in a 250 ml three - necked flask was added 2 - methyl - quinoxaline ( 2 . 88 g , 0 . 02 mol ), benzoyl peroxide ( 20 mg ) was added , ccl 4 ( 80 ml ) was added , and the reaction was refluxed at 70 ° c . for 10 hrs . the reaction was cooled and then filtered to obtain a crude 2 - bromomethyl quinoxaline , the compound obtained was not separated and to the resulting material was added an excess amount of tert - butyl amine , and the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 3 hrs to obtain 5 - methyl tert - butylamine quinoxaline ( 1 . 25 mg ), in a yield of 29 . 1 %. to the above - obtained compound ( 670 mg , 0 . 006 mol ) were added methanol ( 60 ml ), na 2 wo 4 . 2h 2 o ( 0 . 18 g ) and 30 % h 2 o 2 ( 1 . 75 ml ), the reaction was run at room temperature for 2 . 5 hrs . the product was separated by column chromatography ( ethyl acetate : petroleum ether = 4 : 1 ) to obtain a light yellow compound tn - 3 ( 460 mg ) in a yield of 35 . 9 %. 1 hnmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 70 ( s , 9h ), 7 . 77 ( m , 2h ), 8 . 03 ( m , 2h ), 8 . 14 ( s , 1h ), 10 . 49 ( s , 1h ); esi - ms : 230 [ m + h ] + ; anal . ( c 13 h 15 n 3 o ) c . h . n . found c 67 . 80 %, h 6 . 90 %, n 17 . 86 %; requires : c , 68 . 10 ; h , 6 . 59 ; n , 18 . 33 . in a 250 ml three - necked bottle was placed 5 - methyl quinoxaline ( 2 . 88 g , 0 . 02 mol ), benzoyl peroxide ( 20 mg ) was added , ccl 4 ( 80 ml ) was added , then the reaction was refluxed at 70 ° c . for 10 hrs . the product was cooled and filtered to obtain a crude 2 - bromomethyl quinoxaline , the compound was not separated , an excess amount of tert - butyl amine was added , and the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 3 hrs to obtain 5 - methyl tert - butylamine quinoxaline ( 670 mg ) in a yield of 15 . 6 %. the above - obtained compound ( 670 mg , 0 . 003 mol ) were added methanol ( 60 ml ), na 2 wo 4 . 2h 2 o ( 0 . 1 g ) and 30 % h 2 o 2 ( 3 . 5 ml ), the reaction was proceeded at room temperature for 2 . 5 hrs . the product was separated by column chromatography ( ethyl acetate : petroleum ether = 2 : 1 ) to obtain a light yellow compound tn - 4 ( 154 mg ) in a yield of 21 . 5 %. 1 hnmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 69 ( s , 9h ), 7 . 83 ( dd , 1h ), 8 . 10 ( dd , 1h ), 8 . 80 ( d , 1h ), 8 . 87 ( d , 1h ), 9 . 19 ( s , 1h ), 9 . 96 ( dd , 1h ); esi - ms : 230 [ m + h ] + ; anal . ( c 13 h 15 n 3 o ) c . h . n . found c 68 . 04 %, h 6 . 95 %, n 18 . 0 %; requires : c , 68 . 10 ; h , 6 . 59 ; n , 18 . 33 . in a 250 ml three - necked bottle was placed 3 , 5 , 6 - trimethyl - 2 - bromide methylpyrazine ( 4 . 28 g , 0 . 02 mol ), then an appropriate amount of tert - butyl amine was added dropwise , and the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 12 hrs , filtered and evaporated to dryness , the crude product was separated by column chromatography ( petroleum ether : ethyl acetate = 5 : 1 ) to obtain a white powder solid ( 1 . 57 g ), in a yield of 25 %. 1 hnmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 25 ( s , 9h ), 2 . 30 ( s , 6h ), 2 . 35 ( s , 6h ), 2 . 39 ( s , 6h ), 3 . 86 ( s , 4h ); esi - ms : 342 [ m + h ] + , 364 [ m + na ] + ; anal . ( c 12 h 19 n 30 ) c . h . n . found c 62 . 52 %, h 8 . 73 %, n 18 . 19 %; requires : c , 65 . 13 ; h , 8 . 65 ; n , 18 . 99 . to the compound tn - 6 ( 0 . 682 g , 0 . 002 mol ) obtained in example 5 was added 1 , 4 - dioxane ( 100 ml ), then an active selenium dioxide ( 330 mg , 0 . 003 mol ) was added , the reaction was heated under reflux at 107 ° c . for 3 hrs , a light yellow color was indicated by using 2 , 4 - dinitrophenylhydrazine . the product was cooled to room temperature , evaporated to remove 1 , 4 - dioxane , and separated by column chromatography ( petroleum ether : ethyl acetate = 2 : 1 ) to obtain a solid ( 237 . 8 mg ) in a yield of 33 . 5 %. to ethanol ( 100 ml ) was added the above - obtained solid ( 237 . 8 mg ) was added , and then tert - butyl hydroxylamine ( 0 . 12 g ) was added . the reaction was refluxed at 84 ° c . for 3 hrs , then cooled to room temperature , and evaporated to remove ethanol . the product was separated by column chromatography ( petroleum ether : ethyl acetate = 5 : 1 ) to obtain a light yellow solid ( 183 . 5 mg ), in a yield of 64 . 3 %. esi - ms : 427 [ m + h ] + , 449 [ m + na ] + . in an appropriate amount of thf was dissolved 2 - hydroxymethyl - 3 , 5 , 6 - trimethyl pyrazine ( 3 . 04 g , 0 . 02 mol ), naoh ( 2 g , 0 . 05 mol ) was added , and then 3 , 5 , 6 - trimethyl - 2 - bromide methylpyrazine ( 5 . 35 g , 0 . 025 mol ) was added at stirring at room temperature . the product was filtered and the filtrate evaporated to dryness , the resultant crude material was separated by column chromatography ( petroleum ether : ethyl acetate = 3 : 1 ) to obtain a white powder solid ( 4 . 8 g ), in a yield of 84 %. esi - ms : 287 [ m + h ] + , 309 [ m + na ] + . in an appropriate amount of thf was dissolved 2 - formic acid - 3 , 5 , 6 - trimethyl pyrazine ( 3 . 32 g , 0 . 02 mol ), then k 2 co 3 ( 6 . 90 g , 0 . 05 mol ) was added , and 3 , 5 , 6 - trimethyl - 2 - bromide methylpyrazine ( 5 . 35 g , 0 . 025 mol ) was added at stirring at room temperature . the product was filtered and the filtrate was evaporated to dryness , and the resultant crude material was separated by column chromatography ( petroleum ether : ethyl acetate = 3 : 1 ) to obtain a white powder solid ( 4 . 5 g ) in a yield of 75 %. esi - ms : 301 [ m + h ] + , 323 [ m + na ] + . biotin ( 4 . 88 g , 0 . 02 mol ) was dissolved in dmf ( 100 ml ). triethylamine ( 2 . 9 ml , 0 . 02 mol ) and 3 , 5 , 6 - trimethyl - 2 - bromide methylpyrazine ( 5 . 35 g , 0 . 025 mol ) were added dropwise at stirring . the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 5 hrs . the completion of the reaction was detected by tlc . water ( 80 ml ) was added for dilution , and the mixture was extracted with chloroform ( 100 ml × 2 ), the combined organic phases were washed with water ( 100 ml × 2 ), dried with anhydrous na 2 so 4 . the product was separated by column chromatography to obtain a white powder solid ( 5 . 2 g ), in a yield of 68 . 8 %. esi - ms : 379 [ m + h ] + , 401 [ m + na ] + . tests on cytoprotection of brain cells of rats by using tbn ( fig3 ) pc12 cells were inoculated in a 96 - well plate of strong adsorption with 90 μl per well , cultured for 36 hrs in an incubator set at 37 ° c . and 5 % co 2 . after 36 hrs , each of the drugs was added in four concentration gradients . cultured for half an hour in an incubator set at 37 ° c . and 5 % co 2 , replaced with serum - free medium , t - bhp ( 10 ml , final concentration of 200 μm ) was added in each of the wells except the well of the control . then the material was placed and cultured in an incubator for 24 hrs . the cells were cultured for 24 hrs , and mtt ( 15 μl , 5 mg / ml ) was added in each of the wells . the material was cultured in an incubator for 4 hrs , and then dmso ( 150 ml ) was added in each of the wells to be further incubated for at least half an hour to ensure the crystals were completely dissolved . the absorbance ( a value ) was measured by using a micro - plate reader at 570 nm . the results showed significant effect of cytoprotection of tn - 2 towards the t - bhp - induced cell damage ; the intensity of the effect was significantly higher than that of tmp , ( fig3 ). as shown in fig3 , * p & lt ; 0 . 05 as compared with the t - bhp group ; the difference is significant . tests on cytoprotection of rats having cerebral ischemia caused by mcao by using tn - 2 ( fig4 ) anesthesia was performed on rats ( female sd rats , in body weight of 260 - 300 g ) with intraperitoneal injection of 10 % hydrated chloral hydrate in a dose of 400 mg / kg or with inhalation of 3 . 5 % halothane . at the entrance of mcao ( middle cerebral artery occlusion ischemia ) was blocked with a nylon wire to cause cerebral ischemia . after ischemia occurred for 1 hr , the rats were respectively intravenously injected with eda ( 63 mg / kg ), tbn ( 80 mg / kg ), tn - 2 ( 65 mg / kg ), and saline ( control group ). there were 6 rats in each group . after ischemia occurred for 2 hrs , the nylon wires were removed , and reperfusion was performed for 24 hrs . brain tissues were taken and the cerebellums were removed . the material was rinsed in pbs solution , and put in a freezer set at − 20 ° c . for a moment , and the brain tissues were cut into slices with a thickness of about 2 mm , and immediately placed in a solution of 0 . 5 % triphenyltetrazolium chloride ( ttc ). incubation was performed at 37 ° c . for 30 minutes . the extent of cerebral infarction was evaluated . the results showed significant treatment effects of tn - 2 on stroke of the rats ( fig4 ). in fig4 , the data were examined by one - tailed t - test ; the mark “*” refers to the data in comparison with the control ; drug dosage : tbn ( 80 mg / kg ), and edaravone ( 63 mg / kg ); and each of the drugs were used in equal molarity . tests on cytoprotection on injuries of dopaminergic neuronsinduced by mpp + using tn - 2 ( fig6 ) dopaminergic neurons were cultured for 5 days , and l - deprenyl , tmp and tn - 2 were added in a concentration gradient of 500 μm , 50 μm and 5 μm respectively . two hours later , mpp + ( with a final concentration of 10 μm ) was added into each of the wells except those of the control . as shown in fig5 , the results indicated that the effects of cytoprotection by tn - 2 to the mpp + - induced cell damage were significant . in the foregoing description of the embodiments , it is indicated that the present invention , through the novel compounds and their uses described herein , provided useful and unique approaches for the treatment or prevention of the diseases , such as neurological disorder , cardiovascular disease , inflammation and cancer , caused by excess amount of radicals . while certain specific embodiments have been described in detail , many details have been set forth for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims attached hereafter . it should be understood that the invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein may be varied considerably with different substitutions , changes and modifications without deviating from the basic principles of the invention defined by the claims attached herein and their equivalents . | 2 |
in the following , the various exemplary embodiments of the invention are described . when referring to an annealing process or an annealing step , a defined technological processing procedure is meant in which the device to be fabricated is exposed to a controlled temperature - versus - time profile in a furnace . when referring to siliconoxynitride or sion , a member of the series of sio x n y compounds is meant , i . e ., a member of the series of compounds that include the binary compounds sio 2 , i . e . effectively the oxide concentration x therein being x = 2 , and the nitride concentration y being y = 0 , and si 3 n 4 , i . e . effectively x = 0 , y = 4 / 3 . a preferred range therein is 0 & lt ; y & lt ; 4 / 3 and 0 & lt ; x & lt ; 2 . an even more preferred range is 0 . 01 & lt ; y & lt ; 10 mol % and 0 . 01 & lt ; x & lt ; 90 mol %. in fig1 a schematic cross - section of an optical waveguide is shown . a substrate 1 bears on at least one side a planar layer that serves as lower cladding layer 3 of the optical device . adjacent to the lower cladding layer 3 a core layer 4 is manufactured consisting of a core layer portion 7 and a core central portion 6 , that extends upwards from the core layer portion 7 . an upper cladding layer 5 covers the upper surface of the core layer 4 , also referred to as optical waveguide core 4 . the materials for the core layer 4 and the upper cladding layer 5 can be tuned in their stress 6 . for the function as a waveguide , the lower cladding layer 3 has as a first refractive index n 3 , and the upper cladding layer 5 has a second refractive index n 5 , both being lower than a third refractive index n 4 , which is the refractive index of the core layer 4 . the arrangement in total is an optical device , namely an optical waveguide . in principle , the core layer portion 7 can also be omitted , which makes the device a buried - channel waveguide . many choices of material are possible for the substrate 1 , the lower cladding layer 3 , the core layer 4 , and the upper cladding layer 5 . the substrate 1 usually consists of a commercially available compound , preferably silicon , but also sapphire or quartz could be considered . the lower cladding layer 3 consists of an amorphous material , preferably based on sio 2 , that may be doped with elements like boron and / or phosphorous . the upper cladding layer 5 consists of an amorphous material , preferably based on sio 2 , that may be doped with elements like boron and / or phosphorous . the core layer 4 consists of an amorphous material , preferably a ternary - or multi - component based on siliconoxynitride , sio x n y . in the following sio x n y is also for sake of simplicity referred to in the form sion . the typical cross - sectional size for the preferred embodiment of the core central portion 6 can be several μm . the thickness of the lower cladding layer 3 and upper cladding layer 5 is typically between 5 and 20 μm . the thickness of the substrate 1 is typically 0 . 4 through 1 mm . the nitrogen content of the waveguide core sion material determines the third refractive index n 4 as depicted in fig2 . the nitrogen content of the waveguide core layer 4 is hence restricted to a predetermined range when a predetermined third refractive index n 4 is desired . in as - deposited sion the presence of hydrogen - related bonds , more particularly n — h bonds , the quantity of which being dependent on the preferred deposition technique , examples being lpcvd , apcvd , and pecvd , give rise to optical absorption in the wavelength range around 1510 nm . the tail of this absorption peak extends into the optical signal transmission window that ranges from 1530 nm to 1580 nm . in order to eliminate this hydrogen - bond - related loss a thermal core - annealing step can be used to extract an amount of the hydrogen from the sion material . the hydrogen desorption and reordering of the glass matrix at elevated temperatures , typically larger than 1100 ° c ., causes a densification of the sion film that is accompanied by an increase of the third refractive index n 4 and a building up of tensile intrinsic stress . the effect on the third refractive index n 4 can be taken into account already when depositing the waveguide core 4 , particularly by choosing the predetermined concentration of nitrogen in the sion material . during the cooling after this annealing step thermal stress builds up due substantially to the difference between the thermal expansion coefficients of the substrate 1 and of the waveguide core layer 4 . different annealing temperatures and dwell times have influence on the intrinsic and the thermal component of the waveguide core stress σ 4 . the dwell time is also referred to as annealing time , being the time for which the device is held at the highest temperature during the annealing process . after such a core - annealing step , low optical losses in the window from 1530 nm to 1580 nm are achieved , however , typically a non - zero waveguide core stress σ 4 remains as a negative side effect so that the optical waveguide exhibits a stress - induced birefringence , a typical value being 5 * 10 − 6 mpa − 1 . therefore for the annealing procedure a tradeoff exists between minimizing stress and minimizing loss . the measured waveguide core stress σ 4 after the core - annealing step is composed of two components : the intrinsic stress σ 1 , which is due to internal stresses caused by the deposition process , including the thermal history of the waveguide device , and the thermal component σ th , due substantially to the different thermal expansion of the waveguide core 4 and the substrate 1 . the thermal component σ th is given by σ t h = e f 1 - v f ∫ t 1 t 2 [ a f ( t ) - a s ( t ) ] t ( 1 ) is the biaxial elastic constant of the waveguide core 4 , α s and α f are the thermal expansion coefficients for the substrate 1 and the waveguide core 4 , respectively , and t 1 and t 2 are the initial and final temperatures of the core - annealing step , respectively . the upper temperature t 2 may be chosen such that stress is effectively relaxed . one possibility to tune the thermal component of the waveguide core stress σ 4 of the waveguide core 4 to a desired value is to use specific multi - component materials that allow to tune the thermal expansion coefficient α f by changing the material composition . this can be utilized to influence the waveguide core stress σ 4 and with it the stress - induced waveguide core birefringence . for example considering in the series of ternary compounds of sio x n y a film of sio 2 ( effectively x = 2 , y = 0 ) on a si substrate 1 , the difference of thermal expansion coefficients of film and substrate 1 is given by [ α f ( t )− α s ( t )]& lt ; 0 . a thermal annealing step at elevated temperatures will therefore cause the sio 2 film to be under compressive stress after annealing . on the other hand , a film of si 3 n 4 , i . e . sio x n y with effectively x = 0 , y = 4 / 3 , on a si substrate 1 will be under tensile stress after a similar annealing step because in this case [ α f ( t )− α s ( t )]& gt ; 0 . in this example an increase of the nitrogen content or an increase of the nitrogen - versus - oxygen ratio causes an increase of the thermal expansion coefficient of the sio x n y film and therefore a change in its waveguide core stress σ 4 from compressive via zero to tensile , assuming a si substrate . this is illustrated in fig2 which shows a schematic diagram of the dependence of the stress of typical pecvd - deposited sion films on a silicon substrate versus refractive index n after an annealing step at 1145 ° c ., the refractive index n being a good measure for the nitrogen concentration and the thermal expansion coefficient of the film . as an example , a sion core layer 4 that has a refractive index of 1 . 53 is deposited by pecvd on a 8 to 9 micron thick sio 2 lower cladding layer 3 that is diffused into a low - doped silicon substrate wafer 1 via a pyrogenic oxidation process . this wafer is then subjected to a thermal annealing step at a temperature of 1145 ° c . to minimize the optical losses . the resulting waveguide core stress σ 4 is about 200 mpa , tensile . on the other hand , a sion core layer 4 with a lower nitrogen concentration and therefore a smaller refractive index of e . g . 1 . 48 would have a compressive waveguide core stress σ 4 of several hundred mpa after a similar annealing step . the above shows that in order to tune and / or eliminate the stress - induced birefringence in the waveguide it is advantageous to choose for the waveguide core 4 a ternary - or multi - component material . this material should be chosen such that the difference between the expansion coefficients of the film , i . e . the waveguide core 4 , and its substrate 1 for one ratio of the two or more components is [ α f ( t )− α s ( t )]& lt ; 0 , i . e . compressive after annealing , and for a different composition [ α f ( t )− α s ( t )]& gt ; 0 , i . e . tensile after annealing . in this case , the composition for the waveguide core material can be chosen such that the thermal component of the waveguide core stress σ 4 and with it the stress - induced birefringence of the core layer 4 can be tuned to a desired value , being it zero or non - zero . often the composition of the waveguide core material is however predetermined by parameters such as the desired third refractive index n 4 . in that case , the range of acceptable compositions is limited and therefore also the range of different thermal expansion coefficient of the film to choose from . in that case , the exact annealing procedures , the core layer 4 and the upper cladding layer 5 are of importance . the waveguide - core - annealing step substantially determines for a given [ α f ( t )− α s ( t )] the waveguide core stress σ 4 , which possibly can be compensated ( partly ) by an upper - cladding - layer stress whereby the total device stress σ 10 and the device birefringence can be controlled accurately . the stress σ 5 in the upper cladding layer 5 is , in combination with the previously set waveguide core stress σ 4 of the core layer 4 , supposed to tune the total device stress and consequently the device birefringence to a defined value . in most practical application this will be such that the cladding - layer stress σ 5 compensates or at least reduces the waveguide core stress σ 4 and hence reduces the detrimental effects of the stress - induced birefringence in the optical device . the cladding - layer stress σ 5 is composed of two components : the intrinsic stress α 1 , which is due to internal stresses caused by the deposition process , including the thermal history of the waveguide device , and the thermal component σ th that can be introduced with a upper - cladding - annealing step , which is due substantially to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the upper cladding layer 5 and the substrate 1 . the thermal component σ th is given by σ t h = e f 1 - v f ∫ t 1 t 2 [ a f ( t ) - a s ( t ) ] t ( 2 ) is the biaxial elastic constant of the upper cladding layer 5 , α s and α f are the thermal expansion coefficients for the substrate 1 and the upper cladding layer 5 , respectively , and t 1 and t 2 are the initial and final temperatures of the upper - cladding - layer annealing step , respectively . for the upper cladding layer 5 a pecvd - grown sio 2 is used . for this compound the intrinsic stress component a , dominates to a large extent the thermal stress component α th for moderate annealing temperatures . an as - prepared pecvd sio 2 upper cladding layer 5 is under a compressive stress of typically − 300 mpa . the intrinsic stress component σ 1 results from the structural anisotropy in the oxide film . a low - temperature annealing step can reduce the compressive stress . upon annealing , the hydroxyl and hydride content is reduced . the sio 2 undergoes densification through the formation of additional si — o — si bonds . the new bonding gives rise to strain , the intrinsic stress σ 1 of the oxide film . over the temperature range of 300 ° c . to 850 ° c ., the intrinsic tensile component σ 1 dominates over the change in compressive thermal stress σ th . typically the stress is − 100 mpa over this annealing temperature range . beyond a certain temperature such as 850 ° c ., the bond strains and intrinsic stress σ 1 in sio 2 start relaxing . the bond network acquires sufficient mobility to rearrange locally and form a more compact sio 2 during the upper - cladding - layer annealing step . for annealing steps at elevated temperatures , typically larger than 1000 ° c ., the thermal component σ th substantially dominates because the sio 2 layer becomes effectively relaxed at the annealing temperature and a compressive stress of the order of − 300 mpa is built up during cooling , consistent with equation ( 2 ). as example , in fig3 a schematic diagram of the total stress in a pecvd - deposited film of sio 2 on a substrate of si versus the annealing temperature t is given . an alternative way to alter the stress σ 5 of the upper cladding layer 5 is to use , as in the case of the waveguide core layer 6 , specific multi - component materials that allow to tune the thermal expansion coefficient α f by changing the material composition . this can be utilized to influence the upper - cladding - layer stress σ 5 and with it the stress - induced birefringence . for example considering in the series of multi - component compounds such as ( sio 2 ) x ( b 2 o 3 ) y ( p 2 o 5 ) z a film of sio 2 , i . e . effectively x = 1 , y = z = 0 , on a si substrate 1 , the difference of thermal expansion coefficients is given by [ α f ( t )− α s ( t )]& lt ; 0 . a thermal annealing step at elevated temperatures will therefore cause the sio 2 film that forms the upper cladding layer 5 to be under compressive stress after annealing . on the other hand , a film of sio 2 doped with typically 25 mol % b and / or p on a si substrate will be under tensile stress after a similar annealing step because in this case [ α f ( t )− α s ( t )]& gt ; 0 . in this example an increase of the b and / or p content causes an increase of the thermal expansion coefficient and therefore a change in stress σ 5 from compressive via zero to tensile , assuming a si substrate . often the composition of the upper - cladding - layer material is however predetermined by parameters such as the desired second refractive index n 5 , hygroscopic behavior , avoidance of cracking of the compounds , and the like . in that case , the range of acceptable compositions is limited and therefore also the range of different thermal expansion coefficient of the film to choose from . in that case , the exact annealing procedure for the upper cladding layer 5 is of importance . the upper - cladding - layer annealing step substantially determines for a given [ α f ( t )− α s ( t )] the cladding - layer stress σ 5 , which possibly can be compensated ( partly ) by the waveguide core stress σ 4 whereby the total device stress σ 10 and the device birefringence can be controlled . as an example , a sion core layer is deposited by pecvd on a 8 to 9 micron thick sio 2 lower cladding layer 3 that is diffused into a low - doped silicon substrate wafer 1 via a pyrogenic oxidation process . this wafer is then subjected to a thermal annealing step that causes a compressive waveguide core stress σ 4 of several hundred mpa . this waveguide is overgrown with an undoped sio 2 upper cladding layer 5 . the geometry of the waveguide core 4 is chosen such that the geometrical birefringence has a defined non - zero value , more particularly , this value being negative . fig4 shows the device birefringence dependence on the planar film stress of the upper cladding layer 5 , the latter realized by using different upper - cladding - layer annealing steps . the birefringence is in accord with the typical stress optical coefficient of 5 * 10 − 6 mpa − 1 . this illustrates the method for manufacturing an optical waveguide wherein the waveguide core stress σ 4 and the cladding layer stress σ 5 sum up to a total device stress σ 10 with a desired distribution , more particularly , this distribution being such that the optical mode ( s ) in the waveguide do not experience any birefringence and such that the polarization dependence can be minimized or set to a desired , defined value , making use of specific annealing procedures for the waveguide core 4 and the upper cladding layer 5 disclosed herein . the specific annealing processes for the waveguide core 4 and the upper cladding layer 5 are described below . the annealing step for the waveguide core 4 in a nitrogen atmosphere comprises several sub steps as specified in claim 1 . a temperature - versus - time curve of this annealing step is depicted in fig5 . first the wafer is kept at a first temperature t 1 between 400 and 600 ° c . for a preparation time t p of at least 0 . 5 hours . as a concrete example the values t 1 = 550 ° c . and t p = 180 minutes are taken , which provide particularly good results of this step . this step is performed to purge the atmosphere around the waveguide device with n 2 . a preparation time t p of longer than 3 hours would unnecessarily extend the process time . it is a principal interest to keep the overall process time as short whereby of course a dominating principle is not to harm the waveguide device and to eventually achieve the desired waveguide device parameters . then the temperature is raised to a second temperature t 2 between 1100 and 1280 ° c . with a heating rate r h between 2 and 20 k / min . the second temperature t 2 therein is chosen such that it is high enough for a significant reduction of the hydrogen content in the waveguide core 4 , it is below the glass transition temperature , and it is low enough so that the crystallization rate is negligibly small . these effects would otherwise eventually harm the waveguide device and thereby deteriorate its functionality . the heating rate r h is chosen low enough to avoid cracking of the waveguide device and high enough to avoid diffusion processes between the lower cladding layer 3 and the waveguide core 4 that might occur due to the waveguide device resting in a relatively hot environment . this diffusion would detrimentally harm the resulting waveguide device because the index gradient over the waveguide profile would be smoothed and thereby the guiding properties of the waveguide device be affected . as a concrete example the values t 2 = 1145 ° c . and r h = 12 k / min are taken , which provide particularly good results of this step . after having maintained the second temperature t 2 for an annealing time t a between 2 and 4 hours , the temperature is lowered to a third temperature t 3 between 300 and 600 ° c . with a cooling rate r c between − 0 . 5 and − 3 k / min . the annealing time t a is chosen such that diffusion processes between the lower cladding layer 3 and the waveguide core 4 are avoided . the cooling rate r c hereby lies between a lower value that is high enough to avoid inter diffusion between the lower cladding layer 3 and the waveguide core 4 and a higher value that is low enough to avoid stress induced through the annealing process . an extreme effect of cooling down too fast would be cracking the waveguide device . the ramp for cooling down is flatter than the ramp for heating up as can be seen in fig5 . as a concrete example the values t a = 150 minutes , t 3 = 550 ° c ., and r c =− 0 . 83 k / min are taken , which provide particularly good results of this step . finally the temperature is lowered to a fourth temperature t 4 above 10 ° c ., typically 20 ° c . since the temperature range below the third temperature t 3 is less significant concerning induced stress and thermal tension , the value of the cooling ramp in this range is not critical . thereafter the optical waveguide core 4 has a low optical loss in the window from 1530 nm to 1580 nm and a defined waveguide core stress σ 4 accompanied by a defined stress - induced waveguide core birefringence . the device will remain in the tuned state , namely , the desired waveguide core stress σ 4 and the desired waveguide core birefringence , after the annealing step . the annealing step for the upper cladding layer 5 in a nitrogen atmosphere comprises several sub steps . a temperature - versus - time curve of this annealing step is depicted in fig6 . first the wafer is kept at a first temperature t 1 between 400 and 600 ° c . for a preparation time t p of at least 0 . 5 hours . this step is performed to purge the atmosphere around the waveguide device with n 2 . a preparation time t p of longer than 3 hours would unnecessarily extend the process time . as a concrete example the values t 1 = 550 ° c ., and t p = 120 minutes are taken , which provide particularly good results of this step . then the temperature is raised to a second temperature t 2 between 600 ° c . and 1280 ° c . with a heating rate t h between 5 and 20 k / min . the second temperature t 2 therein is chosen such that it is high enough to ensure a reduction of the cladding - layer stress σ 5 , it is below the glass transition temperature , and it is such that the crystallization rate is negligibly small . these effects would otherwise eventually harm the waveguide device and thereby deteriorate its functionality . the heating rate r h is chosen low enough to avoid cracking of the waveguide device and high enough to avoid diffusion processes between the upper cladding layer 5 and the waveguide core 4 that might occur due to the waveguide device resting in a relatively hot environment . this diffusion would detrimentally harm the resulting waveguide device because the index gradient over the waveguide profile would be smoothed and thereby the guiding properties of the waveguide device be affected . as a concrete example the values t 2 = 850 ° c ., and t h = 12 k / min are taken , which provide particularly good results of this step . after having maintained the second temperature t 2 for an annealing time t a between 2 and 5 hours the temperature is lowered to a third temperature t 3 between 300 and 600 ° c . with a cooling rate r c between − 0 . 5 and − 10 k / min . the annealing time t a is chosen such that diffusion processes between the waveguide core 4 and the upper cladding layer 5 are substantially avoided . the cooling rate r c is low enough to avoid cracking the waveguide device . as a concrete example the values t a = 180 minutes , t 3 = 550 ° c ., and r c =− 5 k / min are taken , which provide particularly good results of this step . finally the temperature is lowered to a fourth temperature t 4 above 10 ° c ., typically 20 ° c . since the temperature range below the third temperature t 3 is less significant concerning induced stress and thermal tension , the value of the cooling ramp in this range is not critical . thereafter the optical waveguide device has a tuned defined total device stress σ 10 . the tuned state , namely , the desired waveguide core stress σ 4 , the desired cladding layer stress σ 5 , and the desired device birefringence , will remain after the annealing steps . as an example , a sion core layer is deposited by pecvd on a 8 to 9 micron thick sio 2 lower cladding layer 3 that is diffused into a low - doped silicon substrate wafer 1 via a pyrogenic oxidation process . for the core - annealing step the wafers are vertically mounted in a sic slider and loaded into a sic annealer tube . after adjusting a n 2 flow to 5 slm and purging the annealer tube , the core - annealing step as depicted in fig5 is performed . for a second temperature t 2 of 1145 ° c ., a heating rate r h of 2 . 5 k / min , a dwell time t a of 2 . 5 hours , and a cooling rate r c = 0 . 83 k / min the sion slab loss is shown in fig7 . the optical loss is typically 0 . 2 ± 0 . 1 db / cm at 1550 nm and 1 . 0 ± 0 . 2 db / cm at 1510 nm . roughly , the loss values of the wafers after the annealing step are a factor of 10 times smaller than the loss values of the as - prepared wafers , and hence are one of the significant factors in manufacturing sion waveguides with adequate low - loss , whilst maintaining a turning radius of 1 mm for bent waveguide sections . higher annealing temperatures up to 1250 ° c . lead to lower loss around 1510 nm , the disadvantage being a higher waveguide core stress σ 4 due to thermal expansion / contraction , and the special requirement for relatively expensive sic material for operation at temperatures above 1150 ° c . being the limit for normally used quartz tubes . in fig8 the dependence of birefringence in the waveguide core 4 on the annealing time t a is shown for different second temperatures t 2 . in the sion waveguide core 4 with low nitrogen doping a compressive stress of the order of − 300 mpa is built up during the waveguide core - annealing step , whereby si 1 o 2 n 0 . 07 has been used . a lower annealing temperature t 2 as well as reduced annealing times t a give a lower birefringence , consistent with the picture of thermally induced stress , stress relaxation , and stress - induced birefringence . after the core - annealing process a photolithographical step follows to define the waveguide core 4 using , e . g ., reactive ion etching for forming steep side walls thereof . the geometry of the waveguide core 4 is chosen such that the geometrical birefringence has a defined non - zero value , more particularly , this value being negative , typically − 5 * 10 − 4 . then a pecvd overgrowth is performed at 400 ° c . for making a sio 2 upper cladding layer 5 with a thickness of 6 micron . for the upper - cladding - layer annealing step the wafers are vertically mounted in a sic slider and loaded into a sic annealer tube . after adjusting a n 2 flow to 5 slm and purging the annealer tube , the cladding annealing step as depicted in fig6 is performed . a second temperature t 2 of 850 ° c ., a heating rate r h of 12 k / min , a dwell time t a of 3 hours , and a cooling rate r c of − 10 k / min are used . with these upper - cladding - layer annealing - step process - parameters the planar stress σ 5 in the upper cladding layer 5 reduces from typically − 270 ± 20 mpa , as - deposited , to − 100 ± 20 mpa after the upper - cladding - layer annealing step . in the case the waveguide device has been heated up to a higher second temperature t 2 , the cooling process should be performed with a lower cooling rate first and may be switched to a higher cooling rate r c afterwards . an example would be for a second temperature t 2 of 1100 ° c . to apply a first cooling rate r c of − 0 . 5 k / min until the temperature is 1000 ° c . and then to switch to a second cooling rate r c of − 0 . 8 k / min until the temperature is 850 ° c . and then switch to a third cooling rate r c of − 5 k / min . with the , in this example for sion , given process parameters for the method of manufacturing the optical waveguide core 4 an optical loss of typically 0 . 2 ± 0 . 1 db / cm at 1550 nm and 1 . 0 ± 0 . 2 db / cm at 1510 nm and the waveguide birefringence of typically of the order of ( 14 ± 2 )* 10 − 4 is realized . the , in this example for sio 2 , given process parameters for the method of manufacturing the upper - cladding layer 5 reduce the birefringence to ( 3 ± 1 )* 10 − 4 . different process parameters can result in birefringence as depicted in fig4 . using this method for manufacturing an optical waveguide with other process parameters can have as result that the optical mode ( s ) in the waveguides experience any birefringence between 16 * 10 − 4 to − 8 * 10 − 4 , including 0 , as depicted in fig4 . although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments , and that various other changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention . | 6 |
the text below first describes the structural design of the circuit shown in fig1 , which will then be followed by an explanation of the way in which it works . the circuit diagram shown in fig1 shows an inventive driver circuit 1 which is actuated by an electronic engine controller 2 ( ecu — electronic control unit ) using a control input vin , with the driver circuit 1 also returning a diagnostic signal diag to the engine controller 2 , as will subsequently be explained in detail . the output side of the driver circuit 1 is connected by means of a schematically shown control line 3 to an ignition output stage 4 , which is likewise shown only schematically . in this context , the ignition output stage 4 is shown as an equivalent circuit diagram comprising a switch u 1 and two load resistors rl 1 = 2 kω and rl 2 = 200 kω . the switch u 1 in this case allows the load resistance of the ignition output stage 4 to be varied in line with the respective operating state of the ignition output stage . the control line 3 is also shown as an equivalent circuit diagram , comprising a battery vb and a plurality of switches u 2 , u 3 , u 4 and u 5 , in this case . in this context , opening the switch u 2 corresponds to a line interruption , while closing the switch u 5 simulates a battery short . finally , closing the switches u 3 and u 4 corresponds to a ground short on the control line 3 . to actuate the control line 3 with a high level or with a low level and for diagnostic purposes , the driver circuit has two current mirror circuits . the first current mirror circuit is connected to the voltage side of the control line 3 and comprises three transistors q 3 , q 4 and q 5 . by contrast , the second current mirror circuit is connected to the ground side of the control line 3 and comprises the transistors q 1 , q 2 and q 6 . the two current mirror circuits are actuated by the electronic engine controller 2 via the common control input vin , which is connected to the collector of the transistor q 1 via a resistor r 1 = 430 ω and to the base of the transistor q 3 via a resistor r 4 = 100 kω . the control line 3 is connected to a supply voltage v 1 = 5v via the transistor q 4 and a resistor r 3 = 100 ω and to ground via the transistor q 2 . the control line 3 is thus at a high level when the transistor q 4 is on , whereas the control line 3 assumes a low level when the transistor q 2 is on . the low - side transistor q 2 is actuated by the transistor q 1 , with the two transistors q 1 and q 2 forming a current mirror . the base of the transistor q 2 is therefore connected both to the base of the transistor q 1 and to the collector of the transistor q 1 , while the emitters of the two transistors q 1 and q 2 are both grounded . the current through the transistor q 1 is therefore equal to the current through the transistor q 2 . similarly , the collectors of the two transistors q 4 and q 5 in the high - side current mirror circuit are also connected to one another . in addition , the high - side current mirror circuit contains the transistor q 3 , whose emitter is connected to the junction point between the resistor r 3 and the transistor q 4 , while the collector of the transistor q 3 is connected to the base of the transistor q 4 . for diagnostic purposes , the driver circuit 1 also contains a transistor q 6 whose collector is connected to the supply voltage v 1 , while the emitter of the transistor q 6 is grounded via a resistor r 6 = 100 kω . by contrast , the base of the transistor q 6 is connected to the control line 3 via a resistor r 2 = 10 kω . this means that the emitter of the transistor q 6 follows the voltage level on the control line 3 up to the supply voltage as a maximum . to evaluate the voltage profile , the emitter of the transistor q 6 is connected to the inverting input of a comparator 5 , the noninverting input of the comparator 5 being connected to a reference voltage element 6 which delivers a reference voltage uth = 2 . 0 v . in addition , the inverting input of the comparator 5 is grounded via a capacitor c 2 = 0 . 1 nf , the capacitor c 2 and the resistor r 6 forming an rc element whose time constant ensures that no interference (“ glitches ”) arises during switching operations . in addition , the driver circuit has a comparator 7 whose inverting input is connected to the emitter of the transistor q 5 , while the reference voltage element 6 is connected to the noninverting input of the comparator 7 . furthermore , a buffer capacitor c 1 = 0 . 1 nf is also grounded at the inverting input of the comparator 7 , the buffer capacitor c 1 forming an rc element with the resistor r 5 . the outputs of the two comparators 5 , 7 are connected to a nor gate 8 which actuates the diagnostic output diag . the text below first describes normal actuation of the control line 3 when there is neither a line interruption nor a battery or ground short . in this case , the data to be transmitted are prescribed in digital form at the control input vin of the driver circuit 1 by the engine controller 2 by virtue of the control input vin being set either to a low level vlow = 0 v or to a high level vhigh = 5 v . with a high level at the control input vin , a current of approximately 10 ma flows via the resistor r 1 and the transistor q 1 connected as a diode . since the two transistors q 1 and q 2 form a current mirror circuit , a current of approximately 10 ma then also flows via the transistor q 2 . this means that the voltage drop across the transistor q 2 is equal to the saturation voltage of approximately 0 . 2 v , so that a low level is output on the control line 3 in this case . in this state , the transistor q 3 is off , which means that the transistor q 4 is also off . if the control input vin for the driver circuit 1 is then actuated with a low level , no more current flows through the resistor r 1 , as a result of which the transistors q 1 and q 2 are off . with a low level at the control input vin , however , the transistor q 3 is turned on , which means that the transistor q 4 is also on and then acts as a diode . the supply voltage v 1 then drives a current via the transistor q 4 and the resistor r 3 , which charges the emc capacitor cemc and generates a high level of approximately 4 v on the ignition output stage 4 . a high level on the control input vin thus results in a low level on the control line 3 , whereas a low level on the control input vin causes a high level on the control line 3 . the text below now describes the diagnostic function of the inventive driver circuit 1 , with fault - free operation first being assumed , in which there is neither ground or battery shorting nor line interruption . this operating state is portrayed between t = 0 ms and t = 0 . 4 ms on the signal graph shown in fig2 , the switch u 1 being open in the time interval from t = 0 ms to t = 0 . 2 ms and the ignition output stage 4 drawing a correspondingly small amount of current , while the switch u 1 is closed in the time interval from t = 02 ms to t = 0 . 4 ms and the ignition output stage draws correspondingly more current via the control line 3 . in the equivalent circuit diagram shown , the switch u 1 is intended to illustrate operation of the circuit or diagnosis within the limit values of the load resistance from 2 kω to 200 kω . by contrast , the switch u 1 is not present in the real application , since it is then not necessary to simulate the varying load resistance . during this fault - free operation , the emitter of the transistor q 6 follows the peak value of the output voltage on the control line 3 up to the supply voltage v 1 as a maximum as a result of actuation via the resistor r 2 . with a high level on the control line 3 , this results in a voltage on the emitter of the transistor q 6 of more than 3v , and hence in a high level on the inverting input of the comparator 5 . if the control line 3 then changes from a high level to a low level , the voltage on the emitter of the transistor q 6 then falls with a time constant τ1 = 1 /( r 6 · c 6 )= 10 μs . however , the control input vin is then already at a high level again which is also present on the emitter of the transistor q 6 via the diode d 1 . the buffering by the rc element comprising the resistor r 6 and the capacitor c 2 thus ensures that the voltage does not fall significantly upon switching , and therefore there is always a high level on the emitter of the transistor q 6 during fault - free operation . this normal high level on the emitter of the transistor q 6 is compared with the prescribed threshold value uth = 2 v by the comparator 5 , so that a low level normally always appears at the output of the comparator 5 . during fault - free operation , the same current flows via the transistor q 5 as via the transistor q 4 , since the two transistors q 4 and q 5 form a current mirror circuit . with a high level at the control input vin , the control line 3 assumes a low level , in which case the two transistors q 5 and q 4 are off . the high level at the control input vin then charges the capacitor c 1 via the resistor r 5 , so that the inverting input of the comparator 7 is at a high level which is compared with the prescribed threshold value uth = 2 v . with a high level at the control input vin and a low level on the control line , a low level thus appears at the output of the comparator 7 during fault - free operation . if the control input vin then changes to a low level , the transistor q 4 is turned on via the transistor q 6 , so that the supply voltage v 1 drives a current through the emc capacitor cemc and the ignition output stage 4 via the transistor q 4 and the resistor r 3 . this current is initially dominated by the charging current through the emc capacitor cemc and is initially around 45 ma . as the charging operation on the emc capacitor cemc abates , the output current is increasingly determined by the current through the ignition output stage 4 , however . in this context , a current of the same magnitude flows through the transistor q 5 , since the two transistors q 4 and q 5 form a current mirror circuit . while the emc capacitor cemc is being charged , there is certain to be a high level on the collector of the transistor q 5 and hence also on the inverting input of the comparator 7 , since the voltage drop across the transistor q 5 is then equal to the relatively low saturation voltage . when the charging operation for the emc capacitor cemc has abated , the current through the transistor q 4 and hence also the current through the transistor q 5 are determined solely by the load current through the ignition output stage 4 . depending on the switching state of the switch u 1 , this load current is 2 ma or 20 μa . in both cases , this load current is sufficient to maintain a high level of more than 2 v on the inverting input of the comparator 7 , however . during fault - free operation , there is thus always a low level at the output of the comparator 7 too , which means that the diagnostic line diag outputs a high level during fault - free operation on account of the interposed nor gate 8 . the text below now describes the diagnostic behavior of the driver circuit 1 in the event of a short to ground , which corresponds to the two switches u 3 and u 4 being on . this fault situation is portrayed between t = 0 . 6 ms and t = 0 . 8 ms on the signal graph shown in fig2 . in this case , irrespective of the actuation by the control input vin , the control line 3 is always at a low level which actuates the transistor q 6 via the resistor r 2 , so that the potential on the inverting input of the comparator 5 likewise falls to a value of below 2 v . in the event of a ground short on the control line 3 , the output of the comparator 5 thus produces a high level which is output via the nor gate 8 as a low level on the diagnostic line diag . the text below now describes the diagnostic behavior in the event of a battery short on the control line 3 , which corresponds to the switch u 5 being closed while the switches u 3 and u 4 are open . this fault situation is portrayed between t = 0 . 8 ms and t = 1 . 0 ms on the signal graph shown in fig2 . in this fault situation , the supply voltage v 1 cannot drive any more current via the transistor q 4 even when there is a low level on the control input vin , since the battery voltage vb acts against this . accordingly , no more current flows via the transistor q 5 either , which means that there is only a high level on the inverting input of the comparator 7 if the control input vin prescribes a high level via the resistor r 5 . if the control input vin then changes to a low level , however , the voltage at the input of the comparator falls below the threshold value of uth = 2v with the time constant τ1 , which means that the output of the comparator 7 then produces a high level which is output via the nor gate 8 as a low level on the diagnostic line . finally , the fault situation of a line interruption is now described , which corresponds to the switch u 2 being open . this fault situation is portrayed between t = 0 . 4 ms and t = 0 . 6 ms on the signal graph shown in fig2 . in this fault situation , the current through the transistor q 4 falls to zero when the charging operation on the emc capacitor cemc has abated , since the ignition output stage 4 cannot draw any current on account of the line interruption in the control line . accordingly , the current through the transistor q 5 then also falls , since the two transistors q 4 and q 5 form a current mirror circuit . with a high level on the control input vin , this does not affect the inverting input of the comparator 7 , since the high level on the control input vin also affects the inverting input of the comparator 7 via the resistor r 5 . however , if the control input vin then changes to a low level , the buffer capacitor c 1 discharges via the resistor r 5 , as a result of which the potential on the inverting input of the comparator 7 falls to below the threshold value uth = 2 v . in the event of a line interruption on the control line 3 , the output of the comparator 7 thus produces a high level which is output as a low level on the diagnostic line as a result of the nor gate 8 connected downstream . the exemplary embodiment shown in fig3 for an inventive driver circuit 1 largely matches the exemplary embodiment described above and shown in fig1 , which means that the same reference symbols are used below and reference is made to the description above in order to avoid repetition . the particular feature of this exemplary embodiment is that the driver circuit 1 has two control inputs vin 1 and vin 2 which respectively actuate one of the two current mirror circuits . the control input vin 1 thus actuates the high - side current mirror circuit , comprising the transistors q 3 , q 4 and q 5 , via the resistor r 4 while the control input vin 2 actuates the low - side current mirror circuit , comprising the transistors q 1 and q 2 , via the resistor r 1 . this separate actuation of the two current mirror circuits affords the advantage that the driver circuit 1 can be configured either as a high - side switch or as a low - side switch . in addition , this also provides the opportunity to put the control output into a high - impedance state ( tri - state ) by turning off the two transistors q 4 and q 2 . | 5 |
fig1 shows an engine in the process of assembly in which only the outer casings are seen . in this case it is a double - body bypass turbojet such as the cfm56 . it comprises a front fan 3 and a module 5 , called the first module , constituted by the hp body with its shaft , called the first shaft . these components are already assembled . in this view the lp turbine module 7 , called the second module , whose shaft 9 , called the second shaft , is already engaged in the hp body , is in the process of being fitted . the critical zone is situated in zone 8 of the inter - shaft bearing whose visibility is zero . in the continuation of the description , the fitting of this second module , the low pressure module , into the first module , the high pressure module , is therefore described . in fig2 , this zone is seen in cross - section and in greater detail . the shaft 101 , the second shaft of the second module , the lp turbine , is housed in the shaft 103 , the first shaft , of the first module , the hp body . the shaft 101 comprises at its end , on the right of the figure , a journal 104 for the fitting of a bearing . a radial flange 105 allows the fitting of the various components constituting the lp turbine 110 , which is partly visible . the shaft 103 of the hp body is extended by a journal 111 at its downstream end . only a part of the turbine 112 of the hp body can be seen . the inner - shaft bearing 120 , known per se , comprises an inner ring 121 , fixed to the shaft 101 with the rolling elements , such as rollers 122 , whose cage 122 ′ is crimped on the ring 121 . the outer ring 123 is shrink fitted inside the journal 111 . it is locked in position by a nut 125 . fig3 shows the same components after assembly . the assembly is carried out by translational displacement of the lp turbine module 110 with the shaft 101 towards the left with respect to fig2 , after expansion of the journal together with the outer ring , by heating , the hp module being fixed . it is understood that because of low tolerances , there is a great risk of contact between the rolling parts . this contact can be the cause of scratches , grooves or spalling initiators which are able to result in the fracture of the bearing . the applicant company has developed a piece of equipment allowing a secure fitting of the lp module in this environment . the equipment 200 comprises a mobile frame 210 , from which is suspended a means of heating the hp body journal . this assembly is shown in fig4 , 5 and 6 in several positions . the frame 210 comprises a carriage 211 , mounted on rollers , with a vertical frame member 212 . a support beam 220 is mounted on this frame member provided with rails in order to be able to slide between a first low , active or operating , position , shown in fig4 , and a second high , retracted position , which is seen in fig6 . a support 230 in the form of an inverted t is fixed to the end of the horizontal arm 222 of the support beam 220 . the support 230 comprises a vertical arm 232 rigidly fixed with respect to the horizontal arm 222 of the support beam , and two horizontal branches 233 and 234 . the latter are designed to support two sliders 233 c and 234 c each supporting one half of the annular heating device 300 , 300 a and 300 b respectively , as seen in fig7 . the equipment is shown in the active position in fig4 . the support 230 is bearing against the flange 51 of the casing of the hp body module . starting from this position , the heating device is released by separating the two halves 300 a and 300 b which move in direction parallel with the two branches 233 and 234 with their respective slider 233 c and 234 c . once the heating device is open , it is distanced in the upward direction by causing the support beam 220 to slide in the rails of the frame member 212 . the equipment is shown in the high retracted position in fig6 . the heating device is put into position using the reverse sequence . the heating device is described in more detail with reference to fig7 , 8 and 9 . fig7 , which is an enlarged view of fig4 , shows the heating device with three heaters 310 , 312 and 314 , in dotted line , disposed substantially tangentially with respect to an annular enclosure 316 forming a diffuser and air distributor . they are equidistant from each other and deliver a gas heated to a controlled temperature , air in particular , along at least one tangential component . in fig9 it can be seen that the heaters , because of the bulk of the suspension cannot be disposed strictly tangentially with respect to the annular chamber 316 . the latter is delimited by a cylindrical casing 317 and two walls 318 and 319 , perpendicular to the axis of the engine . an inner cylindrical wall 320 is perforated and forms a space with the journal 111 . the casing comprises a thermally insulating material as can be seen on the walls 317 and 318 . deflectors 321 are disposed inside the annular enclosure between two consecutive heaters . these deflectors are arched and inclined towards the axis of the engine . the end receiving the gaseous flow from an adjacent heater is at a greater distance from the axis than is the other end . in this way the gas flows emerging into the enclosure are simultaneously driven in a rotational movement about the axis of the engine with a centripetal component towards the perforated wall 320 . the wall 318 towards the end of the journal comes into contact with the latter . the wall 319 on the other side forms a space or openings for the passage of the gasses which will heat up the thicker mass at that place of the journal . the components of the jacket 317 , 318 , 319 defining the annular enclosure 316 are made of two parts attached to their respective supports 320 a and b . these supports are themselves each suspended from a slider 233 c and 234 c respectively . the support 230 bears against the flange 51 by stops , one of which is visible in fig8 . it is the stop 232 b integral with the vertical arm 232 of the support . the arm 233 and 234 also comprise chocking means 234 b and 233 b which can be seen in fig7 . the chocks are retractable and become positioned behind the flange 51 in order to ensure the immobilization of the support on the flange 51 . the device serves as a support for three thermocouples 340 distributed equidistant from each other . fig9 is a partial cross - sectional view of the heating device 300 at the level of one of the thermocouples 340 . the latter is bearing against the downstream surface of the journal in order to sense the temperature . a cable 341 connects the sensor to the control unit which , in particular , comprises the function of controlling the heaters according to the temperature to be reached . in this example , it is seen that the thermocouple is attached to the wall 318 by means of a bracket 342 . the device also supports three instruments 350 for measuring the distance between the journal 111 and the lp shaft inside the latter . they are distributed equidistant from each other , for example at three o &# 39 ; clock , six o &# 39 ; clock and nine o &# 39 ; clock , as seen from the rear of the engine . the alignment of the lp shaft is carried out by comparing the differences in measurements of distances at these three points and by correlatively acting on the transverse positioning of the shaft in the handling system . the distance measuring instruments 350 are of the laser type for example . they have been shown diagrammatically in fig7 and 8 . they are mounted on support arms 351 fixed on the horizontal arms of the supports 230 . they can move between two positions as seen in fig8 which shows a measuring instrument positioned high with respect to the axis of the engine . when they are in position 350 of the figure , they aim at the journal ; by shifting them into the position 350 ′, they aim at the low pressure shaft . it is thus possible to derive from this the clearance between the shaft and the journal . the three together distributed around the journal make it possible to know the relative position of the two axes accurately . the correction is carried out by moving the turbine module in space using the appropriate control means . a control console is mounted on the frame . it receives the signals from the temperature sensors and the distance measurements . it also comprises means for providing alarm signals , for example of the green light / red light type , to inform the operator of the situation and of the state of preparation of the journal before mating . the engine is partially assembled . the fan 3 and the hp body 5 are assembled . the lp module 7 is waiting . the device is put into position as shown in fig7 , and the journal 111 is heated up to the temperature specified for the fitting ; the obtaining of this temperature authorizes the putting into the retracted position , as shown in fig6 , the fitting of the ring 123 , and the tightening of the nut 125 ; the equipment is put into the operating position , the lp shaft 101 is inserted into the hp body , and the distance measuring system 350 is activated . the measurements taken by the instruments 350 allow the centering of the shaft 101 , within the limits specified , with respect to the journal . the equipment is put into the operating position , and the heating is started . the heating is controlled according to the temperatures measured by the thermocouples 340 until the commanded temperature is reached , to within the specified limits . the obtaining of the temperature within the specified range authorizes the putting of the equipment into the retracted position . the device of the invention provides everything with the simultaneous control of the two major assembly conditions in order to ensure risk - free assembly of the bearing . it is furthermore understood that the invention is not limited to the fitting of the lp turbine in an hp body of a gas turbine engine . it is applicable to all equivalent situations of fitting a second module assembled by a bearing in a first module . | 5 |
this device may be held in a vertical position by means of a ballast 2 . a casing 3 contains an electric circuit mainly including in series two electrical contacts 4 , a self - contained electrical supply 5 and a means for checking the condition of the circuit such as a sound and / or a light alarm signal . an additional safety element ( not shown ) may be provided in order to prevent possible electric arcs in case the contacts are no longer immersed in water . the contacts are compressed one against the other by any means 7 known in the art . according to the example shown in the figure , this means 7 looks like a pair of pliers provided with two arms 71 , 72 articulated around a pin 8 &# 39 ; and two ends of which are compressed by a spring 8 intended to push back the two ends located on the other side of pin 8 &# 39 ;. without departing from the scope of the invention , means 7 may consist of a torsion spring located between the two arms 71 , 72 and providing both connection between the two arms and compression of two ends against one another . arms 71 , 72 are made of an insulating material and they include each at least one housing for a contractor 4 and passages for electric wires connecting each contact to the other components of the electric circuit . each contact 4 preferably exhibits an indentation or salient zone of rounded or cylindrical shape in order to increase the pressure on the material , the load being then lumped and not distributed . any means capable of adjusting the compression stress exerted on the sensitive element may be advantageously provided . a sensitive element 9 , in the form of a thin film , whose thickness preferably ranges between 0 . 05 mm and 0 . 60 mm , is interposed between the two contactors 4 at the level of the indentation when there is one . setting of the sensitive element 9 is achieved through any conventional technique of laying of a thin film or of a coating obtained after the evaporation of the solvent initially present in a polymer in solution . the sensitive element 9 preferably consists of a non crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer such as , for example , a butadiene - styrene multisequential copolymer . the sensitive element decays , as it is well - known in the art , in the presence of hydrocarbons . according to the invention , this degradation is promoted by the fact that the sensitive element 9 is kept in compression between the two contacts 4 . when the device according to the invention is placed in a non polluted water , sensitive element 9 does not decay and therefore no contact is established , alarm 6 is not activated . when the device according to the invention is placed in a water containing a hydrocarbon , sensitive element 9 creeps little by little . the creep is accelerated by the fact that sensitive element 9 is compressed ; the material therefore tends to lose its hardness as it absorbs hydrocarbons . thus , after a short time interval ( specified in the examples hereafter ), and even in the presence of slight hydrocarbon traces , alarm 6 may be activated . of course , the response time , i . e . the time after which the alarm is activated , varies according to the hydrocarbon concentration of the aqueous medium , the temperature of the aqueous medium , the nature of the sensitive material and its thickness : the examples hereafter show the influence of these parameters . it is also possible to adjust this response time through the compressive stress exerted at the level of contacts 4 , and / or through the shape and the dimensions of the indentation of the contactors . the materials and the shapes of the various constituents of the device according to the invention will be selected so as to eliminate any electrolysis phenomenon which might result from the flow of current between contactors 4 inside the aqueous phase . the following examples notably highlight the reliability of the system according to the invention , its sensitivity and the influence of the various parameters cited above . a device is achieved according to the diagram of the appended figure . the electric detection contacts ( φ = 3 mm ) are kept in compression under a 2 mpa stress , a ( 0 . 60 mm thick ) polymer film being inserted between the contactors . after three months , no flow of current is detected between the two contactors . example 1 is repeated by replacing the 0 . 60 mm thick membrane by a 0 . 12 mm thick membrane . example 1 is repeated by immersing the system according to the invention in toluene - saturated water , i . e . containing about 0 . 05 g of toluene per 100 g of water . the time after which alarm 6 is activated ranges between 24 and 48 hours . example 2 is repeated by immersing the system according to the invention in toluene - saturated water such as that defined in example 3 . example 4 is repeated by replacing the 0 . 12 mm thick membrane by a 0 . 08 mm thick membrane . example 5 is repeated , the aqueous medium being kept at 50 ° c . of course , the device which has been described may be provided with various modifications and additions by the man skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention . | 6 |
fig1 is a mechanical drawing of an inventive transmission . an electromechanical shifting mechanism 1 is composed of an electric motor 2 , a motor shaft 3 and a transfer element 4 . the electric motor 2 is connected to the selector shaft 5 , via the motor shaft 3 , and the transfer element 4 . connected to the selector shaft 5 are other transmission members , by means of which a previously selected gear ratio can be engaged on a transmission shaft 7 . the desired gear ratios are selected , via a selector motor 8 . the electric motor 2 features a first motor housing 9 , which is formed as one piece with a first transmission cover 10 . the first transmission cover 10 can be connected to a transmission housing 11 , illustrated in fig2 , and forms a portion of the outer wall of the transmission housing 11 . the individual components of the electric motor 2 are installed in the motor housing 9 before being installed in the transmission housing 11 . the motor shaft 3 of the electric motor 2 features a thread of a ball spindle , by means of which the transfer element 4 is directly displaced from the electric motor 2 , axially . the axial movement of the transfer element 4 causes the selector shaft 5 to move in the axial direction . connected to the selector shaft 5 are other transfer elements 6 , by means of which previously selected gear ratios can be engaged on a transmission shaft 7 . the gear ratios are selected by a second electric motor , the selector motor 8 . the selector motor 8 features a second motor housing 12 , which also constitutes a portion of the transmission housing 11 , but which is formed as one piece with the transmission housing 11 . the individual components of the selector motor 8 are installed directly in the second motor housing 12 . the selector motor 8 becomes a functional drive only through the process of assembling the individual components in the second motor housing 12 . the transmission housing 11 is closed with a second transmission cover 13 following the assembly of the individual components . fig2 illustrates a closed transmission housing 11 , where the first and second transmission cover 10 , 13 are shown in assembled state . with the first transmission cover 10 , it is clear that extensive support is present . this is made possible by the one - piece construction of the motor housing 9 and the cover 10 . as a result of this feature , stress on the mechanical interface and the sealing surface between electric motor 2 and the transmission housing 11 is greatly reduced . the second transmission cover 13 primarily provides a sealing function . the demand on the second transmission cover 13 is thus related to providing a seal against the outside environment . because of the decreased demands , the interfaces and sealing sites described above can be realized more simply and economically . furthermore , the inventive incorporation of the motors 2 , 8 into the transmission housing 11 increases the heat capacity of the surrounding environment of the electric motors 2 , 8 . as a result , the temperature gradients drop when the transmission cover 10 , 13 is sprayed with water . altogether , incorporating the electric motor 2 , 8 into the transmission housing allows the best possible dissipation of the heat of the motors 2 , 8 . fig3 represents another illustration of an inventive solution . it shows a partial sectional view of a transfer case 14 with a third transfer element 23 , a third electric motor 22 and a clutch device 18 for engaging a second output shaft . in this example , the third electric motor 22 and the third transfer element 23 combine to form a shifting mechanism 1 . fig3 is a longitudinal section of a motor vehicle transfer case 14 designed as a longitudinal transfer case , by means of which drive torque generated , via a drive shaft 15 , can be routed to two output shafts , where the only parts of the two output shafts illustrated are the two connection flanges 16 , 17 to which the output shafts are coupled . in the description of the mode of function of the transfer case 14 , the two connection flanges 16 , 17 are equated with the output shafts , so the reference numbers of the two connection flanges are used for the two output shafts , which are not illustrated . the first output shaft 16 is directly connected to the first drive shaft 15 , so that the drive torque is directly transferred from the first drive shaft 15 , to the first output shaft 16 . the second output shaft 17 is connected to the drive shaft 15 via a clutch device 18 , a first gear 19 mounted on the drive shaft 15 , an intermediate gear 20 and a second gear 21 , when the clutch device 18 is in a state in which torque can be transmitted , via the clutch device 18 . the clutch device 18 can be actuated via the third electric motor 22 , while arranged between the clutch device 18 and the third electric motor 22 is a third transfer element 23 via which the rotational movement of the third electric motor 22 is converted into a translatory actuation movement for controlling the clutch device 18 . a third motor housing 24 of the third electric motor 22 is formed as one piece with the first part 25 of the transmission housing 11 . according to the invention , the individual components of the third electric motor 22 , such as the rotor 26 for example , are installed in the motor housing 24 before the two halves 25 , 30 of the transmission housing 11 are put together . the third transfer element 23 features a gear ratio stage 27 , which in this example is designed as spur gear stage . the clutch device 18 is designed with a pressure disc 28 , which is attached in a rotationally fixed manner to the drive shaft 15 and is thus rotated at the same rotational speed as the drive shaft 15 , when the transfer case 14 is operated . a ball screw nut 29 of the transmission device 23 is moved in the direction of the pressure disc 28 , i . e . in the axial direction of the drive shaft 15 , when the clutch device 18 is engaged so that frictional forces between the pressure disc 28 and the ball screw nut 29 increased as the adjustment travel of the ball screw nut 29 increases , thereby allowing torque to be transmitted . in this example , the intermediate gear 20 is mounted in a rotationally fixed manner on the third motor housing 24 of the third electric motor 22 . the arrangement of the third electric motor 22 within the intermediate gear 20 represents an extremely compact and space - saving construction of the transfer case 14 , resulting in a considerably smaller space requirement in a motor vehicle compared to electric motors arranged outside the housing of the transfer case . if the electric motor 22 is advantageously configured as three - phase ac motor , it is possible to design the third electric motor 22 to be more compact than if the motor is as a dc - motor , since three - phase ac motors feature greater output than dc - motors of the same dimensions . combining this feature with the previously described configuration in particular allows the electric motor 22 or the three - phase ac motor to be significantly more compact than a dc - motor of a known transfer case . furthermore , it is also possible to design all three motor housings 9 , 12 , 24 as partially open . in this way , the motor housing 9 , 12 , 24 can be rinsed with oil , if an asynchronous motor is employed as electric motor 2 , 8 , 22 . this option facilitates optimal cooling of the electric motor . it is also conceivable to construct the first motor housing 9 of the first electric motor 2 as one piece with the transmission housing 11 , just as the second or third motor housing 12 , 24 can also be constructed as one piece with a transmission cover 10 . | 5 |
this invention comprises new polymeric compositions comprising the reaction product of a fluorinated thiol and a preformed chloro - or bromo - substituted polymer or a chlorinated or brominated paraffin . the product is a polymer having pendant fluoroalkylsulfide groups wherein such pendant groups are of formula i described below without the terminal hydrogen . the fluorinated thiol reactant used herein has the structure of formula i : r f is a fully fluorinated straight or branched aliphatic radical optionally interrupted by at least one oxygen atom , a is a divalent radical selected from -- so 2 n ( r )--, -- con ( r )--, -- s --, or -- so 2 --, wherein r is h or an alkyl radical having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , b is a divalent linear hydrocarbon radical -- c n h 2n --, wherein n is 2 to about 12 and preferably 2 . preferably , r f contains at least 3 and not more than 14 carbon atoms . more preferably r f contains at least 5 and not more than 12 carbon atoms , and most preferably at least 7 and not more than 10 carbon atoms . representative fluorinated thiols of formula i suitable for use herein have the structure : r is h or an alkyl radical having 1 to 6 carbon atoms , m is 3 to 14 , and q is 1 to 12 ; n is from about 2 to about 12 , and p is 3 to 14 , preferably 5 to 12 , and most preferably 7 to 10 ; n is as previously defined and r is 0 to 11 , preferably 2 to 9 , and most preferably 4 to 7 ; n is as previously defined and t is 0 to 5 , preferably 1 to 4 , and most preferably 2 to 3 ; n is as previously defined and u is 0 to 4 , and preferably 1 to 3 ; and the preferred highly fluorinated thiol is a member of the homologous series of perfluoroalkylethylthiols , for example perfluorohexylethylthiol or perfluorooctylethylthiol , or a mixture of such perfluoroalkylethylthiols . preparation of perfluoroalkyl thiols useful herein are known and many are commercially available . for example , thiols of the formula r f -- x -- sh have been described by kleiner and knell in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 655 , 732 ; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 884 , 879 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 584 , 143 . particularly preferred in the practice of the present invention are thiols of the formula r f -- ch 2 -- ch 2 -- sh , commercially available as lodyne 921a ( c 6 f 13 -- ch 2 -- ch 2 -- sh ) and lodyne 921b ( c 8 f 17 -- ch 2 -- ch 2 -- sh ) from the ciba - geigy corp . ( ardsley , n . y .). the preformed chloro - or bromo - substituted polymer , or the chloro - or bromo - substituted paraffin , provides the backbone of the fluoroalkylsulfide substituted product of this invention . the important characteristics of the preformed chloro - or bromo - substituted polymer or paraffin are the presence of carbon atoms substituted with chlorine or bromine , solubility in the reaction solvents , and the preferred polymeric physical characteristics for a given application . the basic properties of the polymer backbone remain largely unaffected by the perfluorothiol substitution . for instance , the elastomeric properties of poly ( epichlorohydrin ) are retained in the fluoroalkylsulfide substituted product and such elastomeric properties are desirable for coating dimensionally unstable substrates such as wood . similarly , the hardness and toughness of poly ( vinyl chloride ) are retained in the fluoroalkylsulfide substituted product , providing desirable coating properties for substrates such as stone or concrete . the perfluorothiol substitution mainly affects such surface characteristics as oil and water repellency or antisoil properties . the bromo - or chloro - substituted polymers used as reactants in the preparation of the polymers of the present invention are chlorine - or bromine - containing homopolymers or copolymers prepared by condensation , addition , free - radical , cationic , anionic or coordination type polymerization and having a molecular weight of at least 800 . the starting materials based on chloro - or bromoparaffins contain not less than 12 carbon atoms and have a molecular weight of at least 250 . the chlorine - or bromine - containing homopolymers or copolymers of alkylene or arylene monomers , epichlorohydrins , chlorinated or brominated alkyl epoxides ( oxiranes ), chlorinated or brominated alkyl oxetanes , chlorinated or brominated alkyl siloxanes , chlorinated or brominated polyesters , and chlorinated or brominated paraffins or polyolefins are suitable for use herein . examples of such polymers are homo - or copolymers of vinyl chloride , vinylidene chloride , 2 - chloroacrylonitrile , 2 - chloroacrylic acid , 3 - chloroacrylic acid , 2 - chloroethyl methacrylate , 3 - chloro - 2 - hydroxypropyl methacrylate , vinylbenzyl chloride , 2 - chlorostyrene , 3 - chlorostyrene , or 4 - chlorostyrene , 2 - chloroethyl vinyl ether , epichlorohydrin , and bis ( chloromethyl ) oxetane , to name only a few . alternatively , the preformed chloro - or bromo - substituted polymer is a polyester formed from chlorinated or brominated dibasic acids or glycols , for instance 2 , 3 - dibromosuccinic acid , or 2 , 3 - dibromo - 1 , 4 - butanediol . chlorinated or brominated polymers useful in this invention are also formed by chlorination or bromination of hydrocarbon polymers , such as chlorinated or brominated polyethylenes . also useful in this invention are chlorinated or brominated paraffins having not less than 12 carbon atoms and a molecular weight of at least 250 . if desired , the resulting fluorosulfide - substituted polyether glycols from oxiranes , or oxetanes are subsequently further reacted with isocyanates to form high molecular weight polyurethanes . additionally , copolymers of one or more chlorinated or brominated monomers with one or more non - halogenated monomers constitute the reactant polymer , provided that the reactant polymer contains at least 0 . 2 % by weight of halogen . the degree of substitution of the halogen by the thiol need not be complete , and is typically in the range of 1 % to 100 %. the degree of substitution will preferably be high for reactant polymers of low halogen content . for reactant polymers of high halogen content , lower degrees of substitution are preferred since high substitution levels in such cases can result in a fluoroalkylsulfide - substituted polymer product with poor solubility properties . the degree of substitution is such that the fluorine content of the fluoroalkylsulfide - substituted polymer product is between 1 . 5 % to 70 %, and preferably between 5 % and 50 %. another embodiment of the present invention comprises a polymer having pendant fluoroalkylsulfide groups and pendant alkylsulfide groups which is the reaction product of a thiol of formula i as described above , a polymer containing chlorine or bromine substituted on carbon atoms or a chlorinated or brominated paraffin as described above , and a second non - fluorinated thiol . the second thiol is an alkyl or aryl thiol of the structure of formula ii x is -- h , -- oh , -- co 2 m , or -- so 3 m ; r &# 39 ; is a difunctional alkyl group --( ch 2 ) s --, -- ch ( cooh )--, or -- ch 2 -- ch ( cooh )--; a difunctional aromatic group -- c 6 h 4 --; or a difunctional heterocylic group -- c 5 nh 3 --, the non - fluorinated thiol is reacted with the chlorinated or brominated polymer or paraffin simultaneously with the fluorinated thiol , or the thiols are reacted sequentially . the proportion of the non - fluorinated thiol is up to about 70 mole % of the total thiol used . preferably the proportion of the non - fluorinated thiol is between about 5 % and about 50 % of the total thiol used . examples of such non - fluorinated thiols are octadecyl mercaptan , thiophenol , 2 - mercapto pyridine , 2 - mercaptoethanol , mercaptoacetic acid , mercaptosuccinic acid , or a mixture thereof . this invention further comprises a process for the preparation of a polymer having pendant fluoroalkylsulfide groups comprising reacting the preformed chlorinated or brominated polymer or paraffin as described above and a fluorinated thiol of formula i . the reaction is performed in the presence of a base , for instance by heterogeneous or homogeneous reactions . the base reacts with the thiol to form the thiol salt , and subsequently the thiol salt displaces the halogen in the polymer . the reaction is carried out in a suitable solvent , or in a two phase system using transfer catalysis . typical bases are hydrides , hydroxides , or carbonates of ammonium , sodium or potassium , or alkyl amines . the preferred method of substitution is by phase transfer catalysis as described in &# 34 ; phase transfer catalysis &# 34 ; by c . m . starks , c . l . liotta , and m . halpern ( published by chapman & amp ; hall , 1994 , new york ) by using quaternary ammonium salts or crown ethers . phase transfer catalysis is a technique for conducting reactions between two or more reagents in two or more phases , when the reaction would otherwise be inhibited or substantially slowed because the reactants cannot easily come together . a phase transfer agent or catalyst is added to transfer one of the reagents to a location where it can conveniently and rapidly react with another reagent . it is also necessary that the transferred species be in a highly active state when transferred ; otherwise large amounts of phase transfer agent will be required . this activation function , plus the transfer function , allows phase transfer catalysis to occur with only a catalytic amount of the phase transfer agent . phase transfer catalysis is used especially for anion transfer reactions such as the reactions involved in the present invention , requiring transfer of thiol anions from an aqueous phase into an organic phase . an excessive stoichiometric amount of a strong base , such as an alkali metal hydroxide , should be avoided as this may cause elimination of hydrogen chloride or hydrogen bromide and result in undesirable unsaturation . an indication of the use of conditions that are too severe and are causing the occurrence of unsaturation is an increase in color of the reaction mass . infrared spectral analysis provides a more specific method for the detection of unsaturation caused by such overly severe reaction conditions . suitable solvents for the reaction are ketones such as methyl isobutyl ketone ( mibk ) and cyclohexanone , aromatics such as toluene , and ethers such as tetrahydrofuran . in certain cases , for instance where a reactant polymer with a high halogen content is subjected to a high degree of substitution with the fluorothiol , the solubility of the heavily fluorosulfide - substituted polymer product in conventional solvents may be inadequate and a fluorinated solvent such a hexafluorobenzene is necessary to dissolve the product polymer for facile removal of base and subsequent application to the substrate . for example , the displacement of chlorine or bromine in preformed halogenated polymers or halogenated paraffins by perfluoroalkylethyl thiols is carried out at elevated temperature in mibk with potassium carbonate as a heterogeneous system . in the case of mibk , the temperature is 65 ° c . to 105 ° c . the relatively slow reaction in the heterogeneous system occurs over 24 to 48 hours . the reaction progress is followed by gas chromatography . preferably , the reaction is hastened by the use of transfer catalysts . examples of such salts are benzyltriethylammonium or tetrabutylammonium chloride or bromide . higher temperatures are used under pressure or with other solvents , but an excessive temperature should be avoided as this also may cause elimination of hydrogen chloride or hydrogen bromide and result in undesirable unsaturation . as was the case for the occurrence of unsaturation due to excessive strong base above , color development and infrared spectral analysis provide techniques for detecting overly drastic reaction conditions . overly severe reaction conditions resulting in elimination reactions and unsaturation become of greater concern when the degree of chlorination or bromination of the starter polymer is high . the present invention further comprises a process for the preparation of a polymer having pendant fluoroalkylsulfide groups and pendant alkylsulfide groups comprising reacting a polymer having chlorine or bromine substituted on carbon atoms , or a chlorinated or brominated paraffin of a maximum of 12 carbon atoms having a molecular weight of at least 250 , with a fluorinated thiol of formula i as described above and a non - fluorinated thiol of formula ii as described above in the presence of a base . the two thiols are reacted simultaneously or sequentially . the reaction conditions , suitable bases , suitable catalysts , suitable solvents , and amounts of reactants are as described above for the corresponding reaction with a single thiol . in either displacement method , the resulting product is isolated by stripping of the filtered or centrifuged solution or directly by pouring into aqueous methanol . before characterizing by elementary analysis the product is sometimes recrystallized from ketones and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . at 10 pa to 30 pa . the present invention further comprises a method of improving the oil and water repellency or antisoil property of a polymer having chlorine or bromine substituted on carbon , or of a chlorinated or brominated paraffin of a maximum of 12 carbons and of a molecular weight of at least 250 comprising replacing at least 5 mole percent of the chlorine or bromine with pendant fluoroalkylsulfide groups of formula : r f is a fully fluorinated straight or branched aliphatic radical of about 3 to about 14 carbon atoms optionally interrupted by at least one ether oxygen atom ; a is a divalent radical selected from the group consisting of -- so 2 n ( r )--, -- con ( r )--, -- s --, and -- so 2 -- wherein r is h or an alkyl radical of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms ; b is a divalent linear hydrocarbon radical -- c n h 2n -- wherein n is from about 2 to about 12 . the replacement is conducted using the above - described processes of the present invention . the degree of substitution can range up to 100 %. the degree of substitution is such that the fluorine content of the fluoroalkylsulfide - substituted polymer product is between 1 . 5 % to 70 %. this invention further comprises a method for the enhancement of the oil and water repellency and antisoil properties of polymers or paraffins , in particular nonfluorinated polymers or paraffins , by the melt or powder blending of the fluorosulfide - substituted polymers of this invention with such non - fluorinated polymers or paraffins . the non - fluorinated polymer or paraffin is either the corresponding unsubstituted polymer or paraffin or a distinct non - fluorinated polymer or paraffin . suitable non - fluorinated polymers include thermoplastic polymers or elastomers including polyalkylenes such as polyethylene , polypropylene or polyisobutylene ; polyacetals ; polystyrene ; polyacrylates ; polymethacrylates ; polyesters ; polyamides such as nylon 6 or nylon 66 ; or polybutadiene . the blend is then conventionally spun , extruded , or blown into fibers , films , or shaped plastic parts with enhanced oil and water repellency and antisoil properties . the techniques for melt blending , spinning , extrusion , blowing , and molding are well known in the art . powder - blended compositions are also useful to spray or coat objects followed by a heat fusion step , again conferring the enhanced oil and water repellency and antisoil properties to the coated object . for instance , in the former case , 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanesulfide substituted poly ( vinyl chloride ) is melt blended with poly ( vinyl chloride ) to give a melt blend with enhanced oil and water repellency . an important factor in the selection of the second unsubstituted polymer is its degree of compatibility or mutual miscibility with the fluorosulfide - substituted polymer . high compatibility provides a more uniform composition and oil and water repellency throughout the blend , an advantage if the extrudate is to be machined , cut , or abraded . lower compatibility results in &# 34 ; blooming &# 34 ; of the fluorosulfide groups to the surface , enhancing the utilization of the oil and water repellency properties . the ratio of fluorosulfide - substituted polymer to non - fluorinated polymer is selected to provide a blend having a fluorine content between 0 . 5 % to 70 % and preferably between 1 . 5 % and 30 %. this invention further comprises a method for the enhancement of the oil and water repellency and antisoil property of substrates by the surface application of the fluorosulfide - substituted polymers of the invention followed by drying . such application is by means of spraying , brushing , dipping , extrusion or other conventional techniques . the perfluorosubstituted polymers of the prior art , based on polymerization of perfluoroalkylethyl ( meth ) acrylate monomers , limit usable comonomers to monomers having reactivities comparable to the fluorinated ( meth ) acrylates . the molecular weight of the polymers that can be prepared from perfluoroalkylethyl ( meth ) acrylates is also often limited . in contrast , the process of this invention allows the incorporation of fluoroalkylsulfide - groups onto any chlorine - or bromine - containing polymer or elastomer such as poly ( vinyl chloride ), poly ( epichlorohydrin ), poly ( 2 - chloroethyl vinyl ether ), poly [ bis ( chloromethyl ) oxetane ], poly ( 4 - chlorostyrene ), poly [( chloropropyl ) methyl - dimethyl siloxane ], and others . any desired degree of substitution up to 100 % of the chlorine or bromine is possible . the chlorine or bromine is substituted by fluoroalkylsulfide groups giving rise to polymers containing up to 70 % of fluorine . for instance , a deficiency with the polyperfluoroalkylethyl ( meth ) acrylate polymers is that they give soft to brittle finishes . by choosing the type and molecular weight of the reactant polymer , the fluorosulfide - substituted product polymers of the present invention are variously tough , hard , or elastomeric . such properties are unavailable in copolymers using fluorinated ( meth ) acrylates . additionally , fluorinated ( meth ) acrylates are prepared by free radical polymerization . the fluorosulfide - substituted polymer products of this invention are based on a wider range of polymer backbones , such as polyethylene , polystyrene , or poly ( epichlorohydrin ). another advantage of the substituted polymers and copolymers of the present invention is that , unlike polyurethanes capped with perfluoroalkyl alcohols or amines , they are typically soluble in common solvents , including ketones and esters . the evaporation of such solutions result in tough or elastomeric coatings or finishes , thus providing a broader range of properties for such coatings and finishes for carpets , textiles and construction materials . in some cases , where the degree of perfluorothiol substitution is high , a fluorinated cosolvent such as hexafluorobenzene is required to provide complete solution . the fluorosulfide substituted products of this invention are applied directly to substrates . for instance , the products are applied by preparing a solution or aqueous dispersion of the fluorosulfide substituted product which is then applied to the substrate by padding , coating , dipping , spraying and other conventional methods . the dry weight of the fluorosulfide substituted product , or the fluorine concentration in a dried fabric , are conventionally controlled by the concentration and volume of the solution or dispersion applied . suitable application solvents are ketones , aromatic solvents , and ethers , including the solvents used for the reaction medium . aqueous dispersions of the fluorosulfide substituted product are also made conventionally , using either anionic or cationic surfactants . the fluorosulfide substituted polymers of the present invention are useful to provide oil and water repellency and anti - soil properties to a wide variety of substrates such as natural or synthetic fabrics and fibers , concrete , glass , stone , metals , wood , paper , leather , polymers , and polymeric films . suitable fabrics and fibers include polyamides such as nylon , polyesters , wool , silk , and cotton . the following test methods were used in the examples detailed hereinafter . clean microscopic glass slides were dipped into dilute polymer solutions and allowed to air - dry for 24 hours . the advancing and receding contact angles were then measured at 23 ° c . the oil repellency was measured according to aatcc test method 118 - 1992 . this test method detects the presence of a fluorochemical finish , or other compounds capable of imparting a low energy surface , on all types of substrates by evaluating the substrate &# 39 ; s resistance to wetting by a selected series of liquid hydrocarbons of different surface tensions . a rating scale of 0 - 8 is employed , with the rating of 8 being given to the least oil penetrating ( most oil repellent ) surface . staining of stones by motor oil was measured by leaving a few drops of pennzoil motor oil for 1 minute on the stone surface . the excess oil was then blotted off and possible staining recorded . the water repellency was measured according to dupont teflon ® wilmington , del .) standard test method no . 311 . 56 , widely used in the industry for testing fabrics and other substrates . the specimen is placed on a flat level surface . three drops of the selected water / isopropanol mixture is placed on the surface and left for 10 seconds . if no penetration has occurred , the specimen is judged to &# 34 ; pass &# 34 ; this level of repellency and the next higher numbered test liquid is tested . the substrate rating is the highest numbered test liquid that does not wet the substrate . a rating of 0 indicates no water repellency , a rating of 8 indicates maximum water repellency . ______________________________________repellency composition ( wt %) rating number water isopropanol______________________________________0 -- -- 1 98 2 2 95 5 3 90 10 4 80 20 5 70 30 6 60 40 7 50 50 8 40 60______________________________________ the water absorption was measured according to federal specification test ss - w - 110c for water - repellent , colorless , silicon resin base . the substrate used was concrete patio blocks . test method 6 -- anti - swelling effectiveness of water - repellent formulations and differential swelling of untreated wood when exposed to liquid water environment the astm method d 4446 - 84 was employed to measure the effectiveness of water - repellent preservative formulations for retarding dimensional changes in wood submerged in water . a minimum water - repellent efficiency of 60 % is required to pass this test method . the higher the % efficiency , the more effective is the repellency . lodyne 921a and lodyne 921b are perfluorohexylethylthiol ( 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - tridecafluorooctane - 1 - thiol ) and perfluorooctylethylthiol ( 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - heptadecafluorodecane - 1 - thiol ), respectively , and were obtained from ciba - geigy corp . ( ardsley , n . y .). polymers were obtained from dover chemical corp ., dover , ohio (&# 34 ; paroil &# 34 ;); dupont dow elastomers , wilmington , del . (&# 34 ; tyrin &# 34 ;); and zeon chemicals , inc ., rolling meadows , ill . (&# 34 ; hydrin &# 34 ;). other polymers were obtained from polyscience , inc ., warrington , ohio and scientific polymer products , ontario , n . y . all other chemicals were obtained by aldrich chemical co . ( milwaukee , wis .) unless noted otherwise . examples 1 - 3 and 12 - 16 describe various process conditions ( heterogeneous , homogeneous , and phase transfer catalyzed ) for replacing chlorine in poly ( vinyl chloride ) by perfluoroalkylsulfides . examples 4 and 11 describe replacements in copolymers of vinyl chloride . examples 5 - 10 and 19 - 25 describe reactions with chlorinated polymers other than poly ( vinyl chloride ). example 26 describes the reaction with a brominated oligomeric ester . examples 17 and 18 describe the use of other thiols in addition to perfluoroalkylthiols for replacing chlorine in poly ( vinyl chloride ). examples 27 - 31 describe application of the fluorosulfide - substituted polymers onto various substrates . poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 6 . 2 g ) of inherent viscosity 0 . 55 and containing 57 . 4 % of chlorine was dissolved under agitation at 105 ° c . in 80 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the clear solution was added 24 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and 6 . 9 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature after heating for 4 days at 105 ° c . and centrifuged to separate the solids . the clear yellow solution was then stripped to dryness at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . under vacuum ( 5 to 10 pa ) to give a yellow rubbery solid containing 11 . 8 % chlorine and 48 . 6 % fluorine . poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 9 . 3 g ) of inherent viscosity 0 . 55 and containing 57 . 4 % of chlorine was dissolved under agitation at 90 ° c . in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the clear solution was added 24 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and 6 . 9 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature after heating for 3 days at 105 ° c . and centrifuged to separate the solids . the clear yellow solution was then poured into a blender containing 250 g of methanol . the precipitated polymer was collected and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . the brownish polymer contained 43 . 3 % of fluorine . poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 6 . 2 g ) of inherent viscosity 1 . 20 and containing 55 . 9 % of chlorine was dissolved under agitation at 95 ° c . in 80 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the clear solution was added 12 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol , 5 . 06 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of 1 - dodecanethiol and 6 . 9 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature after heating for 21 / 2 days at 105 ° c . and centrifuged to separate the solids . the clear yellow solution was then poured into a blender containing 250 g of methanol . the precipitated polymer was collected and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . the yellow tough polymer contained 10 . 90 % chlorine and 46 . 3 % fluorine . carboxylated poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 5 . 0 g ), having a carboxyl content of 1 . 8 % and containing 53 . 8 % of chlorine , was dissolved at 95 ° c . under agitation in 80 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the solution was added 12 . 8 g ( 0 . 0337 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorooctanethiol and 4 . 65 g ( 0 . 0337 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . after heating for 2 days at 105 ° c . the product was separated from the solids by centrifugation and poured into 250 ml of methanol which caused precipitation of the polymer . the polymer was collected by filtration and air - dried to amber solid containing 15 . 58 % chlorine and 40 . 6 % fluorine . a poly ( epichlorohydrin ) elastomer ( 5 . 0 g ) with a density of 1 . 36 and containing 37 . 4 % of chlorine was dissolved under agitation at 80 ° c . in 80 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the clear solution was added 25 . 9 g ( 0 . 054 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and 7 . 46 g ( 0 . 054 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . a two - phase liquid product formed after heating for 4 days at 105 ° c . the two phases became homogeneous after addition of 50 g of hexafluorobenzene at 70 ° c . the reaction product was then separated from the solids by centrifugation and the clear solution poured into a blender containing 250 g of methanol . the resulting polymer was isolated by filtration and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . and give a tough elastomer containing 4 . 3 % chlorine and 50 . 2 % fluorine . the product was soluble in a mixture of hexafluorobenzene and methyl isobutyl ketone . 2 - chloroethyl vinyl ether ( 42 . 4 g , 0 . 4 mole ) was dissolved in 150 ml of toluene . the solution was cooled to - 60 ° c . in a dry - ice / methanol bath and a solution of 1 g of boron trifluoride etherate in 5 ml of toluene was slowly added under agitation over a 20 minute period . at some point an exotherm occurred raising the temperature to 0 ° c . the reaction mixture was agitated for another hour at - 60 ° c ., before allowing the temperature to rise to 25 ° c . the solution was poured into 300 ml of methanol after the addition of 4 drops of diethanolamine . the resulting yellowish polymer was dissolved in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone , washed twice with deionized water and finally stripped to dryness at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . under vacuum ( 10 pa to 20 pa ) to give a tacky , yellow polymer . the poly ( 2 - chloroethyl vinyl ether ) contained 32 . 0 % of chlorine and had a number average molecular weight mn of 20 , 100 at a mw / mn ratio of 1 . 93 by gel permeation chromatography in tetrahydrofuran . poly ( 2 - chloroethyl vinyl ether ) ( 12 . 1 g ) was dissolved in 80 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the solution was added under agitation 24 . 0 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and 6 . 9 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate before heating to 105 ° c . for about 2 days . the reaction product was cooled to room temperature , separated from the solids by centrifugation , and stripped to dryness at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . under reduced pressure to give an amber brittle polymer containing 1 . 19 % chlorine and 55 . 6 % fluorine . bis ( chloromethyl ) oxetane ( 20 g , 0 . 13 mole ) was dissolved in 100 ml of toluene . to the agitated solution was added 0 . 5 g of boron trifluoride etherate in 2 g of toluene and the solution was slowly heated to 95 ° c . a white solid began to form . after heating for 5 hours at 95 ° c ., the solids were filtered , washed once with acetone and air - dried . the poly [ bis ( chloromethyl ) oxetane ] melted between 147 ° c . to 160 ° c ., contained 44 . 9 % chlorine , had a number average molecular weight mn = 2 , 640 , and a ratio mw / mn of 1 . 62 by gel permeation chromatography . poly [ bis ( chloromethyl ) oxetane ] ( 5 g ) was dissolved under agitation at 90 ° c . in 90 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the solution was added 31 . 2 g of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol ( 0 . 065 mole ) and 9 . 0 g of anhydrous potassium carbonate ( 0 . 065 mole ). the reactants were heated under agitation for 2 days . the product was then cooled , separated from the solids by centrifugation , and poured into 250 ml of methanol . the resulting amber powder was collected and air - dried , melting at 53 ° c . to 62 ° c . and containing 5 . 2 % chlorine and 54 . 9 % fluorine . poly ( 4 - chlorostyrene ) ( 4 . 5 g ) containing 25 . 05 % of chlorine was dissolved in 35 g of toluene . to the solution was added at 90 ° c . under agitation 15 . 6 g ( 0 . 0326 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol in 23 g of methyl isobutyl ketone and 4 . 5 g ( 0 . 0326 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . after heating for 11 / 2 days the product was separated from the solids by centrifugation , precipitated in 150 ml of methanol , collected by filtration and air - dried and gave a tan polymer melting at 137 ° c . to 145 ° c ., containing 6 . 09 % chlorine and 38 . 4 % fluorine . dimethyl ( 84 % to 86 %)-( chloropropyl ) methyl ( 14 - 16 %)- siloxane copolymer ( 41 . 6 g ) from united chemical technologies , inc . ( bristol , pa . ), containing 6 . 45 % of chlorine was dissolved in 50 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the agitated solution was added at 90 ° c . 36 g ( 0 . 075 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and 10 . 4 g ( 0 . 075 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . the reaction product was cooled to room temperature after 2 days , separated from the solids by centrifugation and poured into 150 ml of methanol . the heavier oily layer was separated and dried under vacuum ( 10 pa to 15 pa ) at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . and gave a yellow , viscous oil containing 2 . 28 % chlorine and 21 . 1 % fluorine . the contact angle was measured for examples 1 - 9 and are shown in table 1 below . in each case , the results showed higher contact angles for the fluorine - containing polymers of the present invention . table 1______________________________________contact angle measurements ( degrees ) water hexadecanepolymer advancing receding advancing receding______________________________________poly ( vinyl chloride )* 87 77 20 0 example 1 122 96 81 79 example 2 122 113 78 76 example 3 123 96 80 77 poly ( vinyl chloride ), 82 57 12 0 carboxylated * example 4 121 82 77 65 poly ( epichlorohydrin ), 95 53 21 0 elastomer * example 5 23 97 81 78 poly ( 2 - chloroethyl vinyl 86 0 15 0 ether )* example 6 122 102 83 77 poly [ bis ( chloro - 31 0 7 0 methyl ) oxetane ]* example 7 126 101 82 44 poly ( 4 - chlorostyrene )* 95 83 7 0 example 8 124 108 80 42 poly [ dimethyl ( 84 - 86 %)- ( chloropropyl ) methyl ( 14 - 16 %) siloxane ]* not applicable , reactant polymer itself is liquid example 9 91 58 29 4______________________________________ * in each set , this is the reactant polymer without fluorothiol substitution , and acts as the control for the set . polychloroprene ( 5 . 0 g ) with a density of 1 . 23 and containing 37 . 8 % of chlorine was dissolved at 80 ° c . in 80 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the slightly hazy solution was added under agitation 21 . 6 g ( 0 . 057 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorooctanethiol and 7 . 85 g ( 0 . 057 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . the heterogeneous reaction mixture was held for 21 / 2 days at 90 ° c . the solids were then separated by centrifugation at room temperature and the solvent and unreacted thiol removed at 90 ° c . under vacuum ( 5 pa to 10 pa ) and gave a dark - brown rubbery polymer containing 9 . 3 % chlorine and 43 . 7 % fluorine . poly ( vinylidene chloride - co - vinyl chloride ) ( 5 . 0 g ) with a density of 1 . 690 and containing 58 . 9 % of chlorine was dissolved at 105 ° c . in a mixture of 100 g of toluene and 40 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the hazy solution was added under agitation 12 . 8 g ( 0 . 0337 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorooctanethiol and 4 . 65 g ( 0 . 0337 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . the heterogeneous reaction mixture was held under agitation for 2 days at 105 ° c . the solids were then separated by centrifugation at room temperature and the solvent and unreacted thiol removed at 90 ° c . under vacuum ( 5 pa to 10 pa ) and gave a dark - brown polymer containing 29 . 0 % chlorine and 26 . 5 % fluorine . 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol ( 12 . 0 g , 0 . 025 mole ) was dissolved in 30 g of dry methyl isobutyl ketone . to the agitated solution under nitrogen was added at room temperature 1 . 1 g ( 0 . 0275 mole ) of 60 % sodium hydride and after half hour a solution of 9 . 3 g of poly ( vinyl chloride ) in 70 g of dry methyl isobutyl ketone . the reactants were then heated under agitation at 80 ° c . the reaction mass which turned yellow at first and later greenish brown was held for 32 hours at 80 ° c . before being poured into 200 g of methanol containing 10 g of water . a yellow solid polymer separated which was dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . and contained 34 . 3 % of fluorine . poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 9 . 3 g ) of inherent viscosity 0 . 55 was dissolved in 100 g of tetrahydrofuran . to the agitated liquid under nitrogen was added 12 . 0 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and a solution of 1 . 4 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of potassium hydroxide and 0 . 02 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 3 . 6 ml of deionized water . the reactants were held under agitation for 1 day at 60 ° c . a white solid separated over time . the reaction mass was then poured into 250 g of methanol and 10 g of water . the resulting solid was collected and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . and gave a yellowish polymer containing 28 . 7 % fluorine . poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 9 . 3 g ) of inherent viscosity 0 . 55 was dissolved under agitation at 90 ° c . in 100 g of cyclohexanone . to the agitated liquid was added 12 . 0 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and a solution of 3 . 5 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 05 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 28 g of deionized water . the reactants were held under agitation for 2 days at 90 ° c . the reaction mass was then poured into a blender containing 250 g of methanol and 10 g of water . a yellow polymer separated which was dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . the polymer contained 34 . 8 % fluorine . poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 9 . 3 g ) of inherent viscosity 0 . 55 was dissolved under agitation at 90 ° c . in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . the solution was cooled to 60 ° c . before the addition of 12 . 0 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol , 20 g of isopropanol and a solution of 1 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of sodium hydroxide in 5 ml of deionized water . the reactants were held under agitation for 2 days at 60 ° c . the reaction mass was then poured into 250 g of methanol and gave rise to a yellowish polymer which was dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . the polymer contained 31 . 0 % fluorine . poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 9 . 3 g ) of inherent viscosity 0 . 55 was dissolved under agitation at 80 ° c . in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the solution was then added 12 . 0 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and a solution of 3 . 45 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 3 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 14 ml of deionized water . the reactants were heated under agitation for 20 hours at 90 ° c . before being poured into 200 g of methanol and 10 g of water . a solid separated which was collected and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . and gave rise to a yellowish polymer containing 35 . 4 % fluorine . poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 9 . 3 g ) of inherent viscosity 0 . 55 was dissolved under agitation at 80 ° c . in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the solution was then added 6 . 0 g ( 0 . 0125 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol , 3 . 6 g ( 0 . 0125 mole ) of n - octadecyl mercaptan and a solution of 3 . 45 g ( 0 . 025 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 03 g of tetrabutylammoniumn bromide in 14 ml of deionized water . the reactants were heated under agitation for 15 hours at 90 ° c . before being poured into 200 g of methanol and 10 g of water . a solid separated which was collected and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . and gave rise to a yellowish polymer containing 27 . 8 % chlorine , 21 . 8 % fluorine and 3 . 7 % sulfur . this indicated that approximately 5 . 6 g of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and 2 . 4 g of n - octadecyl mercaptan were incorporated into the polymer . poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( 9 . 3 g ) of inherent viscosity 0 . 55 was dissolved under agitation at 80 ° c . in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the solution was then added 6 . 0 g ( 0 . 0125 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol , 1 . 15 g ( 0 . 0125 mole ) of mercaptoacetic acid and a solution of 5 . 2 g ( 0 . 0376 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 03 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 15 . 6 ml of deionized water . the reactants were heated under agitation for 18 hours at 90 ° c . before being poured into 200 g of methanol and 10 g of water . a solid separated which was collected and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . giving rise to a yellowish polymer containing 27 . 6 % chlorine , 24 . 8 % fluorine and 5 . 0 % sulfur . this indicated that approximately 6 . 0 g of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and 1 . 0 g of mercaptoacetic acid were incorporated into the polymer . to a solution of 49 . 25 g ( 0 . 535 mole ) of epichlorohydrin and 0 . 143 g ( 0 . 0023 mole ) of ethylene glycol in 58 . 6 g of toluene was slowly added under agitation at 50 ° c . by means of a syringe a solution of 0 . 6 g of boron trifluoride etherate in 5 g of toluene over a 15 minute period . after agitating the reactants for 2 hours , a sample analyzed by gas chromatography indicated less than 0 . 1 % residual epichlorohydrin monomer . all volatiles were then removed on a rotary evaporator at 90 ° c . and a pressure of 5 pa and gave rise to a brownish very viscous liquid containing 36 . 4 % of chlorine . the number average molecular weight by hydroxyl number determination was 2474 . the above epichlorohydrin oligomer ( 6 . 04 g , 0 . 0656 mole ) was dissolved in 72 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the agitated solution at 105 ° c . was then added 24 . 9 g ( 0 . 0655 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorooctanethiol and 9 . 05 g ( 0 . 0655 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . the reactants were held under agitation at 105 ° c . for 28 hours . all the volatiles were then removed under reduced pressure after separation of the solids by centrifugation resulting in a brownish very viscous liquid containing 1 . 8 % chlorine and 53 . 6 % fluorine . &# 34 ; paroil &# 34 ; 140 ( 12 . 0 g ), a chlorinated paraffin containing 43 % of chlorine and having a viscosity of 149 saybolt universal seconds at 210 ° f . ( 31 . 45 × 10 - 6 m 2 / s at 99 ° c .) was dissolved at 90 ° c . in 150 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the agitated solution was added 20 . 9 g ( 0 . 0436 mole ) 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorooctanethiol and a solution of 6 . 0 g ( 0 . 0436 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 04 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 7 g of deionized water . the reactants were held under agitation at 90 ° c . for 44 hours . the volatile materials were then stripped at 85 ° c . under reduced pressure ( 2 pa to 5 pa ) and gave a clear brownish viscous liquid which became a waxy material at room temperature containing 51 . 6 % fluorine and 13 . 7 % chlorine . solid chloroparaffin ( 10 . 0 g ) of approximate molecular weight of 1000 and containing 70 % of chlorine was dissolved at 50 ° c . in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the solution was then added 48 . 0 g ( 0 . 1 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorodecanethiol and a solution of 13 . 8 g ( 0 . 1 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 03 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 35 g of deionized water . the reactants were held under agitation for 24 hours at 90 ° c . during this time the solution became very dark - brown . after cooling to room temperature , the solution was poured into a blender containing 200 ml of methanol and 10 ml of deionized water . the precipitate was collected by filtration and after drying resulted in a dark - brown solid melting at 55 ° c . to 60 ° c . and containing 55 . 0 % of fluorine . &# 34 ; paroil &# 34 ; 140 ( 10 . 0 g ), chlorinated paraffin as described in example 20 , was dissolved in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the agitated solution was added 10 . 6 g ( 0 . 023 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorooctanethiol , 0 . 7 g ( 0 . 009 mole ) 2 - mercaptoethanol and a solution of 4 . 4 g ( 0 . 032 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 04 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 7 g of deionized water . the reactants were held under agitation at 90 ° c . after 20 hours none of the mercaptans were detected by gas chromatography . all volatiles were then stripped from the product at 85 ° c . to 90 ° c . under vacuum ( 2 pa to 5 pa ) and gave rise to a brownish waxy material containing 31 . 8 % of fluorine . &# 34 ; hydrin &# 34 ; c - 2000 ( 10 . 8 g ), an epichlorohydrin / ethylene oxide elastomer containing 25 . 27 % of chlorine , was dissolved at 90 ° c . in 150 ml of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the polymer solution was added 18 . 5 g ( 0 . 038 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluoro - octanethiol and a solution of 5 . 3 g ( 0 . 038 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 034 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 7 g of deionized water . the reactants were held under agitation for 20 hours at 90 ° c . before being poured into 200 ml of methanol . a yellowish elastomer separated which was dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . containing 41 . 5 % of fluorine and 5 . 0 % of chlorine . &# 34 ; tyrin &# 34 ; 3611p ( 10 . 0 g ), a chlorinated polyethylene elastomer containing approximately 36 % of chlorine and having a melt viscosity of about 8 , 000 poise , was dissolved at 90 ° c . in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the slightly hazy solution was added 24 . 0 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorooctanethiol and a solution of 6 . 9 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 04 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 13 g of deionized water . the reactants were held under agitation for 44 hours at 90 ° c . after cooling to 60 ° c ., the product was poured into a water containing 200 ml of methanol and 10 ml of deionized water . the polymeric material which separated was dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . and gave a yellowish elastomer containing 11 . 1 % of chlorine and 34 . 6 % of fluorine . a solution of 10 . 4 g ( 0 . 1 mole ) of styrene , 15 . 3 g ( 0 . 1 mole ) of 4 - vinylbenzyl chloride and 1 . 1 g of t - butyl peroxide in 20 ml of xylene was slowly added to 70 g of agitated xylene at 133 ° c . to 135 ° c . over a 2 - hour period . the reactants were held under agitation at 135 ° c . for a 20 - hour period . the reaction product was then poured into 300 ml of methanol . a solid separated which was dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . and gave an amber , brittle resin , melting at 80 ° c . to 87 ° c ., containing 11 . 1 % of chlorine and having a number average molecular weight of 7 , 135 by gel permeation chromatography . the above copolymer ( 15 . 0 g ) of styrene / 4 - vinylbenzyl chloride was dissolved at 90 ° c . in 100 g of methyl isobutyl ketone . to the agitated solution was added 13 . 0 g ( 0 . 027 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorooctanethiol and a solution of 3 . 7 g ( 0 . 027 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 . 04 g of tetrabutylammonium bromide in 7 g of deionized water . the reactants were held under agitation at 90 ° c . for 20 hours before being poured into 200 ml of methanol . a solid separated which was dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . to 90 ° c . and gave an amber , brittle resin melting at 92 ° c . to 100 ° c . and containing 2 . 6 % of chlorine and 32 . 4 % of fluorine . an oligomeric polyester glycol was prepared by reacting 48 . 5 g ( 0 . 25 mole ) of dimethyl terephthalate , 31 . 0 g ( 0 . 25 mole ) of 2 , 3 - dibromo - 1 , 4 - butanediol and 14 . 6 g ( 0 . 163 mole ) of 1 , 4 - butanediol at 150 ° c . to 160 ° c . in the presence of 3 drops of tetraisopropyl titanate available as tyzor tpt from e . i . du pont de nemours and company , wilmington , del . the crude product was recrystallized from acetone and gave a white powder melting a 118 ° c . to 126 ° c ., containing 8 . 5 % of bromine and having a number average molecular weight of 727 by gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ) in tetrahydrofuran . the above oligomeric ester ( 4 . 1 g ) was dissolved in 30 g of methyl isobutyl ketone and heated under agitation at 65 ° c . before the addition of 0 . 2 g ( 0 . 5 mole ) of 1h , 1h , 2h , 2h - perfluorooctanethiol and 0 . 07 g ( 0 . 5 mole ) of anhydrous potassium carbonate . after heating for 24 hours at 65 ° c ., the warm solution was filtered and all the volatiles removed on a rotary evaporator at 110 ° c . and a pressure of 2 pa to 5 pa and gave a white solid containing 1 . 4 % of fluorine . solutions of examples 5 and 16 in acetone were applied onto 4 different upholstery fabrics by padding an amount sufficient to provide the fluorine concentration on the dried carpet as shown in table 2 : cotton : fabric weight : 7 . 4 oz / yd 2 ( 0 . 25 kg / m 2 ), white nylon : fabric weight : 9 . 6 oz / yd 2 ( 0 . 33 kg / m 2 ), tan polyester : fabric weight : 9 . 5 oz / yd 2 ( 0 . 32 kg / m 2 ), tan polypropylene : fabric weight : 7 . 5 oz / yd 2 ( 0 . 25 kg / m 2 ), printed the oil / water repellencies and the fluorine loadings were measured after drying at ambient temperature for 1 day according to test methods 2 and 4 respectively and are shown in table 2 below . table 2______________________________________fluorine loadings and oil and water repellency measurements on fabrics ( ambient temperature drying ). controlup - holstery example 5 example 16fabric repellency fluorine repellency fluorine repellencytype oil water ( ppm ) oil water ( ppm ) oil water______________________________________cotton 0 0 730 4 8 540 2 5 nylon 0 1 560 3 8 480 4 8 polyester 0 0 840 2 8 670 0 4 poly - 0 0 540 2 5 460 2 1 propylene______________________________________ aqueous dispersions of examples 5 , 16 , and 18 were padded onto the 4 different upholstery fabrics as listed in example 27 by padding an amount sufficient to provide the fluorine concentration on the dried carpet as shown in table 3 . the surfactants used were sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate available as &# 34 ; sul - fon - ate &# 34 ; aa - 10 ( tennessee chemical co ., atlanta , ga .) for the anionic dispersions of examples 5 and 18 , and n , n , n - trimethyl 1 - dodecanaminium chloride ( 50 %) in 70 % aqueous isopropanol available as &# 34 ; arquad &# 34 ; 12 - 50 ( akzo nobel chemicals inc ., chicago , ill .) for the cationic dispersion of example 16 . the treated fabrics were dried for 5 minutes at 120 ° c . before being tested for fluorine and oil / water repellency according to test methods 2 and 4 respectively as shown in table 3 . table 3__________________________________________________________________________fluorine loadings and oil and water repellency measurements on fabrics ( elevated temperature drying ) control repellency anionic ex . 5 cationic ex . 16 anionic ex . 18 oil / fluorine repellency fluorine repellency fluorine repellencyfabric type water ppm oil water ppm oil water ppm oil water__________________________________________________________________________cotton 0 / 0 1410 2 4 1490 3 6 1980 0 0 nylon 0 / 1 1860 1 6 3980 3 8 1880 0 3 polyester 0 / 0 2240 2 6 1810 0 6 2280 0 0 polypropylene 0 / 0 1330 4 8 1380 4 8 1620 0 0__________________________________________________________________________ sandstone blocks ( 1 × 2 × 3 inch , 2 . 5 × 5 . 1 × 7 . 6 cm ) were dipped for 30 seconds in acetone solutions of fluoropolymers from examples 5 and 16 . each solution was prepared to have a 1 . 615 % fluorine concentration . a solution of a comparable molar concentration containing 2 . 16 % poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( pvc ) was used as a control . the treated sandstone blocks were allowed to dry at ambient temperature over a 24 hour period before being tested for oil / water repellency according to test methods 2 and 4 respectively and motor oil staining according to test method 3 as shown in table 4 . table 4______________________________________oil and water repellency and motor oil stain measurements on sandstone blocks pvc test untreated control example 5 example 16______________________________________oil repellency 0 0 6 5 water repellency 0 3 8 8 motor oil stain yes yes no no______________________________________ concrete patio blocks ( 95 × 95 × 25 mm ) were dipped for 1 minute in acetone solutions of fluoropolymers from examples 5 and 16 . each solution was prepared to have a 0 . 8 % fluorine concentration . a solution of a comparable molar concentration containing 1 . 08 % poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( pvc ) was used as control . the treated concrete blocks were allowed to dry at ambient temperature over a 3 - day period . the absorption of water was then determined by immersion of the blocks in water according to the federal specification method ss - w - 110c ( test method 5 ). the absorption data after various times are shown in table 5 . table 5______________________________________water absorption measurements on concrete blocks % absorbed waterimmersion pvc period untreated control example 5 example 16______________________________________after 1 hour 6 . 4 5 . 8 1 . 3 1 . 1 after 6 hours 6 . 3 * 6 . 3 3 . 5 2 . 0 after 24 hours 6 . 2 * 6 . 4 4 . 8 3 . 1 after 48 hours 6 . 2 * 6 . 4 5 . 9 3 . 7 after 72 hours 6 . 1 * 6 . 3 4 . 2______________________________________ * the untreated blocks lose weight during immersion , due to the leaching o inorganic components of the concrete , causing turbidity . this leaching is suppressed in the treated samples . ponderosa pine wood samples in form of elongated slats were treated by immersion for 30 seconds in acetone solutions of fluoropolymers from example 5 and 16 . each solution was prepared to have a 0 . 8 % fluorine concentration . a solution of a comparable molar concentration containing 1 . 08 % poly ( vinyl chloride ) ( pvc ) was used as control . treatment , conditioning and testing was carried out according to astm test method d 4446 - 84 ( test method 6 ) using for each polymer 5 treated and 5 untreated specimens . the difference between the swelling after exposure to water of each treated specimen and the swelling of its matching untreated control specimen was divided by the swelling of the untreated control specimen and multiplied by 100 . a minimum water - repellent efficiency of 60 % is required to pass this test method . both fluoropolymers passed the test as shown in table 6 . table 6______________________________________water repellent efficiency measurements on pine wood samples . average water - repellent efficiency as % polymer control fluoropolymer fluoropolymer pvc example 5 example 16______________________________________2 . 0 64 . 4 63 . 7______________________________________ poly ( vinyl chloride ) powder ( 50 g ) is mixed with the fluorothiol - modified poly ( vinyl chloride ) of example 16 ( 2 . 5 g ) and is melt blended at about 175 ° c . in a single screw extruder . the resulting chips are pressed at 170 ° c . to a film which exhibits improved repellency when compared to a control sample . | 2 |
the sod derivatives provided by the present invention can be produced by the reaction of sod with a long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) in an aqueous solution maintained at a ph in a range of 6 to 10 . the reaction of sod and a long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) is generally carried out by dissolving sod in tris ( hydroxymethyl ) aminomethane - hydrochloric acid buffer , or in an aqueous solution of a salt such as sodium carbonate , sodium hydrogen carbonate , sodium acetate , or sodium phosphate , and adding , to the thus obtained solution , the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) in the form of powder or a solution in an organic solvent such as dimethyl sulfoxide . it is necessary that the ph of the solution should be maintained at 6 to 10 , preferably 8 to 10 during the reaction . when the ph is lower than 6 , the solubility of the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) decreases and the reaction can hardly proceed . when the ph is higher than 10 , the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) tends to react also with amino groups in sod . the reaction temperature is preferably maintained at room temperature or below . the reaction period should be selected , depending on the mode of addition of the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ), from the range of 10 minutes to 2 days . the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) is used for the reaction in an amount of about 2 . 0 to 30 moles per mole of sod . the reaction mixture thus obtained contains the sod derivative , unreacted sod and the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ), etc . the reaction mixture is filtered , and the filtrate is subjected to gel filtration . if necessary , the thus obtained sod derivative - containing eluate is subjected to hydrophobic column chromatography , ion - exchange column chromatography or the like , and is then concentrated by ultrafiltration . the subsequent lyophilization of the concentrate gives the sod derivative in a solid form . in the above reaction , two mercapto groups of sod add to the double bond of the maleimide ring of the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ), whereby the sod derivative is formed . examples of the divalent long chain hydrocarbon residue represented by w in the sod derivatives of the present invention are as follows . ( ch 2 ) 17 , ( ch 2 ) 18 , ( ch 2 ) 19 , ( ch 2 ) 20 , ( ch 2 ) 21 , ( ch 2 ) 8 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 9 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 10 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 11 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 12 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 8 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 8 , ( ch 2 ) 8 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 9 , ( ch 2 ) 8 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 10 , ( ch 2 ) 8 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 11 , ( ch 2 ) 5 ch ═ chch 2 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 6 ch ═ chch 2 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 7 ch ═ chch 2 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 8 ch ═ chch 2 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 9 ch ═ chch 2 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 15 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 16 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 17 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 18 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 18 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- o --( ch 2 ) 13 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- o --( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- o --( ch 2 ) 15 , ( ch 2 ( 4 -- o --( ch 2 ) 16 , ( ch 2 ( 4 -- o --( ch 2 ) 17 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- o --( ch 2 ( 11 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- o --( ch 2 ) 12 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- o --( ch 2 ) 13 , ( ch 2 ( 6 -- o --( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- o --( ch 2 ) 15 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- o --( ch 2 ) 9 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- o --( ch 2 ) 10 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- o --( ch 2 ) 11 , ( ch 2 ( 8 -- o --( ch 2 ) 12 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- o --( ch 2 ) 13 , ( ch 2 ( 10 -- o --( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 10 -- o --( ch 2 ) 9 , ( ch 2 ) 10 -- o --( ch 2 ) 11 , ( ch 2 ) 12 -- o --( ch 2 ) 5 , ( ch 2 ) 12 -- o --( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 12 -- o --( ch 2 ) 9 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 5 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- o --( ch 2 ) 5 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- o --( ch 2 ) 5 ch ═ ch ( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- s --( ch 2 ) 15 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- s --( ch 2 ) 16 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- s --( ch 2 ) 17 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- s --( ch 2 ) 18 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- s --( ch 2 ) 19 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- s --( ch 2 ) 13 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- s --( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- s --( ch 2 ) 15 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- s --( ch 2 ) 16 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- s --( ch 2 ) 17 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- s --( ch 2 ) 11 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- s --( ch 2 ) 12 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- s --( ch 2 ) 13 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- s --( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- s --( ch 2 ) 15 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- s --( ch 2 ) 9 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- s --( ch . sub . 2 ) 10 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- s --( ch 2 ) 11 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- s --( ch 2 ) 12 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- s --( ch 2 ) 13 , ( ch 2 ) 10 -- s --( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 10 -- s --( ch 2 ) 9 , ( ch 2 ) 10 -- s --( ch 2 ) 11 , ( ch 2 ) 12 -- s --( ch 2 ) 5 , ( ch 2 ) 12 -- s --( ch 2 ) 7 , ( ch 2 ) 12 -- s --( ch 2 ) 9 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- n ( ch 3 )--( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- n ( ch 3 )--( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- n ( ch 3 )--( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- n ( c 2 h 5 )--( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- n ( c 2 h 5 )--( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- n ( c 2 h 5 )--( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch . sub . 2 ) 12 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- o --( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 12 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- o --( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 12 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 2 -- o --( ch 2 ) 16 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 16 , ( ch 2 ) 2 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 18 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 12 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 4 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 16 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 10 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 12 , ( ch 2 ) 6 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 14 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 8 , ( ch 2 ) 8 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 10 , ( ch 2 ( 8 -- s -- s --( ch 2 ) 12 the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) has one maleimide group per molecule , and human - type sod has two reactive mercapto groups . therefore , the above - described reaction and the succeeding treatment steps can give an sod derivative comprising two molecules of the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) bonded to one molecule of human - type sod . in the above reaction and the succeeding treatment steps , the carboxyl groups of the sod derivative might each possibly form an alkali metal salt or an ammonium salt . the sod derivative of the present invention includes such sod derivative containing the carboxyl groups in a salt form as well . the sod derivatives of the present invention are obtained by bonding two molecules of the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) to one sod molecule and have an extremely prolonged plasma half - life as compared to unmodified sod and the feature of good delivery to inflammatory regions based on their tendency to accumulate in acidic regions . the starting material sod is the product obtained by extraction from its sources , namely living organisms such as animals ( human , bovine , etc . ), plants and microorganisms by a known method , or obtained by using genetic engineering techniques . the chemical structure ( with respect to coordinated metal , molecular weight , amino acid sequence , etc .) of sod has been elucidated to a considerable extent . sod species are now classified into three groups , that is , fe -- sod , mn -- sod and cu · zn -- sod and have a molecular weight of 30 , 000 to 80 , 000 which depends on the living organisms and the place where they are present . the amino acid sequences of the three sod species also differ from each other to some extent [ yoshihiko ohyanagi , &# 34 ; sod to kasseisanso chosetsuzai ( sod and superoxide controlling agent )&# 34 ;, chapter 2 &# 34 ; sod &# 34 ;, published by nihon igakukan on nov . 6 , 1989 ]. human - type cu · zn -- sod has a molecular weight of 32 , 000 and two reactive mercapto groups . this human - type sod can be obtained , for example , by subjecting the human blood to heat treatment , ion - exchange chromatography and gel filtration in this order , or by using genetic engineering techniques . the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) can be synthesized by the reaction of an aminocarboxylic acid ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; aminocarboxylic acid ( iii )&# 34 ;) represented by the following general formula wherein w is as defined above , with maleic anhydride to produce an amidodicarboxylic acid ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; amidodicarboxylic acid ( iv )&# 34 ;) represented by the following general formula ## str4 ## wherein w is as defined above , and the ring closure of the thus obtained amidodicarboxylic acid ( iv ) by a per se known method [ organic synthesis , 41 , 93 ( 1961 ) and &# 34 ; shin jikken kagaku koza , 14 - ii &# 34 ; 1145 - 1147 , published by maruzen in 1978 ]. further , the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) can also be synthesized by partially modified procedures of this method . for the synthesis of the aminocarboxylic acid ( iii ), the use of a per se known process applying gabriel &# 39 ; s method [ ber ., 22 , 426 ( 1889 )] for the synthesis of an amino acid as the key reaction is simple and easy . that is , a hydroxycarboxylic acid ester ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; hydroxycarboxylic acid ester ( v )&# 34 ;) represented by the following general formula wherein w is as defined above and r 1 is a lower alkyl group , is treated with a sulfonyl halide such as p - toluenesulfonyl chloride or methanesulfonyl chloride to give its sulfonic acid ester ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; sulfonic acid ester ( vi )&# 34 ;) represented by the following general formula ( vi ) ## str5 ## wherein w and r 1 are as defined above and r 2 represents a lower alkyl group or an aryl group which may be substituted with a lower alkyl group . the thus obtained sulfonic acid ester ( vi ) is converted to phthalimide carboxylic acid ester ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; phthalimide carboxylic acid ester ( vii )&# 34 ;) represented by the following general formula ## str6 ## wherein w and r 1 are as defined above , by reaction with a phthalimide alkaline metal salt according to gabriel &# 39 ; s method . the obtained phthalimide carboxylic acid ester ( vii ) is treated with hydrazine to allow its phthalimide group to decompose , to give an aminocarboxylic acid ester , which is then hydrolyzed under alkaline condition to produce the aminocarboxylic acid ( iii ). the reaction of the hydroxycarboxylic acid ester ( v ) with sulfonic acid halide is conducted usually in the presence of a base , such as pyridine or triethylamine , and in the presence or absence of a suitable solvent , such as methylene chloride or ether , at a temperature in a range of - 20 ° to + 50 ° c . the reaction of the sulfonic acid ester ( vi ) with a phthalimide alkali metal salt is generally carried out in the presence or absence of a polar solvent having a high boiling point , conveniently in the presence of n , n - dimethylformamide . that is , phthalimide potassium salt is dissolved in n , n - dimethylformamide , and to the obtained solution the sulfonic acid ester ( vl ) is added at a temperature in a range of room temperature to 153 ° c ., preferably in a range of 80 ° to 120 ° c . the conversion of the thus obtained phthalimide carboxylic acid ester ( vii ) to the aminocarboxylic acid ( iii ) is carried out by treating the phthalimide carboxylic acid ester ( vii ) with hydrazine to decompose the phthalimide group , and then hydrolyzing under an alkaline condition the aminocarboxylic acid ester that formed . that is , the phthalimide carboxylic acid ester is dissolved in a suitable solvent , such as ethanol or methanol , hydrazine is added to the solution obtained , and the mixture is stirred . after removal of the phthalhydrazide that formed , the remaining aminocarboxylic acid ester is , according to a known method , stirred in a solution of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide in an aqueous methanol , ethanol or isopropanol . hydrazine is used preferably in an amount of about 1 . 0 to 20 moles , more preferably 1 . 0 to 10 moles , per mole of the phthalimide carboxylic acid ester ( vii ). for smooth proceeding of the reaction , the reaction temperature is preferably in a range of 0 ° c . to the boiling point of the solvent used , more preferably in a range of 25 ° c . to the boiling point . the reaction period is , while depending on the temperature employed , usually in a range of 10 minutes to 3 days . the phthalhydrazide that forms by the above reaction is , readily and conveniently , removed by acidifying the reaction mixture with a mineral acid , e . g . hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid , at a temperature under ice - cooling to cause it to precipitate , and then filtering off the precipitate . after this procedure the solvent is distilled off and the residue aminocarboxylic acid ester is hydrolyzed under an alkaline condition . it is desirable to conduct the hydrolysis at a temperature in a range of from 0 ° c . to the boiling point of the solvent , more preferably in a range of from 25 ° c . to the boiling point . the time required for the completion of the hydrolysis is , depending on the temperature employed , generally in a range of from 10 minutes to 3 days . after the completion of the hydrolysis , the aminocarboxylic acid ( iii ) is isolated from the reaction mixture by , suitably , neutralizing it with a mineral acid , e . g . hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid , at a temperature in a range of from room temperature to ice - cooled temperature to form precipitates , and collecting the precipitates by filtration , followed by recrystallization thereof . the reaction of the aminocarboxylic acid ( iii ) with maleic anhydride is desirably carried out in a solvent . examples of preferred solvents are aqueous alcohols such as aqueous methanol , aqueous ethanol and aqueous isopropanol . for smooth proceeding of the reaction , the ph of the reaction mixture is preferably maintained at at least 6 . if the ph is lower than 6 , the solubility of the aminocarboxylic acid ( iii ) will decrease , whereby the reaction hardly proceeds . maleic anhydride is used generally in an amount of 1 to 300 moles , preferably 1 to 50 moles per mole of the aminocarboxylic acid ( iii ). in a preferred embodiment , maleic anhydride is added all at once or gradually added in portions to a solution or dispersion of the aminocarboxylic acid ( iii ) and the mixture is stirred . the reaction temperature is preferably in a range of from 0 ° c . to the boiling point of the solvent , more preferably in a range of from 20 ° to 60 ° c . the proceeding of the reaction is conveniently checked by monitoring the consumption of the starting material by thin layer chromatography . after the completion of the reaction , the amidodicarboxylic acid ( iv ) that formed is isolated from the reaction mixture by , suitably , acidifying the mixture to a ph of about 1 to 4 with a mineral acid , e . g . hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid , at a temperature in a range of from room temperature to ice - cooled temperature to form precipitates , and collecting the precipitates by filtration , followed by recrystallization thereof . the amidodicarboxylic acid ( iv ) can readily be converted to the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) by a conventional method , for example by heating it together with acetic anhydride in the presence of sodium acetate . the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) has a fatty acid portion . the sod derivative comprising such long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) therefore is capable of reversibly binding plasma protein and biomembrane , whereby it has prolonged plasma half - life and good delivery property to organs . it is preferable that , in the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ), the long chain hydrocarbon residue represented by w have 9 to 29 , more preferably 17 to 23 principal chain atoms . if a long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) with the number of principal chain atoms being less than 9 is reacted with sod , the resulting sod derivative will have poor affinity to plasma protein . if the number is larger than 29 , the long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) will have poor solubility in an aqueous solution with a ph of 6 to 10 , whereby it becomes difficult to bond such long chain carboxylic acid maleimide ( ii ) to the sod . the sod derivative has , as is apparent from the results obtained in test examples 2 and 3 which will be described later herein , excellent anti - ulcer and anti - arrhythmic activities , and also has pharmacological activities such as anti - inflammatory , anti - ischemic and cerebral edemapreventing activities . toxicological studies have shown the low toxicity of the sod derivative of the present invention . the above results show that the sod derivatives of the present invention are effective for treating various diseases caused by active oxygen species , and can be used as anti - inflammatory agents , anti - ulcer agents , anti - ischemic agents , cerebral edema - preventing agents , anti - paraquat intoxication agents , etc . and are also useful as drugs to alleviate various side effects induced by anti - cancer agents , as caused by active oxygen species . further , the sod derivatives are useful as therapeutic agents for treating dermal diseases such as burn , trauma , various dermatides , etc . the sod derivatives of the present invention more effectively retain the pharmacological activities inherent to unmodified sod [ saishin igaku , 39 , no . 2 , 339 ( 1984 ); igaku to yakugaku , 14no . 1 , 55 ( 1985 ); jikken igaku , 4 , no . 1 ( 1986 ) &# 34 ; tokushuh : seitainai furii rajikaru to shikkan &# 34 ; ( special number : free radicals and diseases ); fragrance journal , 79 , 89 ( 1986 )]. moreover , the sod derivatives of the present invention have pharmacological activities against those diseases caused by active oxygen species and those against which unmodified sod shows no pharmacological activities . the dosage of the sod derivative depends on the kind of disease , severity of the disease , patient &# 39 ; s tolerance and other factors . however , the usual daily dosage for adult humans is 0 . 1 to 500 mg and preferably 0 . 5 to 100 mg , either in a single dose or in a few divided doses . the sod derivative may be provided in various dosage forms suitable for the respective routes of administration . thus , the sod derivative can be formulated and prepared by the established pharmaceutical procedures . therefore , the present invention covers a variety of pharmaceutical compositions containing at least one species of the sod derivative as an active ingredient . such pharmaceutical compositions can be manufactured using pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , vehicles and other auxiliary substances which are commonly used in pharmaceutical practice . when such pharmaceutical compositions are intended for oral administration , they are preferably provided in dosage forms suitable for absorption from the gastrointestinal tract . tablets and capsules which are unit dosage forms for oral administration may contain binders such as syrup , gum arabic , gelatin , sorbitol , gum tragacanth and polyvinylpyrrolidone ; excipients such as lactose , corn starch , calcium phosphate , sorbitol and glycine ; lubricants such as magnesium stearate , talc , polyethylene glycol and silica ; disintegrators such as potato starch ; pharmaceutically acceptable wetting agents such as sodium laurylsulfate and so on . the tablets may be coated in the well - known manner . liquid preparations for oral administration may be aqueous or oily suspensions , solutions , syrups , elixirs and so on , or may be lyophilisates which are extemporaneously reconstituted with water or other suitable vehicles before use . such liquid preparations may contain the usual additives inclusive of suspending agents such as sorbitol syrup , methylcellulose , glucose / sucrose syrup , gelatin , hydroxyethylcellulose , carboxymethylcellulose , aluminum stearate gel and hydrogenated edible oils and fats ; emulsifiers such as lecithin , sorbitan monooleate and gum arabic ; non - aqueous vehicles such as almond oil , fractionated coconut oil , oleaginous esters , propylene glycol and ethanol ; preservatives such as methyl p - hydroxybenzoate , propyl p - hydroxybenzoate and sorbic acid ; and so forth . for preparing injections , the sod derivative is disolved in an suitable solvent such as physiological saline and glucose solution for injection ; and the sod derivative concentration is adjusted to 2 to 20 mg per 2 to 10 ml of solvent in a conventional manner to give injections for subcutaneous , intramuscular or intravenous administration . in preparing the above injections , ph - adjusting agents , buffers , stabilizers , preservatives , solubilizers and so forth may be added to the aqueous solution , if necessary . the above - mentioned pharmaceutical composition can contain the sod derivative in a concentration selected according to the form thereof and other factors , generally in a concentration of about 0 . 01 to 50 % by weight , preferably about 0 . 1 to 20 % by weight . other features of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following descriptions of exemplary embodiments which are given for illustration of the invention and are not intended to be limiting thereof . 1 h -- nmr is measured using tetramethylsilane as internal standard . ir absorption spectrum is measured by kbr disk method . in 50 ml of methylene chloride , methyl 18 - hydroxyoctadecanoate ( 4 . 5 g , 14 . 3 mmoles ) was dissolved . to the obtained solution was added pyridine ( 4 . 53 g , 57 . 2 mmoles ), and then was gradually added p - toluenesulfonyl chloride ( 5 . 46 g , 28 . 6 mmoles ) with ice - cooling over a period of 1 hour . thereafter , reaction was carried out for 16 hours in a refrigerator . the reaction mixture was washed with a 10 % aqueous hydrochloric acid solution , water , saturated aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate solution , water and aqueous sodium chloride solution in this order , dried , and then concentrated under reduced pressure . the residue was isolated and purified by silica gel column chromatography ( eluent : benzene ) to give methyl 18 - tosyloxyoctadecanoate ( 5 . 69 g , 85 %) having the following properties . 1 h -- nmr ( cdcl 3 , 270 mhz ): δ1 . 09 - 1 . 42 ( m , 26h ), 1 . 53 - 1 . 72 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 30 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 45 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 68 ( s , 3h ), 4 . 03 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 35 ( d , 2h ), 7 . 79 ( d , 2h ) a mixture of potassium phthalimide ( 2 . 96 g , 16 . 0 mmoles ) and 100 ml of dried n , n - dimethylformamide was heated at 110 ° c . to this mixture was added dropwise 80 ml of a solution of methyl 18 tosyloxyoctadecanoate ( 5 . 0 g , 10 . 7 mmoles ) in 80 ml of n , n - dimethylformamide , and the mixture was heated with stirring at 110 ° c . for 2 hours . the reaction mixture was poured into ice water to a total volume of 1 . 2 1 , and stirred for 30 minutes . thereafter , the precipitates that formed were collected by filtration and dissolved in chloroform . the obtained solution was washed with water and then with saturated aqueous sodium chloride solution , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate , and isolated and purified by silica 9el column chromatography [ eluent : mixture of benzene and methylene chloride ( volume ratio : 2 : 1 )], to give methyl 18 - phtahlimideocatadecanoate ( 4 . 15 g , 88 %) having the following properties . 1 h -- nmr ( cdcl 3 , 270 mhz ): δ1 . 09 - 1 . 42 ( m , 26h ), 1 . 53 - 1 . 76 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 30 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 66 , 3 . 67 ( s , t , 5h ), 7 . 71 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 84 ( m , 2h ) a mixture of methyl 18 - phthalimideoctadecanoate ( 2 . 0 g , 4 . 51 mmoles ), 30 ml of ethanol and 80 % hydrazine hydrate ( 0 . 42 ml , 6 . 76 mmoles ) was refluxed for 9 hours . to the reaction mixture was added 6n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution ( 11 . 3 ml , 67 . 6 mmoles ) and the resulting mixture was refluxed for 1 hour . the insoluble matter that formed was filtered off , and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure . to the residue were added 30 ml of ethanol and 18 . 1 ml of 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , and the mixture was refluxed for 18 hours . the reaction mixture was neutralized with 6n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution under ice - cooled condition . the precipitates that formed were collected by filtration and recrystallized from ethanol - acetic acid - water to give 18 - aminooctadecanoic acid ( 800 mg , 59 %) having the following properties . in a mixture of 50 ml of ethanol and 25 ml of 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , 18 - aminooctadecanoic acid ( 400 mg , 1 . 33 mmoles ) was dissolved at 40 ° c . to the obtained solution , being maintained at 40 ° c ., was gradually added maleic anhydride ( 1 . 97 g , 20 . 0 mmoles ) over a period of 2 hours . the reaction mixture was stirred for 30 minutes , then acidified with hydrochloric acid under ice - cooled condition and subjected to centrifugation . the precipitate was collected by filtration , sufficiently washed with water and then dried under reduced pressure , to give n -( 17 - carboxyheptadecyl ) maleamic acid ( 436 mg , 88 %) having the following properties . ir ( cm - 1 ): 3305 , 2920 , 2850 , 1710 , 1630 , 1585 , 1470 , 1400 , 1280 , 1250 , 1230 , 1215 , 1195 , 1180 a mixture of n -( 17 - carboxyheptadecyl ) maleamic acid ( 400 mg , 1 . 01 mmoles ), 2 . 83 ml of acetic anhydride , and anhydrous sodium acetate ( 41 . 0 mg , 0 . 50 mmoles ) was heated at 100 ° c . with stirring for 1 hour . the reaction mixture was allowed to cool , then poured onto ice and stirred for 1 hour . the resulting mixture was extracted with chloroform . the separated organic layer was washed with water and then with saturated aqueous sodium chloride solution , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate , concentrated under reduced pressure and isolated and purified by silica gel column chromatography [ eluent : mixture of benzene and chloroform ( volume ratio : 1 : 1 )], to give 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid ( 172 mg , 45 %) having the following properties . 1 h -- nmr ( cdcl 3 , 270 mhz ): δ1 . 14 - 1 . 40 ( m , 26h ), 1 . 48 - 1 . 72 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 35 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 50 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 68 ( s , 2h ) ir ( cm - 1 ): 2920 , 2850 , 1710 , 1470 , 1450 , 1410 , 840 , 700 ln 90 ml of methylene chloride was dissolved methyl 20 - hydroxyeicosanoate ( 8 . 0 g , 23 . 4 mmoles ). to the obtained solution were added pyridine ( 7 . 93 g , 93 . 4 mmoles ) and then , under ice - cooling , p - toluenesulfonyl chloride ( 8 . 90 g , 46 . 7 mmoles ) gradually over a period of 1 hour . the mixture was stirred for 14 hours in a refrigerator . after the completion of the reaction , the reaction mixture was subjected to the same after - treatment steps as in reference example 1 , to give methyl 20 - tosyleicosanoate ( 10 . 57 g , 91 %) having the following properties . 1 h -- nmr ( cdcl 3 , 270 mhz ): δ1 . 10 - 1 . 38 ( m , 30h ), 1 . 52 - 1 . 72 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 30 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 45 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 67 ( s , 3h ), 4 . 02 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 34 ( d , 2h ), 7 . 78 ( d , 2h ) a mixture of potassium phthalimide ( 5 . 59 g , 30 . 2 mmoles ) and 200 ml of dried n , n - dimethylformamide was heated to 110 ° c . to this mixture was added dropwise methyl 20 - tosyloxyeicosanoate ( 10 . 0 g , 20 . 1 mmoles ) dissolved in 300 ml of n , n - dimethylformamide and the resulting mixture was heated at 110 ° c . with stirring for 2 hours . after the completion of the reaction , the reaction mixture was treated in the same manner as in reference example 2 to give methyl 20 - phthalimidoeicosanoate ( 8 . 97 g , 95 %) having the following properties . 1 h -- nmr ( cdcl 3 , 270 mhz ): δ1 . 08 - 1 . 50 ( m , 30h ), 1 55 - 1 . 81 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 30 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 66 , 3 . 67 ( s , t , 5h ), 7 . 71 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 84 ( m , 2h ) a mixture of methyl 20 - phthalimidoeicosanoate ( 5 . 0 g , 10 . 6 mmoles ), 100 ml of ethanol , 80 % hydrazine hydrate ( 1 . 0 ml , 15 . 9 mmoles ) was refluxed for 9 hours . after the addition of 26 . 5 ml of 6n aqueous hydrochloric acid , the reaction mixture was further refluxed for 1 hour . the insoluble matter that formed was removed by filtration . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure . to the residue were added 70 ml of ethanol and 42 . 4 ml of 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , and the obtained reaction mixture was refluxed for 16 hours . the reaction mixture was neutralized by adding 6n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution under ice - cooled condition . the precipitates that formed were collected by filtration and recrystallized from ethanolacetic acid - water , to give 20 - aminoeicosanoic acid ( 2 . 50 g , 72 %) having the following properties . in a mixture of 85 ml of ethanol and 40 ml of 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , 20 - aminoeicosanoic acid ( 500 mg , 1 . 53 mmoles ) was dissolved at 40 ° c . to the obtained solution , while maintained at 40 ° c ., was gradually added maleic anhydride ( 3 . 75 g , 38 . 3 mmoles ) over a period of 3 hours . the ph of the reaction mixture was kept at 8 - 10 during the addition . the reaction mixture was stirred for 30 minutes and then treated in the same manner as in reference example 4 , to give n -( 19 - carboxynonadecyl ) maleamic acid ( 538 mg , 83 %) having the following properties . ir ( cm - 1 ): 3305 , 2920 , 2850 , 1710 , 1630 , 1570 , 1470 , 1405 , 1275 , 1245 , 1225 , 1210 , 1195 , 1180 a mixture of n -( 19 - carboxynonadecyl ) maleamic acid ( 500 mg , 1 . 22 mmoles ), 3 . 44 ml of acetic anhydride and anhydrous sodium acetate ( 50 . 1 mg , 0 . 61 mmole ) was reacted for 1 hour at 100 ° c . after the completion of reaction , the reaction mixture was treated in the same manner as in example 1 , to give 20 - maleimidoeicosanoic acid ( 230 mg , 46 %) having the following properties . 1 h -- nmr ( cdcl 3 , 270 mhz ): δ1 . 17 - 1 . 40 ( m , 30h ), 1 . 50 - 1 . 69 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 34 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 51 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 68 ( s , 2h ) ir ( cm - 1 ): 2920 , 2850 , 1710 , 1470 , 1455 , 1410 , 840 , 700 in a mixed solvent of 15 ml pyridine and 120 ml of methylene chloride was dissolved methyl 22 - hydroxydocosanoate ( 1 . 70 g , 4 . 59 mmoles ). p - toluenesulfonyl chloride ( 1 . 75 g , 9 . 18 mmoles ) was gradually added to the obtained solution under ice - cooled condition , over a period of 1 hour , and the mixture was stirred for 14 hours in a refrigerator . then , p - toluenesulfonyl chloride ( 1 . 75 g , 9 . 18 mmoles ) was added to the reaction mixture , and reaction was effected for 24 hours . after the completion of reaction , the reaction mixture was treated in the same manner as in reference example 1 , to give methyl 22 - tosyloxydocosanoate ( 2 . 28 g , 75 %) having the following properties . 1 h -- nmr ( cdcl 3 , 270 mhz ): δ1 . 08 - 1 . 40 ( m , 34h ), 1 . 53 - 1 . 72 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 30 ( t , 2h ), 2 . 45 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 67 ( s , 3h ), 4 . 02 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 35 ( d , 2h ), 7 . 80 ( d , 2h ) a mixture of potassium phthalimide ( 1 . 16 g , 6 . 29 mmoles ) and 40 ml of dried n , n - dimethylformamide was heated up to 110 ° c . to this mixture was added dropwise a solution of methyl 22 - tosyloxydocosanoate ( 2 . 20 g , 4 . 19 mmoles ) in 70 ml of n , n - dimethylformamide , and the reaction mixture was reacted for 2 hours at 110 ° c . after the completion of reaction , the reaction mixture was subjected to the same after - treatment steps as in reference example 2 , to give methyl 22 - phthalimidodocosanoate ( 1 . 57 g , 95 %) having the following properties . 1 h -- nmr ( cdcl 3 , 270 mhz ): δ1 . 12 - 1 . 41 ( m , 34h ), 1 . 54 - 1 . 75 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 30 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 66 , 3 . 67 ( s , t , 5h ), 7 . 71 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 84 ( m , 2h ) a mixture of methyl 22 - phthalimidodocosanoate ( 1 . 5 g , 3 . 0 mmoles ), 40 ml of ethanol and 80 % hydrazine hydrate was refluxed for 10 hours . to the reaction mixture was added 11 . 3 ml of 6n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution , and further refluxed for 1 hour . after removal by filtration of the insoluble matter that formed , the reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure . to the residue were added 30 ml of ethanol and 15 ml of 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , and the resulting mixture was refluxed for 19 hours . after neutralization of the reaction mixture with 6n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution , the precipitates that formed were collected by filtration and recrystallized from ethanol - acetic acid - water to give 22 - aminodocosanoic acid ( 827 mg , 77 %) having the following properties . in a mixture of 100 ml of ethanol and 50 ml of 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , 22 - aminodocosanoic acid ( 400 mg , 1 . 12 mmoles ) was dissolved at 40 ° c . to the obtained solution , the temperature being maintained at 40 ° c ., maleic anhydride ( 4 . 39 g , 44 . 8 mmoles ) was gradually added over a period of 5 hours . the reaction mixture was kept at a ph of 8 - 10 during the addition , and the mixture was stirred for additional 30 minutes and then treated in the same manner as in reference example 4 , to give n -( 21 - caboxyheneicosyl ) maleamic acid ( 538 mg , 83 %) having the following properties . ir ( cm - 1 ): 3305 , 2920 , 2850 , 1710 , 1630 , 1570 , 1470 , 1275 , 1245 , 1225 , 1210 , 1195 , 1180 a mixture of n -( 21 - carboxyheneicosyl ) maleamic acid ( 450 mg , 0 . 99 mmoles ), 2 . 8 ml of acetic anhydride , and anhydrous sodium acetate ( 40 . 7 mg , 0 . 50 mmoles ) was reacted at 100 ° c . for 1 hour . after the completion of reaction , the reaction mixture was treated in the same manner as in example 1 , to give 22 - maleimidodocosanoic acid having the following properties . 1 h -- nmr ( cdcl 3 , 270 mhz ): δ1 . 12 - 1 . 42 ( m , 34h ), 1 . 50 - 1 . 71 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 34 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 51 ( t , 2h ), 6 . 68 ( s , 2h ) ir ( cm - 1 ): 2920 , 2850 , 1710 , 1475 , 1450 , 1415 , 840 , 700 preliminary experiment for the synthesis of an sod derivative by the reaction of 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid with sod seven same solution samples were prepared by dissolving human - type sod ( 1 mg , 31 nmoles ) in 0 . 91 ml of 0 . 1m tris ( hydroxymethyl ) aminomethane - hydrochloric acid buffer ( ph 9 ). amounts described in the following table 1 of the 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid obtained in example 1 were each dissolved in 0 . 1 ml of dimethyl sulfoxide and the obtained solutions were each added to the above samples of sod solution with stirring . after an additional stirring for 2 days in a refrigerator , the reaction mixtures were subjected to electrophoresis . the schematic electrophorograms are shown in fig1 . in fig1 ( a ), ( b ), ( c ), ( d ), ( e ), ( f ), and ( g ) show electrophorograms of reaction mixtures which were obtained with the mole ratio of 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid to sod being 0 , 1 , 2 , 5 , 10 , 20 and 50 , respectively . table 1______________________________________no . mole ratio weight ( mg ) ______________________________________1 0 02 1 0 . 123 2 0 . 244 5 0 . 475 10 1 . 196 20 2 . 377 50 5 . 93______________________________________ in table 1 , &# 34 ; mole ratio &# 34 ; represents the mole ratio of 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid to sod , and &# 34 ; weight &# 34 ; represents that of 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid . as shown in fig1 the products obtained by the reactions with the mole ratio of 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid to sod being 2 or more are all nearly same , which shows that all the reactive functional groups in sod have completely reacted in these reactions . in fig1 bands ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) correspond to the charge isomers of the sod &# 39 ; s used for the above preliminary experiment respectively . bands ( 4 ), ( 5 ) and ( 6 ) correspond to sod derivatives comprising the charge isomers corresponding to bands ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ), respectively , to each of which one molecule of 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid is bonded . bands ( 7 ), ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) correspond to sod derivatives comprising the charge isomers corresponding to bands ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ), respectively , to each of which 2 molecules of 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid are bonded . synthesis of an sod derivative by the reaction of sod with 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid to 1 . 12 ml of human - type sod ( 88 . 95 mg / ml ) were added 1 . 68 ml of water and 0 . 8 ml of 0 . 5m tris ( hydroxymethyl ) aminomethane - hydrochloric acid buffer ( ph 9 ). then , a solution prepared by dissolving 4 . 7 mg of the 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid obtained in example 1 was gradually added with stirring , and the reaction mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature . the reaction mixture was filtered and the filtrate was subjected to gel filtration using a column packed with sephadex g - 25 ( trademark ; pharmacia fine chemicals ) ( eluent : 10 mm aqueous ammonium hydrogen carbonate solution ) and the high - molecular - weight fractions were collected . the obtained fractions as such were subjected to ion - exchange chromatography using deae - sepharose fast flow ( trademark ; pharmacia fine chemicals ) ( eluent : a mixture of 10 mm tris - hydrochloric acid butter ( ph 8 ) and 0 . 075m aqueous sodium chloride solution ), and the fractions containing the resulting sod derivative were collected . the collected fractions were subjected to gel filtration by using a column packed with sephadex g - 25 ( eluent : 10 mm aqueous ammonium hydrogen carbonate solution ), desalinized and the high - molecular - weight fractions were combined and lyophilized to give 52 mg of the sod derivative . from the obtained sod derivative no free sh group was detected . the schematic electrophorograms of the sod used and the sod derivative obtained are shown in fig2 ( a ) and ( b ). bands in fig2 ( b ) were identical with bands ( 7 ), ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) in fig1 respectively . from this fact and the quantitative determination result of sh group , the obtained sod derivative was identified to be that comprising sod with its 2 sh groups each bonded to 1 molecule of 18 - maleimidooctadecanoic acid . fig3 shows an ir spectrum of the sod derivative . synthesis of an sod derivative by the reaction of sod with 20 - maleimidoeicosanoic acid to 1 . 12 ml of human - type sod ( 88 . 95 mg / ml ) were added 1 . 68 ml of water and 0 . 8 ml of 0 . 5m aqueous tris ( hydroxymethyl ) aminomethane solution . then , a solution prepared by dissolving 5 . 1 mg of the 20 - maleimidoeicosanoic acid obtained in example 2 was gradually added with stirring , and the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature . the reaction mixture was filtered , and the filtrate was subjected to gel filtration using a column packed with sephadex g - 25 ( eluent : 10 mm aqueous ammonium hydrogen carbonate solution ) and the high - molecular - weight fractions were collected . the obtained fractions as such were subjected to ion - exchange chromatography using deae - sepharose fast flow ( eluent : a mixture of 10 mm tris - hydrochloric acid butter ( ph 8 ) and 0 . 10m aqueous sodium chloride solution ), and the fractions containing the resulting sod derivative were separated . the obtained fractions were subjected to gel filtration by using a column packed with sephadex g - 25 ( eluent : 10 mm aqueous ammonium hydrogen carbonate solution ), desalinized and the high - molecular - weight fractions were combined and lyophilized to give 33 mg of the sod derivative . from the obtained sod derivative no free sh group was detected . the schematic electrophorograms of the sod used and the sod derivative obtained are shown in fig4 ( a ) and ( b ). the obtained sod derivative was identified , in the same manner as in example 4 , to be that comprising sod with its 2 sh groups each bonded to 1 molecule of 20 - maleimidoeicosanoic acid . fig5 shows an ir spectrum of the sod derivative . synthesis of an sod derivative by the reaction of sod with 22 - maleimidodocosanoic acid to 1 . 12 ml of human - type sod ( 88 . 95 mg / ml ) were added 4 . 88 ml of water and 4 . 0 ml of 0 . 5m tris ( hydroxymethyl ) aminomethane - hydrochloric acid buffer ( ph 9 ). then , a solution prepared by dissolving 5 . 1 mg of the 20 - maleimidoeicosanoic acid obtained in example 3 was gradually added with stirring , and the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature . the reaction mixture was filtered , and the filtrate was subjected to gel filtration using a column packed with sephadex g - 25 ( eluent : 10 mm aqueous ammonium hydrogen carbonate solution ) and the high - molecular - weight fractions were collected . the obtained fractions as such were subjected to ion - exchange chromatography using deae - sepharose fast flow ( eluent : a mixture of 10 mm trishydrochloric acid butter ( ph 8 ) and 0 . 15m aqueous sodium chloride solution ), and the fractions containing the resulting sod derivative were separated . the separated fractions were subjected to gel filtration by using a column packed with sephadex g - 25 ( eluent : 10 mm aqueous ammonium hydrogen carbonate solution ), desalinized and the high - molecular - weight fractions were combined and lyophilized to give 42 mg of the sod derivative . from the obtained sod derivative no free sh group was detected . the schematic electrophorograms of the sod used and the sod derivative obtained are shown in fig6 ( a ) and ( b ). the obtained sod derivative was identified , in the same manner as in example 4 , to be that comprising sod with its 2 sh groups each bonded to 1 molecule of 22 - maleimidodocosanoic acid . fig7 shows an ir spectrum of the sod derivative . under pentobarbital anesthsia , rats ( wistar strain , male , 7 weeks of age , body weight about 200 g ) were cannulated into the femoral vein and were heparinized intravenously ( 1000 u / ml , 0 . 2 ml / rat ). then , a specimen solution of sod or sod derivative in saline ( 10 mg / ml ) was injected into the femoral vein of each rat in an amount of 0 . 2 ml / rat . at timed intervals , 0 . 2 ml blood samples were collected from the femoral vein and the time courses of plasma sod concentrations were determined by measuring the sod activities in plasma . the results are shown in fig8 . male sd rats ( body weight : about 200 g ) were fasted overnight and were placed in restraint cages in 2 groups each of 6 animals . the cages were vertically immersed upto the level of xyphoid process in water at 22 ° c . after 6 hours of stress loading , the cages were taken out from the water and the rats were exsanguinated . their stomachs were fixed by 10 % formalin . after this fixation , the lengths of linear ulcers were totaled and the sum was expressed as the ulcer index . rats in the control group received 0 . 5 ml each of saline , while rats in the test group received 0 . 2 ml each of a solution of the sod derivative obtained in example 4 and weighing 2 mg / rat , all by intravenous route 5 minutes before restraint water - immersion . table 2______________________________________ ulcer index______________________________________ control 30 . 5 ± 15 test 11 . 8 ± 9 . 5______________________________________ as is apparent from table 2 , the sod derivative exhibited an excellent anti - ulcer activity . rats ( wistar strain , male , body weights 200 - 230 g ) were fasted overnight . under pentobarbital anesthesia ( 50 mg / kg body weight ), the trachea was cannulated and artificial respiration was started using a volume of 1 . 5 ml / 100g body weight and a rate of 60 strokes / min . the chest was opened by thoractomy and the pericardium was incised . the coronary artery was occulated by suction of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery at a site about 3 mm peripheral of the origin of the ramus circumflexus . the occlusion - reperfusion procedure was performed twice at a 30 minute interval ; and after 15 minutes of the first reperfusion , each test compound was injected into the femoral vein in a dose of 5 mg / kg body weight ( total volume 0 . 1 ml ). as for the test compound , rats in the control groups received saline , while rats in the test groups received a solution of the sod derivative obtained in example 5 dissolved in saline . in each reperfusion procedure , the electrocardiogram ( lead ii ) was continuously monitored for 30 minutes , and the duration of premature ventricular complexes ( pvc ), ventricular tachycardia ( vt ) and ventricular fibrillation ( vf ) were measured . the obtained results are shown in table 3 . table 3______________________________________ control test ( 6 animals ) ( 5 animals ) ______________________________________duration of pvc ( sec ) 95 ± 62 85 ± 24duration of vt ( sec ) 112 ± 20 48 ± 24duration of vf ( sec ) 465 ± 172 184 ± 160incidence of vf (%) 100 40mortality (%) 66 . 7 20______________________________________ as shown in table 3 , it is clear that the sod derivative exhibited excellent anti - arrythmic activities . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to e understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . | 2 |
the appended figure illustrates schematically an embodiment of the presently disclosed idle shutdown ( isd ) method and system . the isd may be controlled by the vecu ( vehicle electronic control unit ). optionally , the actual logic control of the engine cooling fan ( s ) can be assigned to the engine management system ( ems ) or any other convenient device . in the illustrated flow diagram , the idle shutdown prerequisite parameters are monitored 10 , and if determined to be met 11 , control passes to the idle shutdown ( isd ) sequence 12 . idle shutdown prerequisite parameters may include one or more of : ( i ) whether the vehicle has been stationary for a predetermined period of time ( zero vehicle speed ); ( ii ) whether the engine has been running at idle speeds for a predetermined period of time ; ( iii ) whether the vehicle parking brake is engaged ; and , ( iv ) whether an idle shutdown timer has activated , either automatically , or based on action taken by the operator . the system will then determine whether an idle shutdown override has been requested 14 , which may be manually by the operator or automatically by a change in one of the prerequisites . upon receiving an override signal , idle shutdown is suspended and the engine continues to run until the condition changes . an override may be temporary 16 , such as may occur , for example , if the vehicle is in heavy traffic and then moves ( i . e ., vehicle speed increases above zero or a low threshold ) or the operator presses on the accelerator to increase engine speed . in the case of a temporary override , the system will return to monitoring the idle shutdown prerequisites 10 . an override may also be instituted by the operator manually entering an override command 18 , for example , by a key press entry . in this case , the system will wait for a reset . absent an override , idle shutdown procedure control passes to temperature monitoring 20 . the isd continually monitors the engine coolant temperature 20 and compares the temperature to first and second threshold temperatures . the threshold temperatures define three temperature zones , zone 1 at or below the first threshold temperature , zone 2 above the first threshold temperature and at or below the second threshold temperature , and zone 3 above the second threshold temperature . the zones identify temperature ranges relating to the risk of damage to the engine if shutdown in that zone . zone 1 represents a temperature range in which shutdown is not likely result in engine damage , that is , the normal shutdown range . zone 2 represents a temperature range where a shutdown has a moderate risk of engine damage and some cooling is required prior to shutdown . zone 3 represents a temperature range where there is a high risk of engine damage on if shutdown occurs and more vigorous cooling measures are required . the actual threshold temperatures will be determined using factors for the specific engine , duty cycle of the vehicle , and the ability to dissipate heat in the operating environment . for example , on a 16 liter engine in an over - the - highway truck , which runs for much of its duty cycle at steady state high revolutions , a first threshold temperature may be 187 ° f ., which is approximately the open thermostat temperature . continuing the example , the second threshold temperature may be 200 ° f ., above which approaches the boiling point of water . for vocational trucks and trucks with power takeoff equipment , which operate cyclically , the threshold temperatures may be different . those skilled in the art will appreciate how to set the thresholds to protect an engine from heat damage . for operating environments of extremely high ambient temperatures , the threshold temperatures may be adjusted downward by the isd to compensate for the diminished ability of the engine to cool . each of the zones is associated with specific measures the isd will take if the engine - associated temperature is found to be in that zone . if the engine - associated temperature is below the first threshold temperature , which is the generally safe shutdown zone , the engine cooling fan is turned off or remains off 22 . if an override is then found to be active 24 , the isd reverts to step 14 and the countdown is suspended . if the override is not active , the idle countdown continues , until expiration , at which time the engine is shutdown 26 . if the isd detects the engine - associated temperature above the first threshold temperature but at or below the second threshold temperature , that is , in zone 2 , the engine cooling fan is turned on 28 to cool the engine to below the first threshold temperature . temperature monitoring 20 continues , and once the engine - associated temperature is determined to be in zone 1 , the isd institutes step 22 , and the engine cooling fan is turned off . if the override is not active , the idle count down continues to expiration 26 , and the engine is shutdown . if the engine - associated temperature is above the second threshold temperature , that is , the temperature is determined to be in zone 3 , the cooling fan is activated and the engine speed is raised above idle 30 to increase the cooling fan speed for more rapid cooling of the engine . the controller monitors the engine - associated temperature 20 to ensure that the engine temperature is decreasing and will adjust the engine speed accordingly . once the coolant temperature drops below the second threshold temperature , that is , decreases to zone 2 , the isd method institutes step 28 , engine speed is returned to normal idle speed , and the fan operates at a speed reduced from that of the zone 3 controlled speed . the method continues from step 28 as described above . as described , step 30 is appropriate for a cooling fan that is directly driven by the engine , where fan speed is related to engine speed . for vehicles in which the fan is electrically driven or hydraulically driven , or where fan speed is otherwise independent of the engine speed , the isd method will not increase engine speed , but will control fan speed directly to effect the cooling necessary to reduce the engine - associate temperature from zone 3 . alternatively , or in addition , the vehicle may be equipped with a variable speed coolant pump , which may be operated similar to the fan to increase engine cooling when needed . controlling the coolant pump may be used when the engine - associated temperature is in zone 3 . in addition to , or as an alternative to increasing the fan speed , the coolant pump flow rate may be increased to increase the cooling effect on the engine until the temperature is in zone 2 . the engine - associated temperature may be determined from the engine coolant temperature , the engine oil temperature , transmission fluid temperature , and / or other parameters measured by the vecu or engine management system ( ems ). one or a combination of these temperature measurements can be used by the isd to determine which temperature zone the engine is in , that is , whether it is safe for the engine and its related components to be shut down by the isd . as mentioned , the isd function can be controlled by a vehicle electronic control unit ( vecu ), which typically monitors and controls the vehicle &# 39 ; s various systems . alternatively , the isd can be located within the engine management system ( ems ). the isd function operates the engine cooling fan , control engine speed , as well as control other related systems that have an effect on the operating temperature . the isd includes a threshold limit incorporated into the cooling fan engagement instruction . for example , when the engine - associated temperature falls to just slightly above the thermostat opening temperature or first threshold temperature , the cooling fan disengages . in the event of the isd override , the engine cooling fan may be immediately disengaged or engaged until a desired temperature is reached . the present invention eliminates the existing maximum engine coolant temperature constraint by operating the engine cooling fan ( s ) in a controlled manner to achieve rapid cooling of the engine in preparation for shutdown . the isd further provides thermal engine damage protection while meeting a 5 - minute maximum idle time limit as enacted in some jurisdictions . for other jurisdictional locations with longer duration idle limits , the isd can be configurable to conform with such regulations , or operator preference . the isd timer time - parameter , that is , the shutdown countdown , may be made adjustable . such adjustability enables the system to operate for a period of time sufficient to cool the engine to desired levels , while still complying with idle - limit laws in the particular location in which the vehicle is located . this embodiment is extremely desirable for situations in which the vehicle is located in very hot environments ( e . g ., desert ). while preferred embodiments of the presently disclosed solutions have been shown and described herein , it will be obvious that such embodiments are provided by way of example only . numerous variations , changes and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention herein . accordingly , it is intended that the invention be limited only by the spirit and scope of the claims . | 5 |
referring now to the drawings , and more particularly to fig1 , a procedure is shown , through which the osnr improvement is achieved . a non gain - flattened optical amplifier 101 , which incorporates an amplified spontaneous emission ( ase ) rejection filter , is used to amplify the incoming signal . the amplifier gain setting is done such that the insertion losses due to the demultiplexer , tap couplers , variable optical attenuators ( voas ) and multiplexer are overcome and further amplification of the signal is achieved . the amplified signal is passed through a demultiplexer 102 . tap couplers ( 99 : 1 ) 103 ( not all 16 are illustrated ) are used to tap the signals from the demultiplexed signals . the tapped signals are detected by individual detectors 104 ( not all 16 are illustrated ) and fed to the signal processing unit 105 . the signal processing unit 105 controls the settings of the voas 106 ( not all 16 illustrated ) through electrical signals . the demultiplexed signals are passed through the voas . the voa settings , which are controlled by the signal processing unit , are done such that a pre - emphasis is achieved in the channels . the pre - emphasis of channels is achieved by setting the attenuation values of channels that undergo lesser gain in the non - gain flattened amplifiers to follow if the scheme is implemented in a link , to a relatively lower value than for channels undergoing a relatively higher gain . fig5 illustrates the pre - emphasis given to certain channels in a simulation of a link , the details of which are mentioned later in the document with specific reference to table 1 . it should be noted that the pre - emphasis given to channels must be in accordance with the gain profile of the non gain - flattened amplifiers in the spans following the one in which the scheme is being implemented . the channels , which undergo lesser amplification , are given a correspondingly higher power so that they have the same power levels , as those of the channels undergoing higher amplification in the subsequent spans . the individual signals are multiplexed by the multiplexer 107 for onward transmission . fig2 is illustrating the use of the scheme to improve the osnr in a multi - span optically amplified dwdm transmission system . the output of a transmitter array 201 is multiplexed using a multiplexer 202 . the signal is then boosted by a non gain - flattened booster amplifier 203 and launched into the first span . for the sake of clarity only span number one , four , five and twelve are illustrated . the dispersion compensating fibers ( dcf ) in span numbers one , four , five and twelve are denoted by 204 a , 204 b , 204 c , and 204 d , respectively . the itu - t g . 652 compliant single mode fiber ( smf ) in span members one , four , five and twelve are denoted by 206 a , 206 b , 206 c , and 206 d respectively . in each span the accumulated dispersion is more or less compensated by the dcf over the signal band ( see table 1 ). the non gain - flattened inline amplifiers used to make up for the nominal loss in the smf is denoted by ila 1 and are represented in the figure in span number one , four , five and twelve by 207 a , 207 b , 207 c and 207 d , respectively . the non gain - flattened inline amplifiers used to make up for the nominal loss in the dcf is denoted by ila 2 and are represented in the figure in span number one , four , five and twelve by 205 a , 205 b , 205 c and 205 d , respectively . the scheme to improve the osnr 208 is implemented after the fourth span . the detailed working of the same has been explained earlier with reference to fig1 . the signal coming out of the multiplexer is introduced to the next span , namely the fifth span and it gets transmitted to the subsequent spans . the signal is demultiplexed using the demultiplexer 209 . the demultiplexed signals are detected by an array of receivers 210 . the simulation parameters used to simulate the link using vpitransmissionmaker ™ wdm are illustrated in table 1 . the transmitter array includes 16 channels from itu - t grid no . 22 to 37 consisting of 10 gbps externally modulated laser ( el ). the signals are multiplexed using a multiplexer and thereafter boosted by a non gain - flattened booster edfa operated under a constant power configuration . each span consists of 80 km of itu - t g . 652 compliant fibers . link loss is compensated by a non - gain flattened edfa operating under constant gain condition . the accumulated dispersion of each span is compensated by a dispersion compensating fiber ( dcf ) and the loss incurred in the dcf length is compensated by another non - gain flattened edfa operating under constant gain condition . the scheme to improve the osnr as has been detailed in fig1 has been implemented after the fourth span . fig3 illustrates the spectrum after the booster amplifier . in the 1530 nm region , the gap in the spectrum is attributed to the amplified spontaneous emission ( ase ) rejection filter used with each amplifier in order to prevent the saturation of the subsequent amplifiers in the link by ase noise . it can be observed from the figure that the spectrum of the transmitters is more or less flat after the booster amplifier . for comparison , fig4 illustrates the spectrum after the fifth span wherein the scheme to improve the osnp is not implemented . it can be observed that there are peaks and valleys of the amplifier in the signal band . the valleys degrade the osnr considerably . fig5 illustrates the spectrum after the implementation of the scheme to improve the osnr . the spectrum is noted at the point where the signal is launched into the fifth span . in this figure it should be noted that the channels are pre - emphasized in accordance with the output spectral gain characteristics of the non - gain flattened edfas to be traversed from the fifth span onwards . fig6 illustrates the spectrum at the end of the fifth span where the scheme to improve the osnr is carried out at the end of the fourth span . as had been mentioned earlier with reference to fig5 that pre - emphasis given to channels and can be seen in this figure also . the pre - emphasis is such that at the end of the 9 th span , all channels have almost the same power . this is illustrated in fig7 . the osnr map , when channels are transmitted across all twelve spans without the implementation of the scheme to improve the osnr , is illustrated in fig8 . the improvement in the osnr after the implementation of the scheme can be seen in fig9 . the corresponding data is tabulated in table 2 . the data showing the improvement in the osnr in each of the individual channels over the entire span , once the system 208 is implemented after the fourth span is tabulated in table 3 . there is a substantial improvement in the osnr of the transmitted channels up to 12 spans . the implementation of the scheme to improve the osnr results in all channels having a bit error rate ( ber ) of less than 1 in 10 15 even at the end of the twelfth span . | 6 |
embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a moveable headrest or head tilt mechanism for use on a recliner chair or other item of furniture . with initial reference to fig1 , an exemplary headrest tilt mechanism 10 is shown that moves the head portion of the chair between the closed position , shown in fig1 and 2 , to the open position , shown in fig3 . the mechanism 10 is installed into the chair by mounting it to a back frame post 12 that forms the frame for the back of the chair . only one back frame post 12 is shown in the figures for clarity , but in practice , a second back frame post will be present to support the other side of the chair back . only a portion of the chair frame is shown , but those with skill in the art would readily understand that back frame post 12 forms only a part of the entire chair frame . mechanism 10 is mounted to back frame post through a back post spacer block 14 . block 14 is rigidly secured to the inner face of the back frame post 12 . a back bracket 16 is then rigidly secured to the back post spacer block 14 , such as by screws or bolts , although other methods of attachment would work . back bracket 16 extends forwardly and upwardly . a stop 18 is either formed in , or coupled to , back bracket 16 at the lower end of the back bracket 16 . a headrest tilt 20 is pivotally coupled to the upper end of back bracket 16 at pivot 22 ( as shown in fig3 ). headrest tilt 20 is shaped as shown with an upwardly extending leg 24 and an inwardly extending leg 26 . as shown , there are two headrest tilts 20 , one a minor - image of the other . a top connector tube 28 is coupled to each inwardly extending leg 26 to secure the two headrest tilts 20 together . the connector tube 28 may include a series of spaced holes along its length to allow for width changes in the chair back to which mechanism 10 is attached . a back insert 30 is coupled between the upwardly extending legs 24 of the headrest tilts 20 . the back insert 30 is a rigid frame that , in practice , will be finished with support , padding and a cover . a bottom bracket 32 is coupled to the back frame post 12 , spaced downwardly from back bracket 16 . as shown , the mechanism 10 includes two bottom brackets 32 , each a minor - image of the other . a bottom connector tube 34 is rigidly secured to each bottom bracket 32 and forms a lower brace for the mechanism 10 . more specifically , a clevis 36 is coupled to the connector tube 34 such as by bolts , rivets or welding . the shaft 38 of a motor 40 is then pivotally coupled to the clevis 36 . the motor shown in the figures could also be any other type of motor , linear actuator or gas spring , capable of the movements described below . the upper end of motor 40 is pivotally coupled to back area of a motor slide hinge 42 at pivot 44 . motor slide hinge 42 has an upper surface with a locating notch 46 , as best seen in fig5 . additionally , motor slide hinge 42 includes a retaining finger 48 that extends upwardly . the retaining finger 48 operates to prevent the mechanism geometry from entering an over - center condition , retaining the stop pin 54 in the desired area . the forward area of motor slide hinge 42 is pivotally coupled to a motor slide bracket 50 at pivot 52 . motor slide bracket 50 is generally l - shaped . one leg of the l is pivotally coupled to the motor slide hinge 42 . the other leg of the l is rigidly secured to the adjacent inward leg 26 of the headrest tilt 20 through connector tube 28 . a stop pin 54 is rigidly secured to the motor slide bracket 50 . stop pin 54 is located to correspond with the notch 46 in the motor slide hinge 42 . at least one of the inward legs 26 ( or the top connector tube 28 ) is connected to at least one of the bottom brackets 32 ( or the bottom connector tube 34 , or the back post 12 ) with an extension spring 56 . spring 56 biases the mechanism 10 to the closed position shown in fig1 . the motor 40 is sized to overcome this spring force to move the mechanism 10 from the closed position to the open position . more specifically , if a user desires to move the mechanism from the closed position of fig1 to the open position of fig3 , he or she will engage the motor 40 . while not shown , the motor 40 is operably connected to a switch or control that is operable by the user . the control for the motor 40 may be separate from , or integrated with , other controls associated with the chair . the shaft 38 of the motor extends , overcoming the biasing force of spring 56 and causing an upward force at pivot 44 . this upward force moves the motor slide hinge 42 upwardly . as the motor slide hinge 42 moves upwardly , the stop pin 54 is rotated rearwardly and upwardly , caused by the upward force of motor slide hinge 42 and the pivot point 52 . this movement also results in the corresponding movement of the motor slide bracket 50 . the rotation of the motor slide bracket 50 operates to rotate the headrest tilt 20 about pivot 22 . so , the motor 40 is used to provide selected adjustment of the angular position of the headrest tilt 20 with respect to the back frame post 12 . to move the headrest tilt to the closed position , the motor controls are used to retract the shaft 38 , and the spring 56 operates to pull the headrest tilts 20 to the closed position , until the headrest tilt 20 abuts stop 18 . another feature of the mechanism 10 is the release configuration . as the headrest tilts 20 are moving to the closed position , objects may have moved into place behind the back insert 30 . if an object is present , the pivotal coupling of the motor 40 , motor slide hinge 42 and motor slide bracket 50 cooperate to allow the motor 40 to continue to operate , without imparting continued force to the rotation of the headrest tilts 20 . more specifically , if an object is behind the back insert 30 , it will operate to block movement of the headrest tilts 20 , effectively preventing rotation about pivot 22 . the motor 40 can continue to operate , moving pivot 44 downwardly . with the headrest tilts 20 prevented from movement , the motor slide bracket 50 will remain in place . the motor slide hinge 42 is still allowed to move , pivoting about pivot 52 . this effectively moves the motor slide hinge 42 away from the stop pin 54 , as seen in fig4 . the only remaining force acting against the object behind back insert 30 is imparted by the spring 56 . the mechanism 10 has been described above in a “ frame - within - a - frame ” environment . in other words , the back insert 30 nests within or between the back frame posts 12 . the mechanism 10 could also be used in an environment where the back frame posts 12 extend only to approximately the area of pivot 22 , with the back insert configured to extend essentially across the width of the chair on which it is placed . an embodiment of the mechanism 10 showing the use of a different motor 40 a is shown in fig6 and 7 . the clevis 36 a is configured differently from clevis 36 to accommodate the motor 40 a . the remainder of the components of mechanism 10 is the same . as noted above , other motors , gas springs , or linear actuators could also be used in mechanism 10 . as would be understood by those in the art , each different motor , gas spring or actuator may require slight modification in the mounting arrangement . a different embodiment of the mechanism 10 showing a slightly different configuration is shown in fig8 - 11 . with initial reference to fig8 , the mechanism 10 is again mounted between a back frame post 12 and a back insert 78 . more specifically , a motor bracket 60 is coupled to the frame post 12 , such as by bolts , adhesives or screws , although other attachment mechanisms could certainly be used . bracket 60 extends inwardly from the frame post 12 and has an upwardly extending tab that is coupled to a clevis 62 of a motor 64 at pivot 66 . the opposite end of motor 64 has an extending shaft 68 that is pivotally coupled to a motor slide hinge 70 at pivot 72 . motor slide hinge 70 is shaped as shown and has a retaining notch 82 , as best seen in fig8 a ( similar to retaining notch 46 of fig1 - 5 ), and a retaining finger 84 ( similar to retaining finger 48 of fig1 - 5 ). the motor slide hinge 70 is pivotally coupled to a back bracket 74 at pivot 76 . although not shown , the pivotal coupling can be made with a bolt , rivet or other pivotal attachment mechanism . near this pivotal coupling , a cam 80 is fixed to the back bracket 74 . the cam 80 generally rests within the retaining notch 82 . the upper end of the back bracket 74 is fixedly coupled to the back insert 78 , such that movement of the back bracket 74 results in movement of the back insert 78 . as best seen in fig9 , the back bracket 74 is pivotally coupled to a side bracket 86 at pivot 88 . note that side bracket 86 has an unused hole spaced from pivot 88 . having two holes positioned in this location and geometry allows side brackets 86 to be used as either left - side or right - side interchangeably . with continued reference to fig9 , a locating stop 92 is coupled to back bracket 74 and protrudes outwardly toward side bracket 86 . in the closed position , stop 92 rests within a notch 94 in side bracket 86 . as best seen in fig9 , a side bracket 86 and a back bracket 74 are used to pivotally couple back frame post 12 to back insert 78 on the side opposite motor 64 . a spring 96 extends from back bracket 74 to a mounting tab 98 coupled to back frame post 12 . the operation of the mechanism 10 shown in fig8 - 11 operates substantially similarly to the operation described with respect to fig1 - 5 above , including the operation of the motor and spring return , use of the retaining finger , and the release operation . fig1 - 14 show a mechanism 10 that is similar to that described above with respect to fig8 - 11 , but showing a “ split - back ” configuration . the mechanism 10 of fig1 - 14 has many of the same components as those described in fig8 - 11 . in this configuration , however , the back frame is split into a lower back frame post 100 and an upper head rest frame 102 . the motor bracket 60 is coupled to the lower back frame post 100 . instead of the back bracket 74 being coupled to the back insert 78 , the back bracket 74 is coupled to the upper head rest frame 102 via a spacer block 104 . this embodiment illustrates the use of mechanism 10 in a split - back configuration , as opposed to the frame within a frame configuration of fig8 - 11 . the principle operation of the mechanism remains the same , but offers furniture manufacturers additional choices in styling . fig1 illustrates the basics of mechanism 10 as shown and described with reference to fig8 - 14 , but showing the use of a different motor 110 ( which is the same motor as shown and described with respect to fig6 and 7 above ). fig1 illustrates that a number of different motors can be used while retaining the majority of the mechanism . as shown , a different motor bracket 112 is used to mount motor 110 to the back frame post 12 . additionally , the coupling between the motor 110 and motor slide hinge 70 may be slightly different , depending on the shaft configuration of the motor . from the foregoing , it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages , which are obvious and inherent to the structure . it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations . this is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims . since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof , it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | 0 |
components which correspond to one another in the different figures of the drawing are designated with the same reference numerals . as fig1 shows , a monitoring module 21 is associated with each of the , for example , four accumulators 20 connected in series , with the monitoring modules 21 respectively being connected via signal lines 22 , 23 with the respective positive and negative terminals 24 and 25 respectively of the accumulators 20 . the series circuit of the accumulators 20 is connected via lines 26 with a charging output 27 of a charging apparatus 28 . the monitoring modules 21 each have first signal outputs 9 , 10 at which a potential - free signal can be set and which are connected in series with one another via a first control signal circuit 29 to a first signal input 29 &# 39 ; of the charging apparatus 28 . a second signal input 30 &# 39 ; of the charging apparatus 28 is connected via a second control signal circuit 30 with second signal outputs 11 , 12 of the monitoring modules , at which a second potential - free signal can be set and which are connected in parallel to one another . the second signal outputs 11 , 12 are , moreover , connected via the second control signal circuit 30 with a signal input 31 of a discharge monitoring circuit 32 . the construction of each monitoring module 21 and its connection to an accumulator 20 will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to fig2 and 3 . each monitoring module 21 has a temperature sensor 33 arranged at the accumulator 20 for detecting the temperature of the associated accumulator 20 . connection terminals 5 , 6 of each temperature sensor 33 are connected with the connection terminals 5 &# 39 ;, 6 &# 39 ; of a temperature - voltage converter 34 . a temperature dependent voltage signal is applied by the temperature - voltage converter 34 to the inverting input of a comparator 35 . the non - inverting input of the comparator 35 is connected to the central tap of a potential divider 60 which is connected between the connection terminal 3 &# 39 ; which is connected to the connection terminal 3 at the positive terminal 24 of the accumulator 20 and earth , so that a voltage corresponding to the positive accumulator potential + u b is applied to the non - inverting input . the signal output of the comparator 35 is directly applied to an input of a first optic coupler 36 serving as the signal generator , with the phototransistor 37 of the optic coupler connecting the first signal outputs 9 , 10 of the monitoring module 21 with one another . in place of an optic coupler , another galvanically separating signal generator can be used as the signal generator 36 , for example a magnetic coupler with a coil and a magnetic field dependent resistor . the output of the comparator 35 is connected via a resistor 38 to a control input 39 of a regulating component with a control circuit , for example a field - effect power transistor 40 . the conductive path 41 of the field - effect power transistor 40 is connected with a resistor 42 in series between the connection terminals 1 &# 39 ;, 2 &# 39 ; of which the one is connected with a connection terminal 1 and the other is connected with a connection terminal 2 to the positive and negative connections 24 and 25 respectively of the accumulator 20 . in this way a regulation path with a bypass line 41 , 42 is provided by means of which the excess current offered by the charging apparatus 28 can be directed past the accumulator 20 . in this respect , comparator 35 compares a voltage corresponding to the voltage u b present at the positive terminal 24 of the accumulator 20 , with a temperature - dependent voltage signal and delivers an output signal for the control input 39 of the power - field - effect transistor 20 when the potential corresponding to the potential u b present at the positive terminal 24 of the accumulator 20 is greater than the temperature - dependent potential signal . this causes the conductive path 41 of the field - effect transistor 40 to become conductive , so that the charging current flows past the accumulator 20 via the bypass line 40 , 42 . in this arrangement it is important that the charging current is led past the accumulator 20 via lines which are not identical with the measurement lines for tapping off the accumulator potential . for thermal reasons the field - effect power transistor 40 can be arranged outside of the module 21 . in this way , possible heating - up of the remaining electronics by the field - effect power transistor is avoided . the output signal of the comparator 35 which is simultaneously present at the optic coupler 36 also causes the collector - emitter path of the phototransistor 37 to become conductive . in this way a potential - free signal is set at the first signal outputs 9 , 10 . if this regulating case occurs in all monitoring modules 21 , then the excess current offered at all monitoring modules 21 by the charging apparatus 28 is led past the accumulators 20 and if , as a consequence , the potential - free signals are set at all the first signal outputs 9 , 10 of the monitoring modules 21 , then a corresponding control signal is present at the signal input 29 &# 39 ; of the charging apparatus 28 via the first control signal circuit 29 and the current delivered by the charging apparatus 28 is switched down or reduced until one of these first potential - free signals is reset . accordingly , control signal circuit 19 is hard wired in the manner of an and - circuit to ensure that the charging current offered by the charging apparatus 28 is kept at a relatively high level for as long as this current is required to charge at least one accumulator 20 . in order to protect the bypass line via the field - effect power transistor 42 , and thus the monitoring module 21 , from currents which are too high , and thus from temperatures which are too high , a voltage is tapped off at the connection point between the field - effect transistor 40 and the current limiting resistor 42 . this voltage is applied to the non - inverting input of a second comparator with a reference voltage u ref1 being applied to the inverting input of the second comparator 44 . the output signal of the second comparator 44 is applied via a diode 45 to an input of a second optic coupler 46 serving as a galvanically separating signal generator . the phototransistor 47 of the second optic coupler 46 is connected with its collector - emitter path between the second signal outputs 11 , 12 of the monitoring module . if the voltage tapped off at the connection point 43 exceeds the reference voltage u ref1 , then the collector - emitter path of the phototransistor 47 becomes conductive and the charging apparatus 28 detects a corresponding control signal at its second signal input 30 &# 39 ; connected to the second control signal circuit 30 and thereby detects that excess current has occurred within at least one of the monitoring modules , i . e . a charging current which exceeds the maximum permissible current through the field - effect power transistor . in this case , the charging apparatus 28 reduces or switches down stepwise the charging current which is offered until the excess current has been at least reduced if not stopped alltogether . second control signal circuit 30 is thus hard - wired in the manner of an or - circuit through the parallel connection of the individual second signal outputs 11 , 12 , and thus of the phototransistors 47 which connect these via the second control signal circuit 30 . in order to detect at which of the individual accumulators 20 an excess current has arisen in the monitoring module 21 , a resistor 48 can be connected in series with the collector - emitter path of the phototransistor 47 between the phototransistor 47 and , for example , the second signal output 11 , with the individual resistancies of the monitoring modules 21 having different resistance values , i . e . being weighted . in order to monitor each individual accumulator 20 for damaging deep discharging during a discharging operation of the accumulators 20 , i . e . to prevent each accumulator from being discharged below a safe level , a voltage divider 49 is connected between the earth of the monitoring module 21 , which is connected via a connection terminal 4 &# 39 ; and a connection terminal 4 connected thereto , to the negative terminal 25 of the accumulator and the connection terminal 3 &# 39 ; to which the positive accumulator potential is applied , with the central tap 50 of the voltage divider being connected to an inverting input of a third comparator 51 with a reference potential u ref2 being applied to the non - inverting input of the third comparator 51 . the output signal of the third comparator 51 is applied via a diode 52 to the optic coupler 46 . if the potential at an accumulator sinks during discharge operation below a critical value which , for example , lies at 10 , 2 v for a 12 v accumulator , which is however to be matched to the special circumstances , then this is detected by the comparator 51 and is communicated to the discharge monitoring circuit 32 via the potential - free signal generated by the optic coupler 46 . the discharge monitoring circuit 32 causes , on the occurrence of an undervoltage , either a reduction of the maximum permitted discharge current , or a separation of the load from the accumulators . an output of a fourth comparator 53 is connected to the control electrode 39 of the field - effect transistor 40 via a diode 54 , the anode of which is connected to the control input 39 . the inputs of the fourth comparator 53 are connected via connection terminals 7 &# 39 ;, 8 &# 39 ; to corresponding connection terminals 7 , 8 of a current sensor 55 which detects the charging or discharging current through the respective accumulator 20 in the region of the positive terminal 24 of the accumulator 20 . in this way the current direction is recognised so that during charging operation a discharging of the accumulator 20 via the bypass line 40 , 42 is prevented . the apparatus described can also be used for charge and discharge monitoring in electrical vehicles , in which a plurality of accumulators are connected in series for the driving of an electric motor . in such electric vehicles the electric motor is frequently operated as a generator during braking so that current can thereby be fed back into the accumulators . if this current , the recuperation current , which is delivered during braking , is not limited , then the accumulators can be overcharged , whereby damage can arise . it is in particular also possible in this arrangement to apply the output signal of the third comparator 51 to a third galvanically separating signal generator 56 which is shown in broken lines in fig3 which then indicates the occurrence of an undervoltage , so that the decision of whether an overcurrent is present in charging operation , or whether an undervoltage is present during discharge operation is made easier . this is in particular of advantage when the described circuit is in use in an accumulator - driven vehicle during the driving operation of which charge operation and discharge operation take place alternately as a consequence of alternating acceleration and braking operation . in using the apparatus described , damage during charge operation can be prevented in that the electric motor operated as a generator , or a braking regulator which is associated with the latter , is controlled by the output signals of the monitoring modules , so that the danger of damaging the accumulators during braking as a consequence of overcharging is overcome . if damage to the accumulators in the case of an undervoltage is prevented during discharging operation through separation of the accumulators from the load , then an &# 34 ; emergency - on &# 34 ; circuit must be provided , in particular when using the described circuit in an electrical vehicle , so that this does not remain stationary at a point of danger . | 7 |
wherein r is hydrogen or alkyl ; r 1 is an aromatic or substituted aromatic moiety ; y is an organic moiety that does not contain an epoxy group and z is an organic moiety , optionally containing an epoxy group ; x is 0 - 0 . 99 ; and n is 5 - 400 ; each a is individually an amino group represented by one of the formulas : wherein r 2 is hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl ; r 3 is c 2 - c 10 hydrocarbylene or substituted hydrocarbylene ; r 4 is c 2 - c 20 hydrocarbylene or substituted hydrocarbylene , wherein the substituent ( s ) is hydroxyl , cyano , halo , arlyloxy , alkylamido , arylamido , alkylcarbonyl , or arylcarbonyl ; and each b is represented by the formula : wherein r 5 is hydrocarbyl ; r 6 is hydrogen , methyl , ethyl , hydrocarbyl , or mixtures thereof ; and x is 0 - 0 . 99 when q is greater than 40 ; but less than 0 . 2 or greater than 0 . 8 when q is less than 40 . for purposes of this invention , the term “ hydrocarbyl ” means a monovalent hydrocarbon such as alkyl , cycloalkyl , aralkyl , or aryl and the term “ hydrocarbylene ” means a divalent hydrocarbon such as alkylene , cycloalkylene , aralkylene or arylene . in the more preferred embodiment of this invention , r is hydrogen ; r 1 is isopropylidenediphenylene , 1 , 4 - phenylene , 1 , 3 - phenylene , methylenediphenylene , thidodiphenylene , carbonyldiphenylene , or combinations thereof ; r 2 is methyl , ethyl , phenyl , benzyl , 2 - hydroxyethyl , 3 - hydroxypropyl , 2 - hydroxypropyl , 2 , 3 - dihydroxypropyl , 2 -( acetamido ) ethyl , or combinations thereof ; r 3 and r 4 are independently ethylene , 1 , 2 - propylene , 1 , 2 - butylene , or combinations thereof ; and r 5 is c 1 - c 20 alkyl . in the most preferred embodiment of this invention , r 1 is isopropylidenediphenylene , r 2 is 2 - hydroxyethyl ; r 5 is hydrogen , methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , benzyl or combinations thereof ; r 6 is a mixture of hydrogen and methyl ; y and z are n -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazinyl or bis ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino , q is 20 - 50 , and n is 10 - 25 . the water - soluble polymer can be recovered from the reaction mixture by conventional methods . for example , the reaction mixture containing the polymer and optional solvent can be diluted with a suitable solvent such as dimethylformamide , cooled to room temperature , and the polymer isolated by precipitation into a non - solvent . the precipitated polymer can then be purified by washing or multiple washings by the non - solvent . the polymer is collected by filtration , washed with a suitable non - solvent and then dried . the water - soluble polymer can also be recovered from solution by volatilization of the solvent by combination of temperature and vacuum . the difunctional amines which can be employed in the practice of the present invention include the bis - secondary amines and primary amines . the primary amines which can be employed in the practice of the present invention to prepare the polymers include aniline and substituted anilines , e . g ., 4 -( methylamido ) aniline , 4 - methylaniline , 4 - methoxy - aniline , 4 - tert - butylaniline , 3 , 4 - dimethoxyaniline , 3 , 4 - dimethylaniline ; alkylamines , and substituted alkyl amines , e . g ., butylamine and benzylamine ; and alkanol amines ; e . g ., 2 - aminoethanol and 1 - aminopropan - 2 - ol . preferred primary amines are aniline , 4 - methoxyaniline , 4 - tert - butylaniline , butylamine , and 2 - aminoethanol . the most preferred primary amine is 2 - aminoethanol . the bis - secondary amines which can be employed in the practice of the present invention to prepare the polymers include piperazine and substituted piperazines , e . g ., dimethylpiperazine and 2 - methylamidopiperazine ; bis ( n - methylamino ) benzene , 1 , 2 - bis ( n - methylamino ) ethane , and n , n ′- bis ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) ethylenediamine . preferred bis - secondary amines are piperazine , dimethylpiperazine , and 1 , 2 - bis ( n - methylamino ) ethane . the most preferred bis - secondary amine is piperazine . the amine - functionalized poly ( alkylene oxides ) which can be employed in the practice of the present invention to prepare the polymers include those materials represented by the general formula : wherein r 6 is hydrogen , methyl , ethyl , hydrocarbyl or mixtures thereof ; r 5 is hydrocarbyl and q is from about 1 to about 1000 . typical of amines of this class are the “ m ” series jeffamine ™ products manufactured by huntsman . they are typically prepared by polymerizing ethylene oxide , propylene oxide , butylene oxide , and the like or mixtures thereof with aliphatic alcohol initiators and then subsequently converting the resulting terminal hydroxyl group to an amine moiety . epoxy - functionalized poly ( alkylene oxides ) can be employed also in the practice of the present invention to prepare the polymers , and they can be mixed with diglycidyl ethers of bisphenols . suitable epoxy - functionalized poly ( alkylene oxides ) are those represented by the general formula : wherein r 1 is hydrogen , methyl , or mixtures thereof ; and y is from about 1 to about 40 . typical of epoxides of this class are the “ 700 ” series d . e . r .™ epoxy resins manufactured by the dow chemical company . they are synthesized by polymerizing ethylene oxide , propylene oxide , or mixtures thereof with hydroxide initiators and then reacting the resulting poly ( alkylene oxide ) diol with epichlorohydrin . the diglycidyl ethers which can be employed in the practice of the present invention for preparing the polymers include 9 , 9 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) fluorene , 4 , 4 ′- methylene bisphenol ( bisphenol f ), hydroquinone , resorcinol , 4 , 4 ′- sulfonyldiphenol , 4 , 4 ′- thiodiphenol , 4 , 4 ′- oxydiphenol , 4 , 4 ′- dihydroxybenzophenone , tetrabromoisopropylidenebisphenol , dihydroxy dinitrofluorenylidenediphenylene , 4 , 4 ′- biphenol , 4 , 4 ′- dihydroxybiphenylene oxide , bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) methane , alpha .,. alpha .- bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) ethylbenzene , 2 , 6 - dihydroxynaphthalene and 4 , 4 ′- isopropylidene bisphenol ( bisphenol a ) and the diglycidyl ethers of the amide - containing bisphenols such as n , n ′- bis ( hydroxyphenyl ) alkylenedicarboxamides , n , n ′- bis ( hydroxyphenyl ) arylenedicarboxamides , bis ( hydroxybenzamido ) alkanes or bis ( hydroxybenzamido ) arenes , n -( hydroxyphenyl ) hydroxybenzamides , 2 , 2 - bis ( hydroxyphenyl ) acetamides , n , n ′- bis ( 3 - hydroxyphenyl ) glutaramide , n , n ′- bis ( 3 - hydroxyphenyl ) adipamide , 1 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxybenzamido ) ethane , 1 , 3 - bis ( 4 - hydroxybenzamide ) benzene , n -( 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- 4 - hydroxybenzamide , and 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- acetamide . the more preferred diglycidyl ethers are the diglycidyl ethers of 9 , 9 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) fluorene , hydroquinone , resorcinol , 4 , 4 ′- sulfonyldiphenol , 4 , 4 ′- thiodiphenol , 4 , 4 ′- oxydiphenol , 4 , 4 ′- dihydroxybenzophenone , bisphenol f , tetrabromoisopropylidenebisphenol , dihydroxy dinitrofluorenylidenediphenylene , 4 , 4 ′- biphenol , 4 , 4 ′- dihydroxybiphenylene oxide , bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) methane , alpha .,. alpha .- bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) ethyl - benzene , 2 , 6 - dihydroxynaphthalene and 4 , 4 ′- isopropylidene bisphenol ( bisphenol a ). the most preferred diglycidyl ethers are the diglycidyl ethers of 4 , 4 ′- isopropylidene bisphenol ( bisphenol a ), 4 , 4 ′- sulfonyldiphenol , 4 , 4 ′- oxydiphenol , 4 , 4 ′- dihydroxybenzophenone , 9 , 9 - bis ( 4 - hydroxy - phenyl ) fluorene and bisphenol f . the monofunctional nucleophiles which function as terminating agents which can be employed in the practice of the present invention include secondary amines , hydrogen sulfide , ammonia , ammonium hydroxide , a hydroxyarene , an aryloxide salt , a carboxylic acid , a carboxylic acid salt , a marcaptan or a thiolate salt . also useful are propanoic acid , piperadine , diethylamine , dipropylamine , and dibenzylamine . preferably , the hydroxyarene is phenol , cresol , methoxyphenol , or 4 - tert - butylphenol ; the aryloxide salt is sodium or potassium phenate ; the carboxylic acid is acetic acid or benzoic acid ; the carboxylic acid salt is sodium acetate , sodium benzoate , sodium ethylhexanoate , potassium acetate , potassium benzoate , potassium ethylhexanoate , or calcium ethylhexanoate ; the mercaptan is 3 - mercapto - 1 , 2 - propanediol or benzenethiol ; and the thiolate salt is sodium or potassium benzenethiolate . preferred catalysts include metal hydroxides , quaternary ammonium salts or quaternary phosphonium salts . especially preferred catalysts include sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , ammonium hydroxide , ethyltriphenylphosphonium acetate , tetrabutylammonium bromide and bis ( triphenylphosphoranylidene ) ammonium chloride . the conditions at which the reaction is most advantageously conducted are dependent on a variety of factors , including the specific reactants , solvent , and catalyst employed but , in general , the reaction is conducted under a non - oxidizing atmosphere such as a blanket of nitrogen , preferably at a temperature from about 40 ° c . to about 190 ° c ., more preferably at a temperature from about 50 ° c . to about 150 ° c . the reaction can be conducted neat ( without solvent or other diluents ). however in some cases , in order to ensure homogeneous reaction mixtures at such temperatures , it can be desirable to use inert organic solvents or water as solvent for the reactants . examples of suitable solvents include dipropylene glycol methyl ether , available commercially as dowanol ™ dpm , a product of the dow chemical company , and the ethers or hydroxy ethers such as diglyme , triglyme , diethylene glycol ethyl ether , diethylene glycol methyl ether , dipropylene glycol methyl ether , propylene glycol phenyl ether , propylene glycol methyl ether and tripropylene glycol methyl ether as well as aprotic amide solvents like 1 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n , n - dimethylacetamide , and mixtures thereof . it is most preferred that the polyalkylene oxide chain be rich in ethylene oxide relative to propylene oxide . the length of the polyalkylene side - chain can be from 1 alkylene oxide units to 1000 alkylene oxide units , preferably from 2 alkylene oxide units to 500 alkylene oxide units , more preferably from 5 alkylene oxide units to 250 alkylene oxide units and , most preferably , from 10 alkylene oxide units to 100 alkylene oxide units . preferably , the copolyhydroxyaminoether has a molecular weight of from about 1000 to about 500 , 000 , more preferably from about 2000 to about 250 , 000 and , most preferably , from about 5000 to about 100 , 000 . the copolymer molecular weight can be controlled by either off - stoichiometry of the n — h to epoxy ratio or by introduction of monofunctional terminating agents , described previously , at the start of the polymerization process or added during or at the end of the polymerization process . advantageously , the polyalkylene oxide containing polymer repeat units is used in an amount of from about 1 to about 99 mole %, more preferably , in an amount of from about 1 to about 25 mole %. preferably , the copolyhydroxyaminoethers have glass transition temperatures of from about (−) 60 ° c . to about 150 ° c . aqueous solutions of copolyhydroxyaminoethers can exhibit a cloud point or lower critical solution temperature ( lcst ), such that an aqueous solution of copolyhydroxyaminoethers flow at some temperature below the boiling point of water , preferably room temperature , and becomes more viscous and / or gels with the possible optical transition from clear - to - hazy / opaque / turbid at more elevated temperatures . the term cloud point is a term that can be used to describe the optical transition . as used herein , the term “ lcst ” describes the temperature at which the polymer solution experiences a phase transition going from one phase ( homogeneous solution ) to at least a two - phase system ( a polymer rich phase and a more solvent rich phase ) as the solution temperature increases . the cloud point or lcst can be changed by the addition of salts , acids , or bases to the aqueous solutions of polyhydroxyaminoethers . the cloud point or lcst can also be changed as a function of concentration of polyhydroxyaminoether in aqueous solutions as well as the molecular weight of the polyhydroxyaminoether . the following working examples are given to illustrate the invention and should not be construed as limiting its scope . unless otherwise indicated , all parts and percentages are by weight . d . e . r .™ 332 a high purity bisphenol a diglycidyl ether manufactured by the dow chemical company . jeffamine ™ xtj506 a polyoxyalkylenemonoamine with a propylene oxide / ethylene oxide ratio of ˜ 3 / 19 and a molecular weight of ˜ 1000 manufactured by huntsman . jeffamine ™ m2070 a polyoxyalkylenemonoamine with a propylene oxide / ethylene oxide ratio of ˜ 10 / 32 and a molecular weight of ˜ 2000 and manufactured by huntsman . into a 1 l resin kettle is loaded d . e . r . 332 ( 180 . 00 grams , eew 171 ), jeffamine xtj 506 ( 101 . 75 grams , mn ˜ 1030 ), ethanolamine ( 24 . 10 grams ), 1 -( 2 - hydroxethyl ) piperazine ( 8 . 60 grams ), and n , n - dimethylacetamide , anhydrous ( 250 ml ). stirred reaction mixture under positive nitrogen is initially warmed to ˜ 45 ° c . when initial exotherm subsides , reaction setpoint is raised to 75 ° c . and after temperature rise stabilizes , setpoint is raised to 140 ° c . and held at that temperature for ˜ 1 hour . reaction mixture is cooled with n , n - dimethylacetamide subsequently removed under vacuum at ˜ 95 ° c . product has an inherent viscosity of 0 . 18 dl / g ( n , n - dimethylformamide , 30 . 0 ° c ., 0 . 5 g / dl ). half - height glass transition by dsc at 10 ° c ./ min heating rate is 6 ° c . a 20 wt % solution of the product in water is prepared that is of low viscosity and essentially clear at room temperature ; at ˜ 50 ° c . the solution becomes translucent / opaque white and a soft - gel of high viscosity ; when solution is cooled to room temperature it once again becomes of low viscosity and essentially clear . into a 1 l resin kettle is loaded d . e . r . 332 ( 76 . 00 grams , eew 171 ), jeffamine xtj 506 ( 35 . 59 grams , mn ˜ 1031 ), ethanolamine ( 10 . 93 grams ), 1 -( 2 - hydroxethyl ) piperazine ( 2 . 28 grams ), and n , n - dimethylacetamide , anhydrous ( 150 ml ). stirred reaction mixture under positive nitrogen is initially warmed to ˜ 45 ° c . when initial exotherm subsides , reaction setpoint is raised to 75 ° c . and after temperature rise stabilizes , setpoint is raised to 100 ° c . for less than ½ hour , setpoint raised to 140 ° c . and held at that temperature for ˜ 1 . 25 hour . reaction mixture is cooled with n , n - dimethylacetamide subsequently removed under vacuum at ˜ 95 ° c . product has an inherent viscosity of 0 . 23 dl / g ( n , n - dimethylformamide , 30 . 0 ° c ., 0 . 5 g / dl ). half - height glass transition by dsc at 10 ° c ./ min heating rate is 13 ° c . a 15 wt % solution of the product in water is prepared at room temperature that at ˜ 50 ° c . becomes a translucent , white gel . into a 100 ml resin kettle is loaded d . e . r . 332 ( 12 . 000 grams , eew 171 ), jeffamine xtj 506 ( 5 . 426 grams , mn ˜ 1031 ), ethanolamine ( 1 . 822 grams ), and n , n - dimethylacetamide , anhydrous ( 25 ml ). stirred reaction mixture under positive nitrogen is initially warmed to ˜ 45 ° c . when initial exotherm subsides , reaction setpoint is raised to 75 ° c . and after temperature rise stabilizes , setpoint is raised to 100 ° c . for less than ¾ hour , setpoint raised to 140 ° c . and held at that temperature for ˜ 3 . 25 hour . reaction mixture is held at 100 ° c . overnight . ethanolamine ( 0 . 026 g ) in n , n - dimethylacetamide ( 2 ml ) is added to kettle and after 30 minutes at 100 ° c ., temperature is raised to 140 ° c . for ˜ 2 hours with subsequent cooling . n , n - dimethylacetamide is subsequently removed under vacuum at ˜ 95 ° c . product has an inherent viscosity of 0 . 33 dl / g ( n , n - dimethylformamide , 30 . 0 ° c ., 0 . 5 g / dl ). half - height glass transition by dsc at 10 ° c ./ min heating rate is 16 ° c . no terminator is used in the reaction . a 20 wt % solution of the product in water is prepared . into a 100 ml resin kettle is loaded d . e . r . 332 ( 13 . 000 grams , eew 171 ), jeffamine xtj 506 ( 4 . 409 grams , mn ˜ 1031 ), ethanolamine ( 2 . 061 grams ), and n , n - dimethylacetamide , anhydrous ( 25 ml ). stirred reaction mixture under positive nitrogen is initially warmed to ˜ 45 ° c . when initial exotherm subsides , reaction setpoint is raised to 75 ° c . and after temperature rise stabilizes , setpoint is raised to 100 ° c . for less than ˜ ½ hour , setpoint raised to 140 ° c . and held at that temperature for ˜ 3 hour . reaction mixture is held at 100 ° c . overnight . ethanolamine ( 0 . 022 g ) in n , n - dimethylacetamide ( 2 ml ) is added to kettle and temperature is raised to 140 ° c . for ˜ 1 . 5 hours . product is precipitated in ice - water , water washed , and dried at ˜ 55 ° c . in a vacuum oven . product has an inherent viscosity of 0 . 34 dl / g ( n , n - dimethylformamide , 30 . 0 ° c ., 0 . 5 g / dl ). half - height glass transition by dsc at 10 ° c ./ min heating rate is 31 ° c . no terminator is used in the reaction . the polymer produced is not water soluble . into a 100 ml resin kettle is loaded d . e . r . 332 ( 14 . 000 grams , eew 171 ), jeffamine xtj 506 ( 3 . 165 grams , mn ˜ 1031 ), ethanolamine ( 2 . 313 grams ), and n , n - dimethylacetamide , anhydrous ( 25 ml ). stirred reaction mixture under positive nitrogen is initially warmed to ˜ 45 ° c . when initial exotherm subsides , reaction setpoint is raised to 75 ° c . and after temperature rise stabilizes , setpoint is raised to 100 ° c . for ˜ 1 hour , setpoint raised to 140 ° c . and held at that temperature for ˜ 3 . 25 hour . reaction mixture is held at 100 ° c . overnight . ethanolamine ( 0 . 022 g ) in n , n - dimethylacetamide ( 2 ml ) is added to kettle and temperature is raised to 140 ° c . for ˜ 1 hours with subsequent addition of n , n - dimethylacetamide ( 10 ml ) and cooling . product is precipitated in ice water , water washed , and dried under vacuum at ˜ 55 ° c . product has an inherent viscosity of 0 . 46 dl / g ( n , n - dimethylformamide , 30 . 0 ° c ., 0 . 5 g / dl ). half - height glass transition by dsc at 10 ° c ./ min heating rate is 46 ° c . no terminator is used in the reaction . the polymer produced is not water soluble . into a 1 l resin kettle is loaded d . e . r . 332 ( 345 . 15 g , eew 172 . 7 ), jeffamine xtj 506 ( 189 . 24 g , mn ˜ 1010 ), ethanolamine ( 45 . 78 g ), and 1 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) piperazine ( 16 . 27 g ). initial setpoint for the stirred reaction is 45 ° c . under positive n 2 . reaction mixture starts self - heating with cooling applied with temperature kept below ˜ 140 - 150 ° c . after temperature rise subsides , reaction is kept at 140 ° c . for 30 minutes with product then cooled to room temperature . product has an inherent viscosity of 0 . 19 dl / g ( n , n - dimethylformamide , 30 . 0 ° c ., 0 . 5 g / dl ). half - height glass transition by dsc at 10 ° c ./ min heating rate is 6 ° c . an aqueous solution of product is prepared by adding 312 . 5 grams in portions to a stirred 2 l resin kettle containing water ( 1193 . 1 g ) and acetic acid ( 1 . 37 g ) at 40 ° c . aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 45 . 5 ml , 0 . 50 n ) is subsequently added to the solution with a 10 ml water rinse . into a 1 l resin kettle is loaded d . e . r . 332 ( 317 . 97 g , eew 172 . 7 ), jeffamine m2070 ( 223 . 39 g , mn ˜ 2083 ), ethanolamine ( 45 . 86 g ), and diethanolamine ( 13 . 15 g ). initial setpoint for the stirred reaction is 45 ° c . under positive n 2 . reaction mixture starts self - heating with cooling applied with temperature kept below ˜ 140 - 150 ° c . after temperature rise subsides , reaction is kept at 140 ° c . for 30 minutes with product then cooled to room temperature . product has an inherent viscosity of 0 . 17 dl / g ( n , n - dimethylformamide , 30 . 0 ° c ., 0 . 5 g / dl ). half - height glass transition by dsc at 10 ° c ./ min heating rate is 2 ° c . an aqueous solution of product is prepared by adding 312 . 5 grams in portions to a stirred 2 l resin kettle containing water ( 1193 . 1 g ) and acetic acid ( 1 . 37 g ) at ˜ 40 ° c . aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 45 . 5 ml , 0 . 50 n ) is subsequently added to the solution with a 10 ml water rinse . into a 100 ml resin kettle is loaded d . e . r . 332 ( 10 . 000 grams , eew 171 ), jeffamine m2070 ( 8 . 932 grams , mn ˜ 2083 ), ethanolamine ( 1 . 484 grams ), and n - methylpyrrolidinone , anhydrous ( 20 ml ). stirred reaction mixture under positive nitrogen is initially warmed to ˜ 45 ° c . when initial exotherm subsides , reaction setpoint is raised to 75 ° c . and after temperature rise stabilizes , setpoint is raised to 100 ° c . for ˜ 2 hours , setpoint raised to 140 ° c . and held at that temperature for ˜ 3 . 25 hour . reaction mixture is held at 100 ° c . overnight . ethanolamine ( 0 . 026 g ) in n , n - dimethylacetamide ( 2 ml ) is added to kettle and after 30 minutes at 100 ° c ., temperature is raised to 140 ° c . for ˜ 3 . 75 hours with subsequent cooling to 100 ° c . overnight . ethanolamine ( 0 . 017 g ) in 2 ml n - methylpyrrolidinone is added to kettle with temperature raised to 140 ° c . for ˜ 4 . 25 hours and cooled . product does not precipitate in water . product precipitate in cold isopropanol and is washed with cold and ambient isopropanol with product dried at ˜ 110 ° c . under vacuum . product has an inherent viscosity of 0 . 75 dl / g ( n , n - dimethylformamide , 30 . 0 ° c ., 0 . 5 g / dl ). half - height glass transition by dsc at 10 ° c ./ min heating rate is − 15 ° c . no terminator is used in the reaction . into a 30 gal stainless steel reactor is loaded 8137 . 5 g water and mixing started at 100 rpm &# 39 ; s . jeffamine m - 2070 ( 6437 . 1 g , mn ˜ 1040 ), ethanolamine ( 1321 . 5 g ) and diethanolamine ( 378 . 9 g ) are added then heated to 54 - 63 ° c . temperature . pressure was 19 . 1 - 21 . 7 psia and mixing increased to 200 rpm &# 39 ; s . d . e . r . 332 ( 9084 g , eew 172 . 7 ) was added over a time period of 1 hour and 48 minutes via a 2 gal stainless steel ( ss 316 ) charge pot . the reaction mixture was digested for 34 minutes and then water ( 133 . 8 lbs ) was added over a 31 minute time . the resulting solution was mixed for 1 hr and 39 minutes then cooled to 25 ° c . and filtered via a 25 micro nomex bag filter system into polyethylene containers . into a 30 gal stainless steel ( ss 316 ) reactor is loaded 8137 . 5 g of dowanol pm and mixing started at 100 rpm &# 39 ; s . jeffamine m - 2070 ( 6437 . 1 g , mn ˜ 1040 ), ethanolamine ( 1321 . 5 g ) and diethanolamine ( 378 . 9 g ) are added then heated to 87 - 91 . 6 ° c . temperature . pressure was 19 . 1 - 21 . 7 psia and mixing increased to 200 rpm &# 39 ; s . d . e . r 332 ( 9082 g , eew 172 . 7 ) was added over a time period of 1 hour and 34 minutes via a 2 gal stainless steel charge pot . the reaction mixture was digested for 2 hr and 43 minutes at a temperature of 89 - 101 ° c . and then water ( 133 . 7 lbs ) was added over a 36 minute time . the resulting solution was mixed for 1 hr at 67 . 1 - 89 ° c . and 150 rpm &# 39 ; s then cooled to 26 ° c . and filtered via a 25 micro nomex bag filter system into polyethylene containers . | 2 |
the present invention is directed towards several embodiments of an electromagnetic radiation detector in which a plurality of screens is employed . the present invention is directed towards a detection system enclosure having at least one screen . electromagnetic radiation is absorbed by the screen which emits light photons that are detected by a photomultiplier tube located within the enclosure . in one embodiment , the detection system of the present invention has one screen located at the front of the enclosure and at least one screen located in the interior of the enclosure . in one embodiment , the at least one screen comprises an active area for receiving and converting electromagnetic radiation into light ( photons ). in one embodiment , the active area of the at least one screen comprises a scintillator material . in one embodiment , the scintillator material is calcium tungstate . in one embodiment , the at least one screen has a thickness ( areal density ) of 80 mg / cm 2 . in one embodiment , the surface geometry of the at least one screen is straight or smooth . in one embodiment , the surface geometry of the at least one screen is irregular . in another embodiment , the surface geometry of the at least one screen is contoured . in another embodiment , the surface geometry of the at least one screen is corrugated ; a corrugated surface geometry provides a greater surface area for receiving and converting electromagnetic radiation into light , by allowing for an increase in the electromagnetic radiation path length without increasing the light output path length , for maximum detection efficiency . it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that any surface geometry may be used for the screen to increase the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed . the present invention is also directed towards the use of at least one screen in the interior of the enclosure , thus increasing the amount of electromagnetic radiation reaching the detector , and subsequently , the amount of photons reaching the photomultiplier . in one embodiment , the at least one screen located in the interior of the enclosure has identical specifications to the screen located in the front of the enclosure . in one embodiment , the at least one screen positioned in the interior of the enclosure is different from the screen located in the front of the enclosure , in terms of at least one of chemical composition , surface geometry , thickness and energy response . the use of a screen at the front of the enclosure and the at least one screen in the interior of the enclosure increases the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed and therefore , the number of photons generated , further improving detection capability , and thus image quality . thus , the present invention is directed towards a detector configuration that maximizes the efficiency of the detector material . detection efficiency is a measure of the efficiency of the detector screen , or , the probability that electromagnetic radiation will be absorbed by the screen to produce light photons detectable by the photomultiplier tube . x - ray detectors need to interact with incident x - ray photons to record their presence ; x - rays that pass through the detector without interaction are wasted . detection efficiency is mainly determined by the interaction probability of the photons with the detector material and the thickness of the material . the following equation can be used to calculate the efficiency of a detector : where i 0 is the number of photons of a certain energy incident or entering the slab of material ; x is the thickness of the slab , i is the number of photons that have passed through a layer of thickness x , and μ is the linear attenuation coefficient of the material for photons of this particular energy . the photons that do not get through have interacted within the slab of material and are either absorbed or scattered . the number of photons absorbed by a certain thickness is the difference i0 − i . however , instead of calculating for different i &# 39 ; s , the ratio of ( i0 − i )/ i is calculated and it is called the “ percent absorption .” conventional screens typically achieve far less than 100 % efficiency . the present invention is directed toward absorbing more of the otherwise wasted x - ray photons and thereby improving the detection capability . in another embodiment , the present invention is also directed towards a detection system enclosure that further comprises a photo - multiplier tube , positioned in the interior of the enclosure , having an active area responsive to the light . in another embodiment , the active area of the at least one screen is larger than the active area of the photo - multiplier tube so that the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed is maximized . the present invention is directed towards multiple embodiments . language used in this specification should not be interpreted as a general disavowal of any one specific embodiment or used to limit the claims beyond the meaning of the terms used therein . reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments of the invention . while the invention will be described in conjunction with specific embodiments , it is not intended to limit the invention to one embodiment . fig1 is a front view illustration of a conventional detector enclosure , having one screen . detector 100 comprises an enclosure having four adjacent walls , 102 a , 102 b , 102 c , and 102 d , connected to each other at an angle . the four adjacent walls 102 a , 102 b , 102 c , and 102 d form a rectangular shape . adjacent walls 102 a , 102 b , 102 c , and 102 d further form a front side area 106 and a back side area 104 at the ends of the enclosure . the enclosure formed from adjacent walls 102 a , 102 b , 102 c , 102 d , front side area 106 and back side area 104 is capable of receiving , but not leaking electromagnetic radiation , thereby blocking the exit of incoming radiation from a radiation source . the ability of the enclosure to receive , and not leak , radiation , is facilitated by the light reflective interiors of the enclosing walls . typically , the interiors of walls 102 a , 102 b , 102 c , and 102 d are painted white so that they are highly light reflective . the front side area 106 of detector enclosure 100 is used for receiving radiation and thus faces the object under inspection when in use in an exemplary scanning system . front side area 106 further comprises a screen 107 . detector enclosure 100 further comprises a photo - detector 108 , placed in the interior of the enclosure proximate to back side area 104 . the photo - detector 108 is a photomultiplier tube . photomultiplier tubes are well - known to those of ordinary skill in the art and will not be discussed herein . fig2 a and 2 b illustrate the incidence of electromagnetic radiation on a first screen of a conventional detector enclosure . in operation , the screening system directs electromagnetic radiation from a source toward a subject or object under inspection such that the x - rays are incident upon the subject or object . the x - rays are then , depending upon the intensity of the x - ray and the type of inspection system being employed , scattered from or transmitted through the subject or object under inspection . the radiation source and the nature of the x - ray beam are described in detail with respect to fig5 and 6 below and will not be discussed further . now referring to fig2 a scattered or transmitted x - rays 210 reach the detector enclosure 200 and first impinge upon screen 207 . screen 207 absorbs at least a portion of the scattered or transmitted x - rays 210 and converts the x - rays into light photons 206 in the interior of detector enclosure 200 . as shown in fig2 b , however , some of the x - rays are not absorbed and thus pass through screen 207 . in addition , in a conventional detector enclosure with only one front screen , at least a portion of photons 206 reflect off of the highly reflective interior walls of the enclosure and are subsequently detected by photomultiplier tube 208 . referring to fig3 , the present invention is a detector enclosure comprising at least one additional screen ( not shown in fig2 a and 2 b ) in the interior of the enclosure . the at least one additional screen further increases the exposure rate of the scattered or transmitted x - rays 210 . the net effect of the at least one additional screen is to increase the photo - detection efficiency of photomultiplier tube 208 by absorbing more electromagnetic radiation , subsequently converting that radiation to light , and thus , providing the photomultiplier tube with a stronger signal to detect . fig3 illustrates one embodiment of the detector of the present invention , having a plurality of screens . detector enclosure 300 is similar to the enclosure described with respect to fig1 , in that it comprises four adjacent side walls , the proximal sides of which form a front side area 306 and distal sides of which form a back side area 304 . one of ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that the detector enclosure of fig1 can be modified to create the embodiment shown in fig3 . referring now to fig3 , first screen 307 a is located on the front side area 306 of detector enclosure 300 . in one embodiment , second and third screens 307 b and 307 c are positioned inside the detector enclosure 300 . the x - rays scattered from or transmitted through the subject or object under inspection 310 first impinge upon first screen 307 a of detector enclosure 300 . some of the scattered or transmitted x - rays , however , are not absorbed by first screen 307 a and thus pass through first screen 307 a . to increase detection efficiency , in one embodiment , detector enclosure 300 further comprises second and third screens , 307 b and 307 c , respectively in the interior of the enclosure . second and third screens , 307 b and 307 c , respectively , further increase the exposure rate and thus , absorption of the scattered or transmitted x - rays 310 . the overall effect of the first , second , and third screens is an increase in the photo - detection efficiency of photomultiplier tube 308 by absorbing more electromagnetic radiation , subsequently converting that radiation to light , and thus , providing the photomultiplier tube with a stronger signal to detect . in one embodiment , first screen 307 a comprises an active area for receiving and converting electromagnetic radiation into light ( photons ). in one embodiment , first screen 307 a is a fluorescent chemical screen . in one embodiment , scintillators in the fluorescent chemical screen 307 a detect a large fraction of the incident radiation , produce significant light output to the photomultiplier tube , and exhibit a temporal decay time which is short compared to the pixel to pixel scanning rate of the radiation beam . in one embodiment , the fluorescent chemical screen includes calcium tungstate . generally , a calcium tungstate screen has a relatively short decay time of 10 microseconds that allows rapid scanning of the radiation beam with minimal image degradation . the calcium tungstate screen is capable of detecting approximately 70 % of the backscattered or transmitted radiation , and thus , produces approximately 250 usable light photons per 30 kev x - ray . additionally , the use of a thicker screen enables the detection of more of the radiation incident upon the detector at the expense of lower light output . in one embodiment , the areal density of the screen is 80 milligrams per square centimeter . in one embodiment , the at least one screen located in the interior of the enclosure has identical specifications to the screen located in the front of the enclosure . thus , in one embodiment , second and third screens 307 b and 307 c , respectively , are identical to first screen 307 a . in one embodiment , the at least one screen positioned in the interior of the enclosure is different from the screen located in the front of the enclosure , in terms of at least one of chemical composition , surface geometry , thickness and energy response . thus , in one embodiment , second and third screens 307 b and 307 c , respectively , are different from first screen 307 a . although exemplary screens have been described above , it should be noted that the characteristics of the screen can vary widely in terms of chemical composition , surface geometry , thickness and energy response , and that any type of screen may be used in the present invention , as would be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art . fig4 illustrates another embodiment of the detector enclosure of the present invention , having a plurality of screens . in one embodiment , the surface geometry of the at least one screen is straight or smooth . in one embodiment , the surface geometry of the at least one screen is irregular . in another embodiment , the surface geometry of the at least one screen is contoured . in another embodiment , the surface geometry of the at least one screen is corrugated . a corrugated surface geometry provides a greater surface area for receiving and converting electromagnetic radiation into light , by allowing for an increase in the electromagnetic radiation path length without increasing the light output path length , for maximum detection efficiency . it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that any surface type may be used for the screen to increase the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed . in one embodiment , screen 407 located on front side area 404 of detector enclosure 400 is corrugated . the corrugated surface of screen 404 provides a greater surface area for absorbing scattered or transmitted electromagnetic radiation 410 , incident upon the detector enclosure 400 . it should be noted that because light generated in spaces 411 , defined by screens 407 and 408 , cannot escape easily , the detection efficiency , or effective detection area is reduced . fig5 illustrates one embodiment of a scanning system in which any of the detector enclosures of the present invention can be implemented . in one embodiment , the detector enclosure of the present invention is employed in a backscatter x - ray scanning system , such as but not limited to a people screening system . in one embodiment , inspection system 500 comprises radiation source 508 and at least one detector enclosure 502 . as described in detail above , the at least one detector enclosure 502 may comprise any number of arrangements including , but , not limited to at least one detector screen . in addition , at least one detector enclosure 502 , in another embodiment , may comprise any number of arrangements including , but , not limited to a plurality of detector screens . while various arrangements of detectors will not be repeated herein , it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that any number of detector arrangements can be employed , as described above and the exemplary embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention . referring back to fig5 , x - ray source 508 is used to generate radiation . in one embodiment , x - ray source 508 is employed to generate a narrow pencil beam 506 of x - rays directed towards an object or subject under examination 504 . in one embodiment , pencil beam is formed with the integration of an x - ray tube , a mechanical chopper wheel , and a slit . in one embodiment , x - ray source 508 operates with an empirically and theoretically determined optimum x - ray tube potential of 50 kev and 5 milliamps , resulting in x - rays of approximately 30 kev . the vertical and horizontal dimension of the x - ray beam is approximately six millimeters ( 6 mm ) where it strikes subject 504 . subject 504 is a body that is being subjected to x - ray imaging . in one embodiment , subject 504 is a human . in another embodiment , subject 504 is an object . initially , x - ray beam 506 strikes only the body of subject 504 . many of the x - rays penetrate a few centimeters into the body , interact by compton scattering , and exit the body through the same surface that they entered . x - ray sensitive detector enclosures 502 are placed symmetrically around incident x - ray pencil beam to detect backscattered x - rays 510 and provide an electronic signal characteristic of the x - ray reflectance . it should be understood to those of ordinary skill in the art that any number of ionizing radiation sources may be used , including but not limited to gamma radiation , electromagnetic radiation , and ultraviolet radiation . detectors 502 are positioned for uniform x - ray detection on all sides of x - ray beam 506 . in one embodiment , arrays of detectors 502 are placed around source 508 for uniform detection of backscattered rays 510 . detectors 502 include an enclosure capable of enclosing or “ trapping ” scattered rays 510 . a photo - detector generates electronic signals in response to detected rays that are initially converted into light . details about the structure and operation of several embodiments of a detector 502 are discussed in detail with respect to fig1 - 4 and will not be repeated herein . in one embodiment , each detector 502 produces electronic signals which are directed to a processor . the processor analyzes the received signals and generates an image on a display means 512 . the intensity at each point in the displayed image corresponds to the relative intensity of the detected scattered x - rays . in one embodiment , x - ray source 508 communicates synchronization signals to the processor . the processor analyzes the detected signals and compares them to the synchronization signals to determine the display image . in one embodiment , display means 512 is a monitor and is employed to display graphical images signaled by the processor . display means 512 can be any display or monitor as commonly known in the art , including a cathode ray tube monitor or an lcd monitor . in one embodiment , the digitized scatter image displayed by display means 512 preferably consists of 480 rows by 160 columns with 8 bits per pixel . referring back to fig5 , detectors 502 are separated by an opening through which x - ray beam 506 passes before striking subject 504 . in one embodiment , detectors 502 can move in a vertical direction while x - ray beam 506 moves in a horizontal direction by movement of x - ray source 508 in the horizontal direction . however , the placement and movement of detectors 502 and source 508 is not limited to the description provided herein . in other embodiments , detectors 502 and source 508 can be placed and moved by any method as is commonly known in the art . the intersection of x - ray beam 506 and subject 504 defines an image picture element ( pixel ) of a specified area . fig6 illustrates another embodiment of a scanning system in which any of the detector enclosures of the present invention can be implemented . in another embodiment , the scanning system is a traditional x - ray scanning system , in which x - rays are transmitted through the object under inspection . in one embodiment , the traditional transmission x - ray scanning system is a baggage scanning system . in one embodiment , inspection system 600 comprises radiation source 608 and at least one detector enclosure 602 . as described in detail above , the at least one detector enclosure 602 may comprise any number of arrangements including , but , not limited to at least one detector screen . in addition , at least one detector enclosure 602 , in another embodiment , may comprise any number of arrangements including , but , not limited to a plurality of detector screens . while various arrangements of detectors will not be repeated herein , it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that any number of detector arrangements can be employed , as described above and the exemplary embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention . referring back to fig6 , x - ray source 608 is used to generate radiation . in one embodiment , x - ray source 608 is employed to generate a narrow pencil beam 606 of x - rays directed towards an object or subject under examination 604 . in one embodiment , pencil beam is formed with the integration of an x - ray tube , a mechanical chopper wheel , and a slit . object 604 is an item that is subjected to x - ray imaging . in one embodiment , object 604 is a piece of luggage or carry - on baggage . initially , x - ray beam 606 strikes only the object 604 . many of the x - rays are transmitted through the object , interact by compton scattering , and exit the object through the opposite surface that they entered . x - ray sensitive detector enclosures 602 are placed symmetrically around incident x - ray pencil beam to detect transmitted x - rays 610 and provide an electronic signal characteristic of the x - ray transmission . it should be understood to those of ordinary skill in the art that any number of ionizing radiation sources may be used , including but not limited to gamma radiation , electromagnetic radiation , and ultraviolet radiation . detectors 602 are positioned for uniform x - ray detection on all sides of x - ray beam 606 . in one embodiment , arrays of detectors 602 are placed around object 604 for uniform detection of transmitted rays 610 . detectors 602 include an enclosure capable of enclosing or “ trapping ” scattered rays 610 . a photo - detector generates electronic signals in response to detected rays that are initially converted into light . details about the structure and operation of several embodiments of a detector 602 are discussed in detail with respect to fig1 - 4 and will not be repeated herein . in one embodiment , each detector 602 produces electronic signals which are directed to a processor . the processor analyzes the received signals and generates an image on a display means 612 . the intensity at each point in the displayed image corresponds to the relative intensity of the detected transmitted x - rays . in one embodiment , x - ray source 608 communicates synchronization signals to the processor . the processor analyzes the detected signals and compares them to the synchronization signals to determine the display image . in one embodiment , display means 612 is a monitor and is employed to display graphical images signaled by the processor . display means 612 can be any display or monitor as commonly known in the art , including a cathode ray tube monitor or an lcd monitor . in one embodiment , the digitized image displayed by display means 612 preferably consists of 480 rows by 160 columns with 8 bits per pixel . in one embodiment , detectors 602 can move in a vertical direction while x - ray beam 606 moves in a horizontal direction by movement of x - ray source 608 in the horizontal direction . however , the placement and movement of detectors 602 and source 608 is not limited to the description provided herein . in other embodiments , detectors 602 and source 608 can be placed and moved by any method as is commonly known in the art . the intersection of x - ray beam 606 and object 604 defines an image picture element ( pixel ) of a specified area . the above examples are merely illustrative of the many applications of the system of present invention . although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described herein , it should be understood that the present invention might be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . therefore , the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive , and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein , but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
referring now to the drawing , there is seen in a distal end of a needle 10 having a pointed , distal end 10 a for directing into the tissue of a target surgical site of a mammalian organism , for example a human eye . the opposite , proximal end of the needle may be of any desired configuration for manual or machine manipulation of needle 10 consistent with the intended uses of needle 10 set forth herein ( not shown ). needle 10 may be made of any suitable material for injection within a mammalian organism , some examples of which include titanium , stainless steel , ceramic , and polymer . the diameter of needle 10 is sized to enable direct injection of needle 10 within the delicate tissues of a human eye . a drug implant is indicated by reference numeral 12 and is illustrated herein in the shape of a cylinder having an outer diameter less than the diameter of needle 10 adjacent distal end 10 a thereof , although the drug implant may be of other shapes as desired . drug implant 12 is a slow - release implant capable of controlled release of a drug to the implant site . needle 10 is the vehicle for delivering implant 12 to the implant site . more particularly , needle 10 is seen to include a lateral opening 14 therein adjacent distal end 10 a thereof . opening 14 serves to releasably hold drug implant 12 therein until the distal end 10 a of needle 10 reaches the implant site in the organism , at which time drug implant 12 is released from opening 14 . once drug implant 12 is released at the implant site , needle 10 may be withdrawn from the organism and either sterilized for subsequent use or discarded in single - use designs of needle 10 . opening 14 may be of any desired configuration , but is preferably configured to match the shape of the drug implant 12 releasably held therein . as seen in fig3 and 4 , a protective cover 16 may be provided in coaxial , sliding engagement with needle 10 . covering 16 is selectively movable along the shaft of needle 10 from the open position seen in fig3 to the closed position seen in fig4 wherein drug implant 12 is prevented from falling free of opening 14 until the target site is reached , at which time covering 16 may be moved in the opposite direction to the open position . an extensible rod ( not shown ) may be attached to covering 16 to selectively move it between the open and closed positions . attention is now turned to fig5 which shows a first embodiment of an implant release mechanism . in this embodiment ; a center bore 18 is provided as an axial extension of opening 14 wherein a spring 20 may be positioned to apply a biasing force against drug implant 12 such that implant 12 is forcibly held between the spring and the distal end wall 14 a of opening 14 . a longitudinally extending rod 22 may be attached to the distal end 20 a of spring 20 whereby rod 22 may be retracted in a direction opposite distal needle end 10 a to release the biasing force of spring 20 , thereby allowing release of implant 12 from needle 10 at the implant site . [ 0036 ] fig6 shown a second embodiment wherein drug implant 12 is engaged in opening 14 by friction - fit at opposite ends 12 a , 12 b thereof . as seen in the cross - section view of fig7 drug implant 12 which is cylindrical in this embodiment , is engaged in opening 14 by the three planar walls 14 b , 14 c , and 14 d of opening 14 frictionally engaging the cylindrical side wall 12 ′ thereof . although no release mechanism is shown in fig6 or 7 , any of the release mechanisms described herein may be used in combination with any of the securing mechanisms described herein which will be detailed more fully below . [ 0037 ] fig8 and 9 show another embodiment of a securing and release mechanism for implant 12 . to load the implant 12 in opening 14 , longitudinally extending rod 24 is retracted to the position shown in fig8 whereby a clearance 14 ′ is provided in opening 14 to allow easy insertion of implant 12 therein . once implant 12 is inserted into opening 14 , rod 24 may be moved in the opposite direction toward distal end 10 a until the distal end of the rod 24 a engages the proximal end 12 a of the implant 12 . rod 24 and the axial bore 10 b in which rod 24 extends may be provided with latch 26 and slot 28 , respectively , such that rod 14 may be locked into the engaged position seen in fig9 until the implant site is reached , at which time latch 26 may be disengaged from slot 28 ( e . g ., by rotating rod 24 ). a manually operable push - tab 30 may be attached to rod 24 and lie exteriorly of needle 10 to allow easy one - touch manipulation of rod 24 . referring to fig1 and 11 , a release mechanism is shown comprising a shaft 32 reciprocally mounted in axial bore 10 e formed in needle 10 . shaft 32 includes an angled distal end 32 a which may be moved to the secured position wherein end 32 a is in just - touching relation to the proximal end of implant 12 as seen in fig1 . to release implant 12 at the implant site , shaft 32 is moved further toward distal end 10 a whereupon the leading tip of end 32 a wedges beneath implant 12 causing implant 12 to dislodge from opening 14 as seen in fig1 . in yet a further embodiment of implant release mechanism , the rod 24 of the embodiment of fig8 and 9 is used in combination with a spring 34 located within opening 14 . in the load / release position shown in fig1 , spring 34 is unbiased and rod 24 is retracted . in this position , implant 12 may be inserted into opening 14 and pressed against spring 34 to put spring 34 in tension . in the fully inserted position of implant 12 seen in fig1 , spring 34 is fully tensioned and applying an outward biasing force against implant 12 . while the implant and spring are held in this position ( e . g ., by pressing with a finger ), rod 24 is extended until end 24 a thereof is engaged against the proximal end 12 a of implant 12 . rod 24 may be locked in place as explained above with regard to fig8 and 9 , at which time implant 12 is held tightly within opening 14 since the force of end 24 a against implant 12 is stronger than the biasing force of spring 24 . once needle 10 has been injected within the organism and end 10 a thereof is at the implant site , the user releases and retracts rod 24 to the position seen in fig1 , at which time the force against implant end 12 a is removed and the biasing force of spring 34 takes over to force implant 12 from opening 14 . needle 10 may then be retracted from the implant site , leaving implant 12 in place . it will thus be appreciated that the present invention provides an improved injection device for delivering slow - release drug implants to the inside body of an organism . since the drug implant is both held and released at the distal end of the needle , there is no need for a cannula delivery of the implant which obviates that many problems associated therewith as explained in the background section hereof . | 0 |
the new compounds according to the present invention of general formula ( i ) can be prepared , for example , by one of the following methods : ( a ) nitration of a compound of the general formula :- ## str3 ## in which one of the symbols r 1 and r 2 represents a diphenylmethyl radical and the other symbol has the same meaning as above and r 3 &# 39 ; , r 4 and x - have the same meanings as above ; or ( b ) for the case in which r 1 represents a bis -( 2 , 4dinitrophenyl )- methyl radical , reaction of a compound of the general formula : ## str4 ## wherein x &# 39 ; is a chlorine , bromine or iodine atom , with a compound of the general formula : ## str5 ## wherein r &# 39 ; 2 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl radical and r 3 and r 4 have the same meanings as above ; whereafter , if desired , an x - group can be replaced in known manner by a different x - group or , if desired , an alkyl radical r 1 can be introduced . the tetranitration of compounds of general formula ( i &# 39 ;) requires relatively energetic conditions and is , therefore , preferably carried out with a mixture of fuming nitric acid and oleum at a temperature of from 20 ° to 100 ° c ., the x - group thereby being converted into a sulfate group either previously or by means of the excess of sulfuric acid in the reaction medium . the reaction of the compounds of general formulae ( ii ) and ( iii ) preferably takes place in an excess of compound ( iii ) as solvent , for example , an aromatic hydrocarbon , diethyl ether , dioxan , acetone or the like . the compound ( ii ) can be prepared either from the corresponding , known carbinol by reaction with a hydrohalic acid or from the corresponding methylene compound by reaction with an appropriate halogen in in an inert solvent . these processes can also be employed for the preparation of the starting materials of general formula ( i &# 39 ;) insofar as these are not known from the literature . it is especially preferred to dissolve in an excess of the pyridine compound iii a methylene compound corresponding to compound ( ii ) and having the general formula : ## str6 ## which can be prepared by nitration of diphenylmethane in the manner described by k . matsumura ( see j . a . c . s ., 51 , 817 / 1929 ), and to produce the compound ( ii ) in situ by the slow addition thereto of a molar amount of bromine or iodine . if desired , an inert solvent , for example , benzene , diethyl ether or the like , can be added thereto . the desired compounds of general formula ( ii ) thereby precipitate out as the sparingly soluble halides . the introduction of an alkyl radical r 1 into the starting compound ( i &# 39 ;) can be carried out in known manner with an alkylation agent , for example , an alkyl halide , dialkyl sulfate or alkyl - sulfonic acid ester , in an inert solvent , such as toluene , diethyl ether , dioxan , acetone or the like . the exchange of one x . sup .⊖ group for another one can take place by reaction with an appropriate excess of an appropriate acid hx or preferably of one of its salts , the cation of which forms a sparingly soluble and easily separable salt with the x . sup .⊖ group to be removed . furthermore , by the addition of a base , for example aqueous ammonia or alkali metal hydroxide , the corresponding betaine compound can be produced which , if desired , can again be converted into a new quaternary salt by the addition of another acid . the ph indicators according to the present invention are preferably used in urea tests as described in copending application ser . no . 034 , 719 filed april 30 , 1979 . as shown in the following example 7 , the compounds according to the present invention can be used to prepare a quantitative urea test which covers 66 . 5 % of the measurement range of a remission photometer . in the case of the use of a conventional ph indicator , for example , bromophenol blue , only a visually determinable , semi - quantitative test is obtained ( see the following example 8 ) since it only covers about 23 % of the measurement range . of course , however , the compounds according to the present invention can also be used as ph indicators as such or optionally also together with other ph indicators in mixed indicators for larger ph ranges . the following examples are given for the purpose of illustrating the present invention : 26 . 4 g . ( 0 . 076 mole ) bis -( 2 , 4 - dinitrophenyl )- methane are suspended in 125 ml . ( 114 . 38 g . ; 0 . 976 mole ) tert .- butylpyridine and 12 . 4 g . ( 4 ml . ; 0 . 155 mole ) dry bromide are slowly added dropwise thereto at 0 ° to 5 ° c ., while stirring . thereafter , the reaction mixture is stirred for 6 hours at ambient temperature and the precipitated reaction product is sharply filtered off with suction and washed with 10 ml . tert . butylpyridine . the filter cake is stirred with 100 ml . 10 % hydrobromic acid , cooled by placing in an icebath and again sharply filtered off with suction . the filter residue is dissolved , with heating , in 200 ml . methanol , any undissolved material is filtered off with suction and the bromide is precipitated by the addition of 50 ml . diethyl ether . after stirring with 50 ml . acetone , there are obtained 12 . 42 g . ( 31 . 5 % of theory ) pure 1 -[ bis -( 2 , 4 - dinitrophenyl )- methyl ]- 4 - tert .- butylpyridinium bromide ; m . p . 204 °- 206 ° c . from the concentrated filtrate and from the worked up mother liquor ( acidification with excess 10 % hydrobromic acid and suction filtration of the precipitated material ), there are obtained , after recrystallization from methanol - diethyl ether and stirring with acetone , a further 4 . 1 g . ( 9 . 3 % of theory ) of the desired product . rf value = 0 . 6 ( both elution agents used in the presence of gaseous ammonia ) in an analogous manner , there is obtained 1 -[ bis -( 2 , 4 - dinitrophenyl )- methyl ]- 4 - tert .- butylpyridinium iodide ; m . p . 217 ° c . ; yield 25 . 6 % of theory ( in the preparation , instead of elementary iodine , there is used a solution thereof in tert .- butylpyridine ). in the same manner , there is also carried out the preparation of 1 -[ bis -( 2 , 4 - dinitrophenyl )- methyl ]- 4 - tert .- butylpyridinium chloride ; m . p . 172 °- 173 ° c . ; yield 31 . 6 % of theory . instead of elementary chlorine , there is used a solution of chlorine in glacial acetic acid , the process otherwise being as described in a and b above . not only the iodide but also the chloride behave in the tlc in the same way as the bromide when using the abovementioned elution agents . the process described in example 1 is repeated but using pyridine instead of 4 - tert .- butylpyridine . there is obtained thin layer - chromatographically uniform 1 -[ bis -( 2 , 4 - dinitrophenyl )- methyl ]- pyridinium bromide ; m . w . 506 . 24 ; m . p . 199 °- 200 ° c . ; yield 25 . 6 % of theory . from a methanolic solution of the bromide , there is precipitated out the corresponding tetrafluoroborate by the addition of 35 % tetrafluoroboric acid ; m . w . 513 . 26 ; m . p . 190 °- 191 ° c . tlc : finished plate , silica gel 60 f 254 ( merck ) elution agent : acetone ; rf value + 0 . 4 detection : uv , ammonia gas . the preparation and working up take place in a manner analogous to that described in example 1 , using quinoline instead of 4 - tert .- butylpyridine . by fractional crystallization from methanol - diethyl ether and acetone - diethyl ether , there is obtained chromatographically uniform 1 -[ bis -( 2 , 4 - dinitrophenyl ) methyl ]- quinolinium bromide ; m . p . 186 °- 188 ° c . ; yield 25 . 2 % of theory . tlc : finished plate , silica gel 60 f 254 ( merck ) elution agent : acetone ; rf value + 0 . 6 detection : ammonia gas . 16 . 3 g . ( 0 . 05 mole ) diphenylmethylpyridinium bromide ( obtained from diphenylbromomethane by heating with excess pyridine for 30 seconds at 120 ° c ., evaporating and stirring with diethyl ether ; m . p . 216 °- 219 ° c .) are dissolved in 30 ml . concentrated sulfuric acid . carbon dioxide is passed through the solution for 1 hour and the reaction mixture is then heated to 80 ° c ., subsequently cooled to ambient temperature and the sulfuric acid solution added dropwise , within the course of 15 minutes , to a nitration mixture of 30 ml . concentrated sulfuric acid and 8 . 65 g . fuming nitric acid , the temperature being kept below 50 ° c . subsequently , a mixture of 11 . 4 ml . nitric acid ( d .= 1 . 52 ) and 42 . 5 g . oleum ( 15 % sulfur trioxide content ) is added dropwise thereto , whereafter the reaction mixture is heated to 70 ° c . for 3 hours and then , after cooling , poured onto 600 ml . ice . the yellow precipitate obtained is dissolved in acetone - isopropanol and again precipitated out by the addition of diethyl ether . the crude product , which , in addition to the desired compound , also contains several by - products , is separated chromatographically on a silica gel column , using acetone as solvent . there are obtained 5 . 6 g . of the chromatographically uniform , amorphous hydrogen sulfate which is dissolved in methanol and aqueous 38 % fluoroboric acid added thereto to give 4 . 8 g . ( 20 . 7 % of theory ) 1 -[ bis -( 2 , 4 - dinitrophenyl )- methyl ]- pyridinium tetrafluoroborate ; m . p . 187 °- 191 ° c . 0 . 1 mole of a diphenyl - pyridylmethane is suspended in 200 ml . toluene , 51 . 25 g . ( 45 ml . ; 0 . 36 mole ) methyl iodide are added thereto and the reaction mixture is heated under reflux for 2 hours . the reaction mixture is then cooled to ambient temperature , 50 ml . diethyl ether are added thereto and the precipitated crystals are filtered off with suction , well washed with diethyl either and dried over phosphorous pentoxide . depending upon the substitution of the starting compound , the following products are obtained : ______________________________________ ## str7 ## r melting point yield______________________________________ ## str8 ## 228 ° c . ( decomp .) 98 . 1 % ## str9 ## 160 ° c . ( decomp .) 91 . 6 % ## str10 ## 152 °- 155 ° c . ( decomp .) 96 . 5 % ______________________________________ 0 . 1 mole of one of the above - mentioned ( diphenylmethyl )- 1 - methylpyridinium iodides is dissolved in 500 ml . methanol , a solution of 0 . 1 mole silver nitrate in a mixture of 400 ml . methanol and 100 ml . water is added thereto and the reaction mixture is stirred for one hour at ambient temperature , whereafter the silver iodide formed is filtered off with suction and the filtrate evaporated in a rotary evaporator . the distillation residue is dissolved in a little methanol and the nitrate precipitated out by the addition of diethyl ether and drying over phosphorus pentoxide , there is obtained the pure nitrate in the form of colorless crystals , the following compounds being obtained in this manner : ______________________________________ ## str11 ## r melting point yield______________________________________ ## str12 ## 171 ° c . 93 . 8 % ## str13 ## 138 ° c . 88 . 4 % ## str14 ## 176 °- 178 ° c . 96 . 3 % ______________________________________ 17 . 8 ml . ( 27 . 2 g . ; 0 . 431 mole ) nitric acid ( d .= 1 . 52 ) and 90 g . ( 50 ml . ; 0 . 98 mole ) concentrated sulfuric acid ( d .= 1 . 84 ) are placed into a 500 ml . three - necked flask equipped with a stirrer , cooler , thermometer and dropping funnel and , while stirring , 16 . 1 g . ( 0 . 05 mole ) of one of the above - mentioned ( diphenylmethyl )- 1 - methyl - pyridinium nitrates are added thereto in such a manner that the temperature of the reaction mixture does not exceed 50 ° c . thereafter , the reaction mixture is slowly heated to 70 ° c . and , at this temperature , a mixture of 60 ml . oleum ( 15 % sulfur trioxide content ) and 30 ml . ( 47 . 5 g . ; 0 . 75 mole ) nitric acid ( d .+ 1 . 52 ) is added thereto dropwise and the reaction mixture is heated for 1 hour at 90 ° c . and subsequently poured onto 500 ml . ice . the crude product obtained is dissolved , with warming , in a little methanol , treated with active charcoal , filtered off with suction and the hydrogen sulfate precipitated out by the addition of diethyl ether . after again dissolving in acetone and precipitating with diethyl ether , there is obtained the chromatographically uniform amorphous hydroxysulfates of the tetranitro compounds , the following compound being obtained in this manner : ______________________________________ ## str15 ## tlc * r m . p . yield elution agent rf______________________________________ ## str16 ## amorphous sinters above 70 ° c . 31 . 5 % xm xylene - methyl ethyl ketone ( 1 : 1 0 . 21 ## str17 ## amorphous , sinters above 120 ° c ., decomp . 25 . 6 % dew 211 n - butanol glacial acetic acid : water ( 2 : 1 : 1 v / v / v ) 0 . 19 ## str18 ## amorphous sinters above 70 ° c . 32 . 1 % isopropanol : n - butyl acetate : water : ammonia ( 50 : 30 : 15 : 8 v / v / v / v ) 0 . 45______________________________________ * tlc finished plate ; silica gel 60 f 254 ( merck ). for carrying out the preparation , the above - mentioned hydrogen sulfates are dissolved in water and ammonia or dilute alkali added thereto until the ph is 9 - 10 . 5 . the deep blue to violet colored pyridinio - betaines formed are filtered off with suction , washed with water and petroleum ether - ligroin ( 1 : 1 v / v ) and dried over phosphorus pentoxide . these compounds decompose upon heating , without melting . the following compounds are thus obtained : ______________________________________ ## str19 ## position decomposition absorptionof x point yield pk value [ nm ] ______________________________________2 & gt ; 225 ° c . 90 . 2 % 9 400 - 8003 & gt ; 238 ° c . 93 . 5 % 10 . 5 400 - 9004 & gt ; 233 ° c . 95 . 1 % 6 . 5 400 - 810______________________________________ 40 g . ( 0 . 071 mole ) 1 -[ bis -( 2 , 4 - dinitrophenyl )- methyl ]-( 4 - tert .- butyl - 1 - pyridinium ) bromide or tetrafluoroborate ( prepared from a methanolic solution of the crude bromide by the addition of 38 % tetrafluoroboric acid ; m . p . 204 °- 205 ° c .) are dissolved in 200 ml . dimethylformamide with the addition of 2 ml . 485 hydrobromic acid and , with vigorous stirring and monitoring with a glass electrode , the ph is adjusted to 10 by the dropwise addition of 950 ml . 5 % ethanolic potassium hydroxide solution . thereafter , the precipitated 1 -[ bis -( 2 , 4 - dinitrophenyl )- 4 - tert .- butyl - 1 - pyridino ]- methanide is poured off , washed with 3 liters of water and the betaine obtained is dried over silica gel and phosphorus pentoxide , there being obtained 33 . 5 g . ( 97 . 8 % of theory ) of metallically shining crystals of the title compound . the compound decomposes at 225 ° c ., without melting . for the preparation of the pyridinium betaine , a dimethylformamide solution of the salt in question can be introduced into a mixture of dimethylformamide and ammonia , the ph is adjusted to 9 to 10 , the betaine is subsequently precipitated out by the addition of a fourfold amount of water and the reaction mixture is then further worked up as above . the following betaines of the following general formula are prepared in the same manner : ## str20 ## filter paper is impregnated with a solution of the following composition , dried and cut up into 6 mm . wide bands : filter paper is impregnated with a solution of the following composition , dried and also cut up into 6 mm . wide bands : screen printing cloth with a filament thickness of about 100 μu and an open surface area of about 35 %, referred to the total surface area , is hydrophobed with silicone resin and cut up into 25 to 40 mm . wide bands . hydrophilic nylon mesh of about 60 μu thickness and 40 μu filament thickness and with a free hole surface area of about 65 %, referred to the total surface area , is cut up into 15 mm . wide bands . as carrier film and handle , there is used a 6 - 10 mm . wide approximately 0 . 2 to 0 . 3 mm . thick band of melt adhesive - coated polyester film . urease paper 3 , indicator paper 1 and separator 2 are sealed , together with a mesh 4 covering the urease paper on the end of the 6 - 10 cm . wide handle 5 coated with a melt adhesive and the resulting band cut up into 6 mm . wide strips so that a 6 × 6 mm . test zone results on a 6 - 10 cm . long handle . 10 μl . serum are dropped onto the covering mesh of such a strip and closed over with an adhesive label . after a reaction time of 7 minutes , the urease paper and covering mesh are removed , together with the distance piece . the coloration of the indicator layer is measured from above with a remission photometer . depending upon the urea concentration , the following measurement values are obtained : ______________________________________ measurement signal ( scalemg . urea / 100 ml . divisions ) ± 1 s , averageserum of 10 values______________________________________20 12 . 9 ± 0 . 7540 27 . 5 ± 1 . 560 46 . 1 ± 1 . 980 61 . 5 ± 1 . 4100 69 . 0 ± 0 . 4150 77 . 2 ± 0 . 5200 79 . 4 ± 0 . 5______________________________________ filter paper is impregnated with a solution of the following composition and dried at 70 ° c . : polyamide sleece with a thickness of about 80 μu is given a hydrophobic finish with silicone resin . for the determination of urea in whole blood , the test strip is provided with a drop of blood . after a reaction time of 7 minutes , visually easily differentiatable reaction colors are formed , depending upon the urea content : ______________________________________mg . urea / 100 ml . blood colour______________________________________20 yellow40 greenish - yellow60 yellow - green80 green100 blue - green150 greenish - blue200 blue______________________________________ | 2 |
referring first to fig1 and 2 it will be observed that a novel instrument carrier constructed in accordance with the invention is indicated generally in those figures by the numeral 10 , this instrument being shown in a column of fluid 12 confined within a column maintaining means such as a pipe string 14 , which may constitute a drilling string having a conventional drilling bit 16 at its lower end . it will be appreciated that the pipe string 14 is , for the purpose of this invention , any suitable means for confining and maintaining a column of the fluid within a well bore 20 which extends to any suitable region which it is desired to test by various instruments . it is also to be understood that the pipe string has connected thereto any suitable source of pressurized fluid for producing a flow of fluid under pressure downwardly in the pipe string as indicated by the arrow 22 , which source may constitute the usual drilling fluid circulating pump represented diagrammatically at 110 in fig1 acting to pump drilling mud under pressure into the upper end of the string through the usual swivel 111 . further , the pipe string is understood to have some access means at the surface of the earth by means of which carrier 10 may be introduced into or removed from the string from time to time as may be desired without the necessity for removing the pipe string from the well bore . carrier 10 ( see in particular fig4 and 5 ) comprises a hollow rod - like body which may conveniently consist of a plurality of axially and detachably aligned and connected sections , such as a plurality of hollow , sealed buoyancy producing sections 24 and an instrument carrying section 26 having a chamber 28 therein . any desired number of these sections may be joined together in end - to - end alignment in varying numbers and arrangements to form a body having any desired buoyancy and instrument carrying capacity as required by the particular operations to be performed . in lieu of the hollow sections 24 , the carrier buoyancy components may be formed of a suitable light solid material which is inherently of sufficiently low density to float upwardly within the circulating fluid , and which material may have pressure equalizing bores drilled therethrough or therein if desired . at its upper end , the uppermost section 24 has detachably secured thereto the threaded lower extremity 30 of a coupling member 32 which may have an enlarged head 34 by means of which a wire line grapple or other means may be detachably engaged with the carrier to lift and handle the same or introduce it into or remove it from the pipe string at the surface . further , the connector 32 is provided with a plurality of laterally projecting and preferably radially extending guide arms 36 , of a resilient material such as rubber or the like , which serve to resiliently engage the sides of the pipe string 14 or other fluid column confining means to center and guide the carrier 10 during its travel in the pipe string . the instrument containing section 26 is preferably provided with an open end which is closed by a removable closure plug 40 . this section may conveniently be provided with ports 42 in its side walls by means of which a free and continuous communication is established between the chamber 28 and the pipe string or other fluid column maintaining means for testing purposes . loosely and slidably received in the chamber 28 is a receptacle 44 preferably of a cylindrical shape in which are disposed one or more instruments 144 for testing and test recordation . this receptacle is resiliently mounted in chamber 28 by shock absorbing and cushioning means , which may consist of a pair of springs 46 and 48 interposed respectively between the opposite ends of receptacle 44 and the corresponding ends of chamber 28 , to yieldingly support the receptacle and instruments in an intermediate position while protecting them against shock . the operation of the apparatus and the method of obtaining test data from deep well regions in accordance with this invention will now be readily understood as follows : the desired numbers of different types of sections 24 and 26 are made up into the complete carrier 10 , with section 26 receiving the receptacle 44 therein containing the necessary testing and recording instruments . it will be appreciated that a number of these sections 26 may be assembled into a single carrier 10 as may be desired or necessary . with the proper number of the buoyant sections 24 assembled into the carrier , the latter is lifted by any suitable means , such as a wire line or the like engaging the head 34 of the coupling member 32 , and is disposed in the upper end of the pipe string 14 at the surface in any suitable manner , not shown but well understood by those skilled in the art . when the carrier is inserted in the fluid column maintained in the pipe string , it will buoyantly float at the upper end thereof , since the effective average density of the carrier and its contents is less than the density of the drilling mud or other fluid within the string . when it is desired to conduct the test , a fluid flow producing means such as the mud pump 110 of fig1 is started , thereby producing a flow of the fluid in the column downwardly through the pipe string and to the region to be tested . this downward flow will transport the carrier 10 therewith and the carrier will be maintained at the desired region as long as this flow continues . the desired region may be in the area of the drill bit 16 , in which event the carrier will rest against or adjacent the end of the drill bit during the fluid flow . on the other hand , if the region to be tested is spaced above the drill bit , the pipe string has suitable stop means disposed therein for halting the carrier at the location . the carrier is maintained at the desired region for a sufficient period of time to enable the instruments therein to make the necessary tests and to obtain the desired test data . the operation of the instruments may be effected in any desired manner , which in itself forms no part of the present invention . after the testing has been completed and the desired records made as a result thereof , the carrier and the instruments are retrieved to the surface by merely stopping the flow producing means such as pump 110 . upon cessation of the downward fluid flow , the natural buoyancy of the carrier will cause it to float upwardly through the fluid to the surface , where it may then be removed by the handling or grappling means previously mentioned and the test instruments and / or test data recovered therefrom . there is thus provided a means and a system whereby test operations may be performed and test data recovered from a deep well region by the use of existing pipe strings and without the necessity for introducing any additional equipment and merely through the utilization of the conventional flow producing means of a pipe string . the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . 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 as claimed . | 4 |
detailed embodiments of the instant invention are disclosed herein , however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention , which may be embodied in various forms . therefore , specific functional and structural details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representation basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure . the instant invention promotes the growth of calcareous organisms using a prepackaged and stable composition comprising , inter alia , aragonite and at least one calcium ion containing compound , to replace the typical multi - product recipe . the first component of the instant composition includes aragonite ( orthorhombric caco 3 ) particles having a size capable of dispersing evenly throughout the aquatic system . moreover , the size of the aragonite particles should be such that these particles readily diffuse into any biofilm covering the calcareous organisms . the biofilm helps to dissociate the aragonite into its bioavailable nutrients ( i . e ., calcium , carbonate , strontium and magnesium .) it has been discovered by the present inventor that aragonite particle size should be in the colloidal size range , that is , at least about 10 microns , preferably about 5 microns to exhibit the aforementioned properties . the micron dimension of the aragonite is advantageous as it provides 500 × the surface area of a 1 mm particle , and therefore , accelerates the rate of chemical reactions that are surface area dependent , such as , diffusion through a biofilm . the second component of the instant invention includes at least one calcium ion containing compound . examples of idoneous calcium ion containing compounds include at least one member selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride , calcium hydroxide , calcium citrate , calcium sucrate , calcium lactate , calcium edta ( ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ), and calcium gluconate . calcium chloride is a particularly preferred form of calcium ion containing compound since it is very soluble in aquatic systems , thus , able to deliver high amounts of calcium ions to a closed system without affecting ph . in this example , the spectator ion is the chloride ion . chloride is one of the primary ionic components of natural aquatic systems ( sea water ) and excess of chloride ions may raise the salinity of the closed system but does not create any ionic imbalance . the instant invention may further include a third component , for example , least one iodide ion containing compound capable of supplying one or more iodide species ( including iodate and molecular iodine forms ) to the aquatic system . in many calcareous organisms iodine acts as a detoxifier , providing protection against ultra - violet radiation and a natural defense against parasites . examples of suitable iodide containing compounds include , albeit not limited to , sodium iodide , potassium iodide . potassium iodide is a particularly preferred form of an iodide ion containing compound as the spectator ion ( potassium ) also promotes coralline algae and coral growth . another example of an idoneous supplement that may be included in the instant composition includes , at least one magnesium ion containing compound capable of supplying magnesium to the aquatic system . examples of suitable magnesium ion containing compounds include , albeit not limited to , magnesium sulfate , magnesium chloride or the like . magnesium is an essential part of photosynthesis ; without photosynthesis beneficial coralline algae and coral would not survive in closed system aquariums . a non - limiting illustrative example is presented herein ; the following is only an example and not solely representative of the inventive concepts discussed herein . into de - ionized water by weight , based on the total weight of the composition , the following dry components are added : aragonite ( caco 3 ) from about 50 to about 54 %; calcium chloride ( cacl 2 ) from about 49 to about 46 %; potassium iodide ( ki ) less than 1 %; when using the prepackaged composition of the present invention , the user will need only shake the container well to reconstitute before use , and add approximately 5 ml per 50 gallons of closed aquatic system . without wishing to be bound to any particular theory , it is believed that when the aforementioned composition is within the prepackaged container , the second component ( for example , calcium chloride ) is fully dissociated into ionic calcium and non - active incidental ions of chloride . the concentration of ionic calcium is present in an amount effective to prevent the aragonite from dissociating inside the container . after the appropriate portion ( e . g ., about 5 ml per 50 gallons of closed system ) of this composition is added to the aquatic system , the aragonite particles begin to immediately dissociate into bioavailable nutrients ( calcium cations and carbonate anions ) which are readily absorbed by any calcareous animals therein . concomitantly , the second component is supplied in an amount effective such that the concentration of dissociated calcium ions in the aquatic system precludes , or retards , the diffusion of absorbed calcium through the membrane of the calcareous organisms into the aquatic system . the higher concentration of absorbed ionic calcium in the calcareous organisms would diffuse to the aquatic system was it not for the ionic calcium of the second component . thus , the two components of the present invention ensure that the concentrated calcium and carbonate are effectively delivered to the calcareous organisms . in established aquatic systems a biolayer will cover all calcareous organisms therein . the dispersed aragonite particles adhere upon and / or embed within this biolayer . the biolayer facilitates the dissociation of the aragonite particles into the bioavailable calcium and carbonate ions for absorption into calcareous organisms as needed . the concentration of calcium and carbonate in the biofilm provides a nutrient - rich reserve from which the calcareous organisms draw from . all patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains . all patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference . it is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated , it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification . one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned , as well as those inherent therein . the embodiments , methods , procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments , are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope . changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims . although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments , it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments . indeed , various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims . | 8 |
referring to fig1 , a prior art fuel injection valve and director plate assembly 10 comprises a valve seat 12 , a valve ball 14 , and a director plate 16 . as is well known in 10 the prior art and need not be shown here , valve seat 12 is adapted to be sealingly welded into a body ( not shown ) of a fuel injector 18 . seat 12 is provided with an annular first conically beveled face 20 for receiving valve ball 14 in a circular sealing line 22 having a diameter 24 greater than the diameter of the injection opening in seat 12 . first beveled face 20 typically terminates in a second beveled face 21 reverse - beveled 15 from face 20 defining a conical exit opening to permit dispersal of fuel injected by the valve . controllably varying the position of valve ball 14 with respect to face 20 controllably varies the flow of fuel across seat 12 . prior art director plate 16 is coplanar with axial face 26 of seat 12 over both a peripheral portion 17 and a central portion 19 of plate 16 . central portion 19 is provided with a plurality of exemplary cylindrical distribution passages 28 a , 28 b through plate 16 for discharging into manifold or firing chamber 30 fuel having passed across seat 12 . exemplary axis 29 a of passage 28 a is inclined to plate axis 31 such that fuel passing through passage 28 a is discharged away from plate axis 31 . exemplary axis 29 b of passage 28 b is parallel to plate axis 31 such that fuel passing through passage 28 b is discharged parallel to plate axis 31 . referring to fig2 , an improved fuel injection valve and director plate assembly 110 in accordance with the invention comprises a valve seat 12 and a valve ball 14 as in prior art assembly 10 . novel assembly 110 differs from prior art assembly 10 in that fuel flow passages 128 through improved director plate 116 between an upstream surface 106 and a downstream surface 108 are chamfered 150 at the upstream end , such chamfering being preferably conical . the chamfering of each passage may extend only part way through ( 128 a ), the remainder of the passage being cylindrical ( 152 ), or completely through ( 128 b ) plate 16 . a second conical chamfer may also be imposed on top of the first chamfer , as discussed further , below ( see fig9 ). the axes 129 b of the passages may be parallel to plate axis 31 . a serious disadvantage of prior art director plate 16 is that areas of low fuel flow or flow stagnation occur at the entrances and along the walls of passages 28 . the relatively low fuel velocity in these areas permits deposits from fuel to form gradually . flow visualization studies have shown that formation of deposits can be reduced or eliminated by eliminating such stagnation zones through the use of a taper at the entrance of the passage . thus , in improved director plate 116 , the entrances to the passages are chamfered as described above to increase the velocity of the fuel across the entrance of the passage along director plate surface 106 and to eliminate eddies and stagnant areas near the entrances within the passages . an especially useful placement of the chamfered entrances in the director plate is such that fuel flowing from the valve seat and ball in a main direction of flow 154 is received into the chamfered entrances 150 of passages 128 . thus , the walls of the chamfered portions are washed directly by fuel flowing at high velocity , preventing deposits from forming . a currently - preferred embodiment of a passage 128 in accordance with the invention is passage 128 a comprising a chamfered upstream portion 150 and a cylindrical downstream portion 152 where the diameter of portion 152 is sized to control the volume of fuel exiting the director plate passage , and the length 156 of portion 152 is minimal , preferably less than the diameter of portion 152 . referring to fig3 , flow passages 128 a may take any of several forms within the scope of the invention , some of which are exemplarily shown . in passage 160 , the conical axis 162 and the cylindrical axis 164 are both parallel with axis 31 of plate 116 , as in passage 128 a shown in fig2 . in passage 170 , the conical axis 172 is parallel with plate axis 31 and the cylindrical axis 174 is non - parallel with plate axis 31 . in passage 180 , the conical axis 182 is non - parallel with plate axis 31 and the cylindrical axis 184 is parallel with plate axis 31 . in passage 190 , both the conical axis 192 and the cylindrical axis 194 are non - parallel with plate axis 31 . referring to fig4 through 10 , a method in accordance with the invention is disclosed for forming one or more director plate chamfered flow passages . in fig4 and 5 , a director plate blank 216 has an upstream surface 206 and a downstream surface 208 . an exemplary cylindrical fuel flow passage 228 a extends through plate 216 . axis 229 a of passage 228 a is inclined to plate axis 231 by a first angle 270 . passage 228 a is formed preferably by stamping or punching ( not shown ) in a direction 272 entering from the downstream surface 208 , as shown in fig5 , rather than from upstream surface 206 , as shown in fig4 . this is principally because the punch - entering surface is left with a clean , sharp corner 274 , rather than a torn - out corner 276 as tends to occur on the punch - exiting surface ( omitted from surface 208 in fig4 ). when the passage is formed as in fig5 , torn - out corner 276 and associated debris is eliminated in the next forming step as described below . the result of forming cylindrical passage 228 a by punching or stamping in either direction is a first stage director plate 216 a . referring to fig6 and 7 , a first punch tool 278 having a frusto - conical portion 280 of a first included cone angle 282 is entered into passage 228 a to a first depth 284 . the axis 286 of frusto - conical portion 280 may be coincident with cylindrical axis 229 a but preferably is inclined from axis 229 a toward axis 231 by a second angle 288 . the result of punching by tool 278 is a second stage director plate 216 a having a residual portion of cylindrical passage 228 a and a newly - formed conical passage portion 228 b , as shown in fig7 . referring to fig8 and 9 , a second punch tool 290 having a frusto - conical portion 292 of a second included cone angle 294 is entered into conical passage portion 228 b to a second depth 296 . the axis 298 of frusto - conical portion 292 is preferably inclined to cylindrical axis 229 a by an angle 300 which is larger than angle 288 and may equal angle 270 ( fig4 and 5 ). the result of punching by tool 290 is a third stage director plate 216 b having a residual portion of cylindrical passage 228 a , a residual portion of first conical passage portion 228 b , and a second conical passage portion 228 c , as shown in fig9 . note that in some cases the use of second punch tool 290 may be omitted , for example , when the declination of first punch tool axis 286 from plate axis 231 is less than about 10 - 15 °. in some applications , the director plate at third stage 216 b is ready for use . however , for maximum performance , a secondary process may be used to eliminate any burrs from the multiple stamping process just described , which process may include exemplarily fluid honing , electrochemical treatment , and the like . for clarity of explanation , first and second conical portions 228 b , 228 c are shown as being formed in two separate punching steps by two separate punch tools 278 , 290 . it should be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of punch tools , however , that the shapes of the two punches can be formed in a single compound punch tool ( not shown ), and that director plate 216 b may be formed from plate 216 in a single punching step . it is further possible to devise a multiply compound punch tool which punches portions 228 a , 228 b , 228 c in a single stroke ; the disadvantage of such a tool is that portion 228 a then must be formed by punching in the same direction as portions 228 b , 228 c , which has been shown to cause significant tear - out damage to the downstream corner 274 ( fig5 ). thus it is a preferred method in accordance with the invention that cylindrical portion 228 a is formed by punching or stamping in a first direction , and that conical portions 228 b , 228 c are formed by punching in a second direction generally opposite to the first direction . referring to fig1 , in a radiusing punch tool 320 , conical portion 292 , shown previously in tool 290 is merged into a concave radius portion 322 to provide an even smoother fuel entrance into the fuel flow passage . preferably , tool 320 includes a convex radius portion 324 outboard of portion 322 to laterally position residual plate material 326 , removed from the flow passage during formation thereof , at a distance from the entrance to the flow passage . the result of using tool 320 is a director plate 216 c having both a radiused entry into either a single conical or a doubly - conical and cylindrical fuel flow passage . while the invention has been described by reference to various specific embodiments , it should be understood that numerous changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described . accordingly , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiments , but will have full scope defined by the language of the following claims . | 5 |
referring now to the drawings in more detail and initially to fig1 , numeral 10 generally designates a greeting card constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the greeting card 10 includes a card body 12 . in the illustrated embodiment , the card body 12 includes a front panel 14 , a back panel 16 , and an interior panel 18 . as readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art , the card body 12 may consist of a single piece of card stock that has been folded along fold lines 20 to provide panels 14 , 16 and 18 , as depicted in the illustrated embodiment . it would also be readily understood that the panels 14 , 16 , 18 may be individual panels that are joined to one another and any number of methods known in the art and that the card body 12 could have any number of panels . a trial mode panel or flap 22 is also provided and is preferably coupled with the card body 12 . in the illustrated embodiment , the trial mode panel 22 is a part of and is cut out with the card blank that forms the card body 12 . the fold line 20 , however , between the trial mode panel 22 and the interior panel 18 is scored to provide a perforated tear line 24 . the purpose of the tear line will be discussed in greater detail below . in the illustrated embodiment , the interior panel 18 has been folded back such that it overlies the back panel 16 . the interior panel 18 and the back panel 16 have been secured together along an upper edge 26 of the card body 12 and along a lower edge 28 of the card body 12 . a right edge 30 of the card body 12 has been left unsecured to the back panel 16 . as such , the interior panel 18 and the back panel 16 define a pocket or cavity 32 into which an audio message recording and playback device 34 may be positioned . turning now to fig4 , the audio device 34 is illustrated . the audio device 34 , for ease of manufacture and assembly of the greeting card 10 , may be provided on a carrier 36 . the carrier 36 can then be adhered to inner surfaces 38 of the front and back panels 14 , 16 . alternatively , the components of the audio device 34 may be individually positioned inside the pocket 32 . the audio device 34 preferably includes a speaker 40 , a microphone 42 , a circuit board 44 , an integrated circuit 46 , a power supply 48 , and first , second and third switches 50 , 52 , and 54 . in addition to the electrical components mentioned , which are coupled to the circuit board 44 , other electrical components 56 are coupled with the circuit board 44 as would be readily understood and appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art . in the illustrated embodiment , the audio device 34 includes a separate speaker 40 and microphone 42 . it is to be understood that the two separate devices could be replaced by one combination device and still be within the scope of the present invention . similarly , in the illustrated embodiment the audio device 34 includes two separate integrated circuits 46 . the two separate integrated circuits could be replaced by a single integrated circuit having the functionality discussed herein . further still , in the illustrated embodiment , the power supply 48 is provided by three separate batteries 48 . other methods of powering the audio device 34 are known and within the scope of the present invention . the first switch 50 is configured to provide the audio device 34 with activation of the recording feature of the audio device 34 . accordingly , in the illustrated embodiment , the first switch 50 is implemented as a record button 50 . as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art , the pressing of the recorded button 50 initiates a recording session whereby a user may record their own audio message to the recording device 34 by way of the microphone 42 . in the illustrated configuration , the recording sessions lasts as long as the record button 50 is depressed or until the capacity of the memory of the audio device 34 is reached . the second switch 52 , in the illustrated embodiment , has been implemented as a slide switch 52 . the slide switch includes a contact arm 58 which is biased into engagement with a contact surface ( not shown ) on the circuit board 44 . the slide switch 52 also includes a slide tab 60 that is movable between the first position partially illustrated in fig1 , where a portion of the slide tab 60 is intermediate the contact arm 58 and the contact surface of the circuit board 44 , thereby creating an open circuit , and the second position illustrated in fig4 , where the greeting card 10 is in an open position and an aperture 62 in the slide tab 60 permits the contact arm 58 to abut the contact surface of the circuit board 44 , thereby creating a closed circuit . a proximal end 64 of the slide tab 60 may be positioned over the inner surface 38 of the front panel 14 whereby movement of the front panel 14 away from the interior panel 18 ( i . e ., opening the card ) pulls the slide tab 60 out from between the contact arm 58 and the contact surface of the circuit board 44 and whereby subsequent closing of the greeting card 10 ( i . e ., moving the front panel 14 towards the interior panel 18 ) moves the slide tab 60 back between the contact arm 58 and the contact surface of the circuit board 44 . at the illustrated embodiment , the third switch 54 is implemented as a tear switch 54 . the tear switch includes a strip 66 having a path 68 thereon . a portion of the strip 66 is coupled with the trial mode panel 22 and another portion of the strip is coupled with the circuit board 44 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 where the strip 66 is still one piece , electricity may flow from the circuit board 44 through the path 68 and return back to the circuit board 44 , thereby informing the audio device 34 that the trial mode panel 22 is still in place and that the audio device 34 should function in its trial mode . when the trial mode panel 22 is detached from the greeting card 10 , as illustrated in fig6 , the strip 66 is torn into two pieces and the path 68 is broken . as a result , the tear switch 54 is moved from a closed circuit to an open circuit , the change in the state of the tear switch 54 is recognized by the audio device 34 , and the audio device 34 functions in a use mode . when appearing in a store for sale , the greeting card 10 appears generally as illustrated in fig1 . in this condition ( i . e ., where the trial mode panel 22 is still coupled with the card body 12 ), the greeting card 10 is in its trial mode . in one embodiment of the trial mode , upon opening of the greeting card 10 as illustrated in fig1 , a first prerecorded and preferably permanent recording is played followed by a second prerecorded and permanent recording . in this embodiment , the first recording is an audio message containing spoken instructions regarding how to record a test message for playback . an example of a possible first message would be , “ press and hold button to record your message before the song .” in this embodiment , the first recording is immediately followed by the second recording . in this embodiment , the second recording is a song or music clip . in the illustrated embodiment , the song that correlates with the text and graphics ( i . e ., the sentiment ) on the greeting card is the song “ bang the drum all day ” by todd rundgren . once the song is played , the audio device 34 waits for further user input . the trial mode panel 22 may also be provided with instruction text and / or graphics to inform the user how to record a test message . to record the test message , the user presses the record button 50 to initiate a recording session . in the illustrated embodiment , a removable location label 70 is provided to visibly indicate the position of the record button 50 that is concealed in the pocket 32 between the interior panel 18 and the back panel 16 . a user may choose to pinch the record button 50 between their thumb and a finger to initiate the record sequence . upon completion of recording a test message , the user releases the record button 50 . at this point , the audio device 34 automatically initiates playback of the test message so that the user may hear their recording . to give the user / potential purchaser a more accurate understanding of what it would be like to receive the card , the test message is followed by playing of the second recording , in this case the song . once the test message and the song have been played , the audio device 34 waits for subsequent user interaction . the trial mode does not provide a way for the test message to be played a second time . this prevents a situation where a first person in a store records an inappropriate message on the greeting card 10 and leaves it on the shelf to be subsequently played back to a second unsuspecting person at a later time upon opening the card . in this regard , upon closing the card 10 when it is in its trial mode , the audio device 34 reverts to its default procedures and subsequent opening of the card 10 results in playing of the instruction recording followed by the music recording . a second instruction recording may be stored on the audio device 34 to further assist a user in recording a message . in one embodiment , the second message would be played immediately upon pressing of the record button 50 . a sample second instruction recording is , “ record your message after the beep . beep .” though not necessary , preferably closing of the card turns off the instructions or music immediately . similarly , depression of the record button 50 interrupts the first instruction recording or the music . once a person purchases the greeting card 10 , they may switch the greeting card 10 from the trial mode to the use mode . this is done by tearing off and / or removing the trial mode panel 22 from the greeting card 10 , as illustrated in fig5 and 6 . once the greeting card 10 has been put in the use mode , as illustrated in fig6 , the audio device 34 permits repeated playback of a user stored message upon activation of the audio device 34 by the second or slide switch 52 upon opening of the card 10 . if the user desires to re - record a message prior to sending the card to the intended recipient , the user simply presses the record button 50 again to initiate another record session , thereby recording a new message over the old message . once the user is satisfied with the message , the user may remove the label 70 and send the greeting card 10 to the intended recipient . removal of the label 70 is not necessary ; however , removal of the label 70 helps avoid the recipient accidentally recording over the message originally recorded and sent to them by the card sender . similarly , the audio device 34 is configured to ignore activation of the record button 50 when the second switch 52 is in its open position ( i . e ., when the greeting card 10 is closed ). this also prevents accidental recording over the intended message should the record button be pressed during the mailing process . it should be noted that , in the use mode , the first recording or the first instruction recording is not played initially upon opening of the greeting card 10 . instead , the user recorded message is played immediately upon opening of the card 10 followed by the second recording , which in the illustrated embodiment is a song . many variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment and / or discussed embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention . such modifications are within the scope of the present invention . for example , the positions of the switches 50 , 52 , 54 can be inverted and the types of switches could be changed . for example , while the tear switch 54 presents a closed circuit in the trial mode and an open mode in the use mode , this could be switched such that removal of the trial mode panel 22 closes the third switch 54 . alternatively , different types of “ switches ” could be used as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art . the term “ switches ” is used in its broadest sense . another possible modification would be replacing the slide switch 52 with a light detection mechanism such that opening of the card 10 is recognized by a change in light , thereby sending a signal to the audio device 34 to initiate a playback sequence . further , while the user recorded message is followed by the pre - recorded / non - user recorded recording in one of the embodiments discussed above , it is within the scope of the present invention for the user recorded message to be played before , during and / or after the pre - recorded recording . other modifications would be within the scope of the present invention . from the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the method and apparatus . it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations . this is contemplated by and is within the scope of the invention . since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof , it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative of applications of the principles of this invention , and not in a limiting sense . | 1 |
to date , the most successful approach in reducing the rate of cognitive decline in ad patients has been based on blocking the enzyme acetylcholinesterase ( ache ). ache is responsible for breaking down ach after it is released into the synaptic cleft as a result of nerve impulses . by temporarily blocking the activity of ache via acetylcholinesterase inhibitors ( acheis ), the concentration of ach in the bram and spinal cord is increased and its effects sustained . this mechanism of action ( also known as the cholinergic effect ) enhances the function of central cholinergic neurons which govern the process of learning and memory . in clinical evaluation , acheis have shown to improve cognition and memory in alzheimer &# 39 ; s patients . in fact , the fda - approved drugs for first - line treatment of mild - moderate ad — donepezil , galantamine and rivastigmine — are reversible acheis . the memory and learning attributes of the compounds of the present invention have been demonstrated in animal models . in addition to the classical role of ache , recent reports have implicated ache in a non - classical role of action in the brain . although both ache and bche are found in the neuritic plaques of ad brains , only ache has been found to promote the amyloid - beta ( a □) fibrils assembly and accelerate the deposition of plaques ( inetrosa et al ., 1996 ). in contrast , bche attenuates amyloid fibril formation in vitro ( diamant et al ., 2006 ). inhibitors against the catalytic binding site of ache increase the level of acetylcholine in brain while inhibitors to the peripheral anionic binding site ( pas ) of the enzyme can prevent the pro - aggregating activity of ache towards a □ ( piazzi et al ., 2003 ). the novel compounds of formula i also have the ability to confer neuroprotection . in particular , they are useful for protecting nerve cells and tissues subjected to glutamate - induced stress from damage by blocking the actions of the n - methyl - d - aspartate ( nmda ) receptor ( as opposed to simply treating damage thereof ). in light of the role of nmda receptors in neuron - pathological conditions , nmda receptor antagonists have been identified as therapeutic agents for excitotoxicity to alleviate symptoms of its associated neuronal disorders , conditions that currently have few , if any , effective treatments . compounds of the present invention are therefore potential therapeutic agents for acute and chronic disorders of the central nervous system ( cns ), such as neurodegenerative diseases , chronic pain , stroke and epilepsy . by preventing efficient receptor activation and synapse transmission by glutamate , the compounds encompassing the invention can prevent excitotoxicity and its associated downstream events that lead to neuronal tissue injury and death , and diseased states . the compounds of formula i exhibit two modes of action . like the cholinergic drugs , they inhibit acetylcholinesterase in neuronal synapses of cholinergic neurons to enhance the cholinergic effect , thus playing an important role in enhancing cognitive deficits in dementia and ad - related dementia . they also act as nmda receptor antagonists and protect against glutamate - induced neurotoxicity which has been implicated in many neuropathic diseases and disorders . the compounds of formula i thus represent a new generation of compounds that both protect against glutamate - induced neurotoxicity as well as enhance cognitive deficits in diseased brains . they are novel in the sense that they encapsulate two key mechanisms of activity both of which play important roles in the progression of diseases such as ad . in fact , recent research suggests that ache inhibitors that exhibit the ability to prevent glutamate - induced neuronal apoptosis may be of greater therapeutic value in the treatment of ad than pure ache inhibitors ( li et al , 2005 ). furthermore , in clinical practice on the management of ad , studies are underway on determining the efficacy of combination treatments — administration of both an nmda antagonist ( memantine ) and a cholinergic drug ( donepezil , galantamine or rivastigmine ). therefore , compounds such as the invention may harbour greater therapeutic benefits than those found in existing ad drugs . the compounds of formula i also exhibit a strong selectivity towards ache over bche . this selectivity enables achei to inhibit ache induced aggregation of a □. tacrine , on the other hand , is a non - selective mixed - type ache inhibitor which binds more tightly to bche . thus , tacrine has no effect on ache - promoted a □ aggregation . another example is the pas binding inhibitor , propidium , which is less selective towards bche compared to ache , and thus , strongly inhibits the ache - promoted a □ aggregation . therefore , the selectivity of inhibitors to ache then bche is suggested to be an important factor when searching for novel potential therapeutic candidates ( bolognesi et al ., 2005 ). schematic methods for producing the compounds of the invention are as follows . the invention will now be described with reference to a number of working examples . these are provided as a guide to the skilled reader to performing the invention , and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way . a number of compounds of the invention were subjected to experimental procedures to test their respective abilities to confer neuroprotection and to reverse or hinder neurological damage in animal subjects . the tested compounds had the following formulas : the in vitro inhibition of the enzymes acetylcholinesterase ( ache ) and butyrylcholinesterase ( bche ) were assessed . bche , like ache , breaks down acetylcholine ( ach ) but is found in plasma and other organs such as the liver , skin and gastrointestinal tract . since bche inhibition may lead to unwanted side - effects , the compounds of formula i were evaluated for : ( i ) potent inhibition of ache and ( ii ) a strong selectivity for ache over bche . the anti - acetylcholinesterase activity of the compounds was demonstrated by performing a cholinesterase assay and measuring enzyme inhibition using a spectrophotometric method based on the ellman method . the enzymes , ache and bche , used in the inhibition studies were prepared from the cortex and serum of decapitated rats , respectively . the concentration required to yield 50 % enzyme inhibition ( ic 50 ) was determined for each of the novel compounds of formula i . the results are presented in table 1 . tacrine and bis ( 7 )- tacrine , both known ache inhibitors , were included for comparison . bis ( 7 )- tacrine is a potent and selective inhibitor of ache but as the data in table 1 indicates , compounds a , b and c exhibited higher potency and selectivity towards ache than tacrine or bis ( 7 )- tacrine . compound a , b and c were ˜ 200 , 20471 , and 11000 times more potent than tacrine , respectively , and ˜ 53 , 1885 and 1039 times more potent than bis ( 7 )- tacrine . whole cell patch clamp studies were conducted to measure the ion current across the surface of hippocampal neurons in the presence and absence of the novel compounds to demonstrate nmda receptor activity . the nmda receptor is a gated ion channel , which allows inflow of current during a nerve impulse . antagonists to the receptor would prevent the inflow of current . memantine , a known nmda antagonist was used as the positive control . hippocampal neurons from embryonic day 18 rats were isolated , trypsinized , plated onto 35 - mm plates at a density of 3 × 10 4 cells / plate and cultured in neurobasal medium ( nb ) supplemented with b27 nutrient . div10 - 14 rat hippocampal neurons were treated with nmda ( 50 μm ) in the absence or presence of the novel compounds ( cpd a , b and c ) ( 10 μg / ml ). data is presented as % of nmda - induced current . dmso is the solvent control . fig1 shows that compounds a , b , and c decreased nmda - induced current in hippocampal neurons . the compounds were subjected to nmda survival assays to investigate their ability to prevent nmda receptor - induced excitotoxicity . the nmda survival assay was performed to measure the degree of protection provided to cortical neuronal cells when treated with the compounds prior to an ischemic insult . div10 cortical neurons were treated with nmda ( 20 μm ) in the presence of compound ( cpd ) b or c ( μg / ml ). ldh release in the medium was detected at 24 hr after treatment . dmso was used as the solvent control , while mk - 801 ( 10 μm ) is a known nmda antagonist . fig2 demonstrates that cpds b and c were able to protect rat cortical neurons against nmda excitotoxicity . div11 rat cortical neurons were treated with nmda ( 20 μm ) in the absence or presence of compounds ( mk - 801 , 10 μm ; compound a , 0 . 001 - 10 μg / ml ). ldh release in the medium was detected at 24 hr after treatment . dmso was used as the solvent control . fig3 demonstrates that compound ( cpd ) a is capable of protecting cortical neurons against nmda insults . the effect of the compounds on spatial learning and memory in young adult rats was demonstrated using a morris water maze task , the favored test to study hippocampal - dependent learning and memory . the morris water maze consists of a water pool with a hidden , submerged escape platform . the rats must learn , over a period of consecutive days , the location of the platform using either contextual or local cues . the time taken to locate the hidden platform ( escape latency ) is a measure of the animal &# 39 ; s cognitive abilities . for compound b ( fig4 a ), the test subjects in the control group ( sham ) took ˜ 20 seconds to detect the platform after 4 days of training . in contrast , the scopolamine - induced memory - impaired group required more than twice the amount of time to locate the platform after an identical training period . subsequent administration of compound b reversed the increased escape latency induced by scopolamine at a concentration of 0 . 1 mg / kg more efficiently than 1 . 5 mg / kg of tacrine ( tha ). scopolamine ( 0 . 1 mg / kg ) was first i . p . administered to young adult rats to impair their memories . scopolamine - induced memory impaired rats were then orally administered one of three different doses of compound b ( 0 . 025 , 0 . 050 , or 0 . 100 mg / kg ) and subjected to the morris water maze over a period of 4 days . on each day , the time taken for the rats to detect the hidden platform in the water maze was measured , in seconds . for comparison purposes , tacrine ( 1 . 5 mg / kg ) was similarly administered to scopolamine - induced memory impaired rats but was less effective in shortening escape latency . fig4 a demonstrates that compound b reverses scopolamine - induced performance deficits in the morris water maze test . for the compound designated c ( fig4 b ), the test subjects in the control group ( sham ) took less than 20 seconds to detect the platform after 4 days of training , while the scopolamine - induced memory - impaired group took ˜ 40 seconds . compound c significantly reversed the increased escape latency induced by scopolamine at the concentration of 0 . 4 mg / kg . compound c at concentrations of 0 . 2 mg / kg and 0 . 4 mg / kg was more effective that 1 . 5 mg / kg tacrine ( tha ). scopolamine ( 0 . 1 mg / kg ) was first i . p . administered to young adult rats to impair their memories . scopolamine - induced memory impaired rats were then orally administered one of three different doses of compound c ( 0 . 1 , 0 . 2 , or 0 . 4 mg / kg ) and subjected to the morris water maze over a period of 4 days . on each day , the time taken for the rats to detect the hidden platform in the water maze was measured , in seconds . for comparison purposes , tacrine ( 1 . 5 mg / kg ) was similarly administered to scopolamine - induced memory impaired rats but was less effective in shortening escape latency . fig4 b demonstrates that compound c reverses scopolamine - induced performance deficits in the morris water maze test . for compound a ( fig4 c ), the test subjects in the control group ( sham ) took less than 20 seconds to detect the platform after 4 days of training , while the scopolamine - induced memory - impaired group took ˜ 50 seconds . compound a significantly reversed scopolamine - induced performance deficits at concentrations of 0 . 2 and 0 . 4 mg / kg . scopolamine ( 0 . 1 mg / kg ) was first i . p . administered to young adult rats to impair their memories . scopolamine - induced memory impaired rats were then orally administered one of three different doses of compound a ( 0 . 1 , 0 . 2 , or 0 . 4 mg / kg ) and subjected to the morris water maze over a period of 4 days . on each day , the time taken for the rats to detect the hidden platform in the water maze was measured , in seconds . fig4 c demonstrates that compound a reversed scopolamine - induced performance deficits in the morris water maze test . a spatial bias (% of total distance swum in the training quadrant during spatial probe trial ) for the region of the apparatus where the platform was positioned during training was also measured for compounds b and c . scopolamine - induced memory impaired rats exhibited ˜ 25 % spatial bias in contrast to 40 % observed in non memory - impaired control rats . administration of compound b ( fig4 d ), c ( fig4 e ) or a ( fig4 f ) to memory - impaired rats , however , significantly increased spatial bias . the spatial bias for the region of the testing apparatus where the hidden platform was positioned during training was measured . administration of compound b resulted in increased spatial bias compared to the memory - impaired group with no drug administration ( black bar ). compound b ( 0 . 05 and 0 . 1 mg / kg ) exhibited spatial bias close to control levels ( sham : non memory - impaired rats ). tacrine ( tha ) was included for comparison purposes . fig4 d shows the effect of oral administration ( p . o .) of compound b on scopolamine ( 0 . 1 ing / kg )- treated mice on spatial bias (% of total distance swum in the training quadrant during spatial probe trial ). fig4 e shows the effect of compound c on scopolamine - induced ( 0 . 1 mg / kg ) spatial bias (% of total distance swum in the training quadrant during spatial probe trial ). administration of compound c increased spatial bias compared to the memory - impaired group with no drug administration ( black bar ). compound c at dosages of 0 . 2 and 0 . 4 mg / kg exhibited spatial bias close to control levels ( sham : non memory - impaired rats ). tacrine ( tha ) was included for comparison purposes . fig4 f shows the effect of compound a on scopolamine - induced ( 0 . 1 mg / kg ) spatial bias (% of total distance swum in the training quadrant during spatial probe trial ). administration of compound a increased spatial bias compared to the memory - impaired group with no drug administration ( black bar ). compound a at dosages of 0 . 2 and 0 . 4 mg / kg exhibited spatial bias close to control levels ( sham : non memory - impaired rats ). the mcao ( middle carotid artery occlusion model ) was performed to investigate the protective effects of compounds a , b and c on the brain when the brain was exposed to transient focal ischemia ( lack of oxygen ), emulating brain conditions during a stroke . three main types of data were obtained from this investigation . ( i ) neurological deficits were observed in mice after 22 hours of reperfusion . the ability of the novel compounds to protect against the appearance of these neurological deficits was examined using a four - point scale neurological scoring system ( mann whitney u test ). for each of the following observable signs , the distribution of test subjects was noted ( with and without treatment with the invention after ischemia ): ( 0 ) no observable neurological deficits ( normal ); ( 1 ) failure to extend the left forepaw fully ( mild ); ( 2 ) circling to the contralateral side ( moderate ); and ( 3 ) loss of walking and righting reflex ( severe ). ( ii ) the brains of the test subjects slices were sectioned into five pieces and the infarct area and volume of each slice was measured . the % of infarct area in test subjects treated with the invention after ischemia was compared to that of the control group for each brain slice . ( iii ) hemispheric brain swelling and infarct volume ( the area of dead tissue caused by inadequate blood supply ) was measured for test subjects treated with the invention after ischemia , and compared to that of the control group . all three compounds effectively reduced infarct volume ( the area of dead tissue caused by inadequate blood supply ) and hemispheric brain swelling during ischemic conditions . the compounds were administered 5 minutes after ischemia , 5 minutes after reperfusion , or 6 hours after ischemia . fig5 a to 5 f show results for the heterodimers compound b , c or a respectively , when administered 5 minutes after ischemia or reperfusion . fig5 g and 5 h show the results when the novel heterodimers were administered 6 hours after ischemia . table 2 indicates that compound b reduced neurological deficits induced by ischemia . compound b was administered at 5 minutes after ischemia . distribution of neurological scores based on a four - point scale neurological scoring system ( mann whitney u test ): ( 0 ) no observable neurological deficits ( normal ); ( 1 ) failure to extend the left forepaw fully ( mild ); ( 2 ) circling to the contralateral side ( moderate ); and ( 3 ) loss of walking and righting reflex ( severe ). fig5 a demonstrates that compound ( cpd ) b reduced the infarct area in brain slices # 2 and # 3 after administration at 0 . 05 μg / kg . the raw data for fig5 a is found in table 3 . the brain was sectioned into five pieces , each 2 - mm thick . the infarct area of each posterior surface was analyzed by an image analysis program . the percentage of infarct area and volume were calculated and presented as the percentage of the infarct area of the contralateral hemisphere to eliminate the contribution of edema to the ischemic lesion . fig5 b shows that administration of compound ( cpd ) b reduces infarct volume but not hemispheric swelling . the raw data for fig5 b is found in table 4 . compound c was administered 5 minutes after reperfusion . distribution of neurological scores based on a four - point scale neurological scoring system ( mann whitney u test ): ( 0 ) no observable neurological deficits ( normal ); ( 1 ) failure to extend the left forepaw fully ( mild ); ( 2 ) circling to the contralateral side ( moderate ); and ( 3 ) loss of walking and righting reflex ( severe ). note that it was not possible to compute p value ( veh vs . 0 . 005 ) since sem for 0 . 005 μg / kg is 0 . fig5 c shows that there was a reduction in infarct area of brain slices # 4 after administration of compound ( cpd ) c 5 minutes after reperfusion . the raw data for fig5 c is found in table 6 . the brain was sectioned into five pieces , each 2 - mm thick . the infarct area of each posterior surface was analyzed by an image analysis program . the percentage of infarct area and volume were calculated and presented as the percentage of the infarct area of the contralateral hemisphere to eliminate the contribution of edema to the ischemic lesion . fig5 d shows the effect of compound ( cpd ) c administration 5 minutes after reperfusion reduced infarct size and hemispheric swelling . the raw data for fig5 d is found in table 7 . compound a was administered 5 minutes after ischemia . distribution of neurological scores based on a four - point scale neurological scoring system ( mann whitney u test ): ( 0 ) no observable neurological deficits ( normal ); ( 1 ) failure to extend the left forepaw fully ( mild ); ( 2 ) circling to the contralateral side ( moderate ); and ( 3 ) loss of walking and righting reflex ( severe ). fig5 e shows the improvement in the infarct area after administration of compound ( cpd ) a at dosages of 0 . 05 and 0 . 1 mg / kg . the raw data for fig5 e is found in table 9 . compound a was administered 5 minutes after ischemia . the brain was sectioned into five pieces , each 2 - mm thick . the infarct area of each posterior surface was analyzed by an image analysis program . the percentage of infarct area and volume were calculated and presented as the percentage of the infarct area of the contralateral hemisphere to eliminate the contribution of edema to the ischemic lesion . fig5 f shows that administration of compound ( cpd ) a 5 minutes after ischemia ( at dosages of 0 . 05 and 0 . 1 mg / kg ) decreases infarct volume but not hemispheric swelling . the raw data for fig5 f is found in table 10 . table 11 observed neurological n deficits compound ( dead / total ) 0 1 2 3 mean ± sem vehicle 10 ( 0 / 10 ) 0 1 7 2 2 . 1 ± 0 . 2 compound b 9 ( 0 / 9 ) 0 7 2 0 1 . 2 ± 0 . 2 ** ( 0 . 005 μg / kg ) compound b 8 ( 3 / 12 ) 0 5 3 0 1 . 4 ± 0 . 2 * ( 0 . 05 μg / kg ) compound c 8 ( 1 / 9 ) 0 6 2 0 1 . 3 ± 0 . 2 * ( 0 . 005 μg / kg ) compound c 8 ( 1 / 9 ) 0 6 2 0 1 . 3 ± 0 . 2 * ( 0 . 05 μg / kg ) * p & lt ; 0 . 03 , ** p & lt ; 0 . 01 , mann whitney test when compared with control . compound b or c was administered 6 hours after ischemia . distribution of neurological scores based on a four - point scale neurological scoring system ( mann whitney u test ): ( 0 ) no observable neurological deficits ( normal ); ( 1 ) failure to extend the left forepaw fully ( mild ); ( 2 ) circling to the contralateral side ( moderate ); and ( 3 ) loss of walking and righting reflex ( severe ). fig5 g shows that there was an improvement in the infarct area after the administration of compound ( cpd ) b or c 6 hours after ischemia . the raw data for fig5 g is found in table 12 . the brain was sectioned into five pieces , each 2 - mm thick . the infarct area of each posterior surface was analyzed by an image analysis program . the percentage of infarct area and volume were calculated and presented as the percentage of the infarct area of the contralateral hemisphere to eliminate the contribution of edema to the ischemic lesion . fig5 h demonstrates that the administration of compound ( cpd ) b or c 6 hours after ischemia decreases infarct volume . the raw data for fig5 h is found in table 13 . 6 , 9 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridine : to a mixture of 2 - amino - 4 - chlorobenzoic acid ( 4 . 5 g , 26 . 23 mmol ) and cyclohexanone ( 2 . 72 ml , 26 . 23 mmol ) was added 22 ml phosphorus oxychloride . the mixture was heated to reflux for 3 hours . the excess phosphorus oxychloride was distilled off and the resulting mixture was treated with saturated sodium bicarbonate . the light brown precipitate was filtered , rinsed with water and dried under vacuum to give the desired product 6 . 50 g ( 25 . 77 mmol , 98 . 2 %). 6 , 8 , 9 - trichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridine : a mixture of 3 , 5 - dichloro - phenylamine ( 3 . 0 g , 18 . 7 mmol ) and 2 - oxo - cyclohexanecarboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 3 . 3 ml , 20 . 5 mmol ) was heated to 90 degree celsius for 24 h under nitrogen . phenyl ether ( 15 ml ) was added and the mixture was heated to reflux . the ethanol generated from the reaction was removed by a dean - stark trap . after the reaction was completed as shown by tlc , the mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature . hexane was added and the resulting solid was collected by filtration . recrystallization of the solid from ethanol afforded the desired product 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - ol ( 2 . 4 g , 48 %). a solution of 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - ol ( 18 g , 6 . 7 mmol ) in phosphorus oxychloride ( 45 ml ) was heated to 135 degree celsius for 45 min . after the excess phosphorus oxychloride was distilled under vacuum , the remaining mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature and treated with saturated sodium bicarbonate . the resulting suspension was extracted with diethyl ether (× 3 ). the combined ether extract was washed with brine , dried with sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated . recrystallization from ethanol afforded the desired product ( 1 . 3 g , 68 %) as a white solid . n 1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- propane - 1 , 3 - diamine : to a sealed tube was charged a mixture of 6 , 9 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroacridine ( 1 . 0 g , 3 . 97 mmol ), 1 , 3 - diaminopropane ( 1 . 67 ml , 19 . 83 mmol ) and 4 ml 1 - pentanol . the mixture was heated to 160 degree celsius for 24 h . after cooled down and saturated sodium bicarbonate was added , the mixture was extracted with dichloromethane three times . the combined extract was dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated . the resulting residue was purified by column chromatography on silica gel with 10 - 20 % meoh / ch 2 cl 2 ( 1 % ammonium hydroxide ) to give the desired product as brown oil ( 1 . 0 g , 87 %). 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl3 ): 7 . 92 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 83 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 21 ( dd , j = 9 . 2 , 2 . 4 hz , 1 h ), 3 . 61 ( t , j = 6 . 4 hz , 2 h ), 2 . 98 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 88 ( t , j = 6 . 4 hz , 2 h ), 2 . 62 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 87 ( m , 4 h ), 1 . 77 ( m , 2 h ). 13 cnmr ( 100 mhz , cdcl3 ): 159 . 1 , 150 . 7 , 147 . 8 , 133 . 5 , 127 . 1 , 124 . 5 , 123 . 6 , 118 . 0 , 115 . 3 , 48 . 3 , 40 . 4 , 33 . 9 , 33 . 8 , 24 . 9 , 22 . 9 , 22 . 6 . the following compounds were prepared according to the procedure described as above by using appropriate diamines and chloro acridines in 80 - 95 % yield : n 1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- butane - 1 , 4 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- pentane - 1 , 5 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- hexane - 1 , 6 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- heptane - 1 , 7 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- octane - 1 , 8 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- nonane - 1 , 9 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- decane - 1 , 10 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- dodecane - 1 , 12 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- propane - 1 , 3 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- butane - 1 , 4 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- pentane - 1 , 5 - diamine n 1 -( 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- hexane - 1 , 6 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- heptane - 1 , 7 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- octane - 1 , 8 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- nonane - 1 , 9 - diamine ; n 1 -( 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- decane - 1 , 10 - diamine ; and n 1 -( 6 , 8 - dichloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- dodecane - 1 , 12 - diamine . 3 - amino - cyclohex - 2 - enone : to a 1 l two - necked flask charged 200 g ( 1 . 78 mol ) of 1 , 3 - cyclohexanedione and 600 ml benzene , attached a dean - stark apparatus with a condenser and an ammonia inlet . the mixture was heated to reflux and ammonia gas was bubbling into the reaction . the water generated from the reaction was trapped in the dean - stark apparatus . the mixture formed two layers and the bottom layer was solidified after refluxing for 4 h . the reaction was then stopped and cooled down to room temperature . the benzene was decanted and the remaining solid was triturated with 300 ml chloroform and filtered to give the desired product as a yellow solid ( 167 . 1 g , 1 . 51 mol , 86 %). 1hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl3 ): 5 . 23 ( s , 1 h ), 3 . 20 ( bs , 1 h ), 2 . 37 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 28 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 97 ( m , 2 h ). 7 , 8 - dihydro - 1h , 6h - quinoline - 2 , 5 - dione : to a 500 ml flask , added 3 - amino - cyclohex - 2 - enone ( 110 g , 0 . 99 mol ) and ethyl propiolate ( 100 ml , 0 . 99 mol ) and attached a condenser . the mixture was heated to 100 degree celsius . the reaction started slowly at beginning and accelerated as the reaction progress . after the reaction was refluxed at 120 degree celsius for 4 h , the mixture was heated up to 150 degree celsius to remove any liquid . finally , the mixture was heated up to 190 degree celsius and remained for 1 h . the reaction was cooled to room temperature and 300 ml methylene chloride was added . the mixture was trituated and filtered to give the desired product ( 34 g , 21 %). 5 -[ 3 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - ylamino )- propylamino ]- 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 1h - quinolin - 2 - one : to a flask was added n1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- propane - 1 , 3 - diamine ( 116 mg , 0 . 40 mmol ), 7 , 8 - dihydro - 1h , 6h - quinoline - 2 , 5 - dione ( 85 mg , 0 . 52 mmol ), benzene ( 4 ml ) and one drop of acetic acid , and the resulting mixture as heated to reflux under nitrogen . the water generated from the reaction was removed by dean - stark apparatus . after refluxing for 24 h , the benzene was distilled off and methanol ( 2 ml ) was added , followed by sodium borohydride ( 30 mg , 0 . 80 mmol ). after stiring at room temperature for 24 h , the reaction was stopped and concentrated . the mixture was treated with saturated sodium bicarbonate and methylene chloride . the layers were separated and the aqueous layer was extracted with methylene chloride twice . the combined methylene chloride extract was combined , dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated . the resulting residue was purified by preparative tlc using 15 % meoh / 1 % ammonium hydroxide in methylene chloride to give the desired product ( 102 mg , 0 . 23 mmol , 58 %). 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 86 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 84 ( d , j = 1 . 8 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 41 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 19 ( dd , j = 9 . 0 , 1 . 8 hz , 1 h ), 6 . 36 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1 h ), 3 . 62 ( t , j = 6 . 0 hz , 2 h ), 3 . 53 ( m , 1 h ), 2 . 96 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 89 ( m , 1 h ), 2 . 75 ( m , 1 h ), 2 . 63 ( m , 4 h ), 1 . 74 - 1 . 83 ( m , 10 h ). 13 cnmr ( 100 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 164 . 8 , 159 . 1 , 150 . 9 , 147 . 7 , 144 . 2 , 143 . 1 , 133 . 8 , 127 . 1 , 124 . 5 , 123 . 9 , 118 . 1 , 116 . 9 , 116 . 8 , 115 . 5 , 53 . 2 , 48 . 6 , 45 . 4 , 33 . 8 , 31 . 8 , 27 . 2 , 26 . 8 , 25 . 0 , 22 . 9 , 22 . 6 , 17 . 3 . the following compounds were prepared according to the procedures described above : 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 89 ( m , 2 h ), 7 . 51 ( m , 1 h ), 7 . 35 ( d , j = 8 . 4 hz , 1 h ), 6 . 37 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 3 . 95 ( bs , 1 h ), 3 . 59 ( m , 1 h ), 3 . 50 ( m , 3 h ), 3 . 03 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 66 ( m , 6 h ), 1 . 91 ( m , 6 h ), 1 . 67 - 1 . 79 ( m , 4 h ), 1 . 57 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 25 ( m , 2 h ). 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 90 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 88 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 52 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 27 ( m , 1 h ), 6 . 40 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 3 . 95 ( brs , 1 h ), 3 . 55 ( m , 1 h ), 3 . 49 ( m , 3 h ), 3 . 03 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 68 ( m , 4 h ), 2 . 60 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 92 ( m , 6 h ), 1 . 78 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 67 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 50 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 41 ( m , 4 h ) 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 88 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 87 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 48 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 27 ( m , 1 h ), 6 . 39 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 3 . 95 ( brs , 1 h ), 3 . 53 ( m , 1 h ), 3 . 47 ( m , 3 h ), 3 . 02 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 66 ( m , 4 h ), 2 . 58 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 91 ( m , 6 h ), 1 . 77 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 65 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 46 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 34 ( m , 6 h ). 13 cnmr ( 100 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 164 . 8 , 159 . 2 , 150 . 5 , 147 . 9 , 144 . 0 , 143 . 1 , 133 . 6 , 127 . 3 , 124 . 3 , 123 . 9 , 118 . 2 , 117 . 2 , 116 . 7 , 115 . 5 , 52 . 9 , 49 . 5 , 46 . 9 , 34 . 0 , 31 . 7 , 30 . 4 , 29 . 2 , 27 . 5 , 27 . 2 , 26 . 8 , 26 . 8 , 24 . 5 , 22 . 9 , 22 . 6 , 17 . 4 . 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 88 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 87 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 48 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 27 ( m , 1 h ), 6 . 39 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 4 . 05 ( brs , 1 h ), 3 . 59 ( m , 1 h ), 3 . 48 ( m , 3 h ), 3 . 03 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 67 ( m , 6 h ), 1 . 91 ( m , 6 h ), 1 . 78 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 65 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 50 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 32 ( m , 8 h ) 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 89 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 88 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 48 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 26 ( m , 1 h ), 6 . 40 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 3 . 95 ( brs , 1 h ), 3 . 54 ( m , 1 h ), 3 . 48 ( m , 2 h ), 3 . 02 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 67 ( m , 4 h ), 2 . 59 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 91 ( m , 6 h ), 1 . 78 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 65 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 48 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 32 ( m , 10 h ) 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 90 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 88 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 49 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 26 ( m , 1 h ), 6 . 40 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 3 . 95 ( brs , 1 h ), 3 . 55 ( m , 1 h ), 3 . 47 ( m , 2 h ), 3 . 02 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 67 ( m , 4 h ), 2 . 59 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 91 ( m , 6 h ), 1 . 75 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 64 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 47 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 32 ( m , 12 h ) 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 90 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 88 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 49 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 7 . 26 ( m , 1 h ), 6 . 40 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 3 . 95 ( brs , 1 h ), 3 . 55 ( m , 1 h ), 3 . 48 ( m , 2 h ), 3 . 02 ( m , 2 h ), 2 . 67 ( m , 4 h ), 2 . 59 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 91 ( m , 6 h ), 1 . 75 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 64 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 47 ( m , 2 h ), 1 . 32 ( m , 16 h ) 1 , 5 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinoline - 2 , 6 - dione 6 - ethylene glycol ketal : a mixture of 1 , 4 - cyclohexanedione mono - ethylene ketal ( 10 g , 64 mmol ) and methyl propiolate ( 6 . 8 ml , 76 . 8 mmol ) in 60 ml ammonium saturated methnol was heated to 110 degree celsius in a sealed pressure vessel for 24 h . the reaction was cooled to room temperature and concentrated . purification by column chromatography on silica gel with 5 % methanol in methylene chloride provided the desired product ( 4 . 1 g , 19 . 6 mmol , 31 %). 1 hnmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 18 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 6 . 42 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ), 4 . 01 ( s , 4 h ), 2 . 91 ( t , j = 6 . 6 hz , 2 h ), 2 . 71 ( s , 2 h ), 1 . 92 ( t , j = 6 . 7 hz , 2 h ). 13 cnmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 164 . 9 , 143 . 5 , 141 . 9 , 117 . 2 , 112 . 2 , 107 . 3 , 64 . 6 , 36 . 2 , 30 . 1 , 25 . 7 . 1 , 5 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinoline - 2 , 6 - dione : a mixture of 1 , 5 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinoline - 2 , 6 - dione 6 - ethylene glycol ketal ( 2 g , 9 . 66 mmol ) and p - toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate ( 184 mg , 0 . 97 mmol ) in 30 ml water was heated to reflux for 3 h . tlc showed all the starting ketal disappeared . the mixture was cooled down to room temperature , and sodium bicarbonate was added . the mixture was concentrated and silica gel was added . purification by column chromatography on silica gel with 5 % methanol / methylene chloride provided the desired product in 90 % yield . 1 hnmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 25 ( d , j = 9 . 1 hz , 1 h ), 6 . 49 ( d , j = 9 . 1 hz , 1 h ), 3 . 36 ( s , 2 h ), 3 . 11 ( t , j = 7 . 0 hz , 2 h ), 2 . 65 ( t , j = 7 . 0 hz , 2 h ). 13 cnmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 207 . 1 , 165 . 0 , 142 . 8 , 142 . 2 , 118 . 1 , 111 . 2 , 40 . 3 , 36 . 9 , 26 . 0 . 6 -[ 3 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - ylamino )- propylamino ]- 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 1h - quinolin - 2 - one : to a mixture of n1 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- propane - 1 , 3 - diamine ( 50 mg , 0 . 17 mmol ), 1 , 5 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinoline - 2 , 6 - dione ( 31 mg , 0 . 19 mmol ) in 5 ml methylene chloride , was added sodium triacetoxyborohydride ( 110 mg , 0 . 52 mmol ) and a catalytic amount of acetic acid . after stiring at room temperature for 24 h , the reaction was stopped by adding saturated sodium bicarbonate . the mixture was extracted with methylene chloride three times . the combined methylene chloride extract was dried , filtered and concentrated . purification by column chromatography on silica gel column with 10 % meoh / 1 % ammonium hydroxide in methylene chloride provided the desired product ( 27 . 6 mg , 0 . 063 mmol , 37 %). 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 1 . 72 ( m , 1h ); 1 . 88 ( m , 6h ); 2 . 07 ( m , 1h ); 2 . 42 ( m , 1h ); 2 . 53 - 2 . 61 ( m , 6h ); 2 . 93 - 2 . 99 ( m , 4h ); 3 . 75 ( m , 2h ); 6 . 37 ( d , 1h , j = 8 . 8 hz ); 7 . 20 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 2 hz ); 7 . 25 ( dd , j = 9 . 2 , 2 . 4 hz , 1h ); 7 . 84 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h ); 7 . 99 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 21 . 9 ; 22 . 5 ; 23 . 9 ; 24 . 9 ; 26 . 9 ; 29 . 0 ; 30 . 5 ; 31 . 9 ; 32 . 5 , 34 . 4 ; 45 . 3 ; 52 . 9 ; 65 . 0 ; 112 . 4 ; 114 . 3 ; 116 . 8 ; 117 . 0 ; 124 . 3 ; 125 . 0 ; 135 . 2 ; 141 . 6 ; 143 . 7 ; 144 . 1 , 145 . 1 ; 152 . 2 ; 156 . 8 ; 164 . 0 . the following compounds were prepared according to the procedure described above : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 1 . 30 ( m , 6 h ); 1 . 58 - 1 . 69 ( m , 8 h ); 1 . 92 ( m , 6 h ); 2 . 12 ( m , 1h ); 2 . 47 ( m , 1 h ); 2 . 65 - 2 . 82 ( m , 8 h ); 3 . 00 ( m , 2 h ); 3 . 58 ( m , 2 h ); 6 . 37 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ); 7 . 23 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ); 7 . 30 ( dd , j = 9 . 2 , 2 . 4 hz , 1h ); 7 . 85 ( d , j = 2 . 4 hz , 1h ); 7 . 98 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ). 13 c nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 22 . 0 ; 22 . 5 ; 24 . 2 ; 25 . 0 ; 26 . 3 ; 26 . 6 ; 27 . 0 ; 28 . 6 ; 29 . 0 ; 29 . 1 ; 29 . 2 ; 31 . 3 ; 32 . 3 ; 46 . 3 ; 48 . 4 ; 49 . 2 ; 52 . 6 ; 112 . 1 ; 114 . 4 ; 117 . 0 ; 117 . 1 ; 124 . 2 ; 124 . 7 ; 124 . 8 ; 134 . 8 ; 141 . 3 ; 143 . 6 ; 145 . 8 ; 151 , 8 ; 157 . 5 ; 163 . 8 . ir ( kbr ): 3400 , 2990 , 2856 , 1649 , 1630 , 1605 , 1518 , 1452 , 1357 , 1179 , 1092 , 830 . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 1 . 33 ( m , 8 h ); 1 . 58 - 1 . 69 ( m , 6 h ); 1 . 92 ( m , 4 h ); 2 . 12 ( m , 1 h ); 2 . 47 ( m , 2 h ); 2 . 65 - 2 . 83 ( m , 7 h ); 3 . 01 ( br , 3 h ); 6 . 37 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ); 7 . 22 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ); 7 . 30 ( m , 1 h ); 7 . 87 ( m , 1 h ); 7 . 98 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 22 . 0 ; 22 . 5 ; 24 . 3 ; 25 . 0 ; 26 . 3 ; 26 . 6 ; 26 . 9 ; 28 . 6 ; 29 . 0 ; 29 . 1 ; 31 . 3 ; 31 . 4 ; 32 . 3 ; 46 . 4 ; 48 . 6 ; 52 . 7 ; 112 . 1 ; 114 . 5 ; 117 . 1 ; 117 . 2 ; 124 . 3 ; 124 . 8 ; 124 . 8 ; 135 . 0 ; 141 . 2 ; 143 . 7 ; 145 . 7 ; 151 . 9 ; 157 . 4 ; 163 . 8 . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 1 . 38 ( br , 6 h ); 1 . 59 - 1 . 70 ( m , 6 h ); 1 . 92 ( br , 4 h ); 2 . 12 ( m , 1 h ); 2 . 47 ( m , 2 h ); 2 . 66 - 2 . 78 ( m , 7 h ); 3 . 01 ( br , 3 h ); 6 . 37 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ); 7 . 22 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ); 7 . 30 ( m , 1h ); 7 . 86 ( s , 1 h ); 7 . 98 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ22 . 0 ; 22 . 5 ; 24 . 3 ; 25 ., 26 . 3 ; 26 . 6 ; 26 . 9 ; 28 . 5 ; 28 . 9 ; 31 . 2 ; 31 . 4 ; 32 . 2 ; 46 . 3 ; 48 . 5 ; 52 . 7 ; 112 . 1 ; 114 . 5 ; 117 . 0 ; 117 . 2 ; 124 . 4 ; 124 . 7 ; 124 . 8 ; 135 . 0 ; 141 . 2 ; 143 . 6 ; 145 . 6 ; 151 . 9 ; 157 . 4 ; 163 . 8 . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 1 . 42 ( m , 4h ); 1 . 59 - 1 . 71 ( m , 5h ); 1 . 92 ( m , 5h ); 2 . 11 ( m , 2h ); 2 . 43 ( m , 1h ); 2 . 67 - 2 . 73 ( m , 8h ); 3 . 00 ( br , 3h ); 3 . 57 ( m , 3h ); 6 . 38 ( d , 1h , j = 8 . 8 hz ); 7 . 23 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 2 hz ); 7 . 30 ( m , 1h ); 7 . 85 ( m , 1h ); 7 . 97 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 2 hz ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 22 . 1 ; 22 . 5 ; 23 . 9 ; 24 . 3 ; 25 . 0 ; 26 . 5 ; 26 . 7 ; 28 . 9 ; 31 . 2 ; 31 . 8 ; 32 . 5 ; 34 . 3 ; 46 . 3 ; 52 . 7 ; 112 . 3 ; 114 . 7 ; 117 . 0 ; 124 . 2 ; 124 . 7 ; 125 . 0 ; 134 . 7 ; 141 . 4 ; 143 . 7 ; 146 . 1 ; 146 . 0 ; 151 . 6 ; 157 . 7 ; 163 . 9 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ1 . 28 ( m , 12 h ); 1 . 58 - 1 . 68 ( m , 5 h ); 1 . 91 ( m , 5 h ); 2 . 14 ( m , 1 h ); 2 . 47 ( m , 1 h ); 2 . 65 - 2 . 78 ( m , 6 h ); 3 . 01 ( br , 3 h ); 3 . 55 ( m , 3 h ); 6 . 36 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ); 7 . 20 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1 h ); 7 . 29 ( m , 1 h ); 7 . 87 ( m , 1 h ); 7 . 95 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 / cd 3 od ): δ 22 . 2 ; 22 . 7 ; 24 . 3 ; 25 . 1 ; 26 . 4 ; 26 . 8 ; 27 . 1 ; 28 . 8 ; 29 . 2 ; 29 . 3 ; 29 . 3 ; 29 . 3 ; 29 . 3 ; 29 . 3 ; 31 . 5 ; 31 . 5 ; 32 . 7 ; 46 . 5 ; 52 . 7 ; 112 . 1 ; 114 . 6 ; 117 . 2 ; 117 . 3 ; 124 . 3 ; 124 . 7 ; 125 . 4 ; 134 . 7 ; 141 . 3 ; 143 . 7 ; 146 . 3 ; 151 . 6 ; 158 . 0 ; 164 . 0 . 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - ylamine : 2 - amino - 4 - chlorobenzonitrile ( 5 . 0 g , 33 mmoll ), cyclohexanone ( 30 ml ) and zinc chloride ( 4 . 8 g , 35 mmol ) were mixed in a round bottomed flask and heated up to 120 degree celsius for 3 hours . after cooling to room temperature , the solvent was decanted off . the resulting residue was triturated with ethyl acetate ( 30 ml ). the solid was collected by filtration and added into 10 % aqueous naoh ( 50 ml ). after stiring for 2 hours , the mixture was filtered and the filter cake was washed thoroughly with water . the filter cake was then extracted with methanol . the combined methanolic extract was concentrated to produce the desired product ( 3 . 8 g , 16 mmol ) in 48 % yield . 1 hnmr ( 300 mhz , cd 3 od ): δ 8 . 06 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1h ), 7 . 68 ( d , j = 2 . 1hz , 1h ), 7 . 33 ( dd , j = 9 . 0 , 2 . 1 hz , 1h ), 2 . 92 ( t , j = 6 . 0 hz , 2 h ), 2 . 61 ( t , j = 6 . 0 hz , 2h ), 1 . 94 ( m , 4h ). ( 7 - bromo - heptyl )-( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- amine : potassium hydroxide ( 95 mg , 1 . 7 mmol ) was added to a solution of 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - ylamine ( 395 mg , 1 . 7 mmol ) in dimethylsulfoxide ( 15 ml ) and the mixture was stirred vigorously under nitrogen at room temperature for 2 h . 1 , 7 - dibromoheptane ( 438 mg , 1 . 7 mmol ) was added , and the reaction was continued to stir at room temperature for 12 h . the reaction mixture was poured into ice - water and extracted with ethyl acetate . the combined ethyl acetate extract was dried , filtered and concentrated . the resulting residue was purified by column chromatography on silica gel using hexane / ethyl acetate / triethyl amine ( 8 / 2 / 1 ) to provide the desired product ( 244 mg , 0 . 60 mmol ) in 35 % yield . 1 hnmr ( 300 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 87 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 24 ( dd , j = 9 . 0 , 2 . 1hz , 1h ), 3 . 62 ( t , j = 6 . 9 hz , 2h ), 3 . 54 ( t , j = 6 . 6hz , 2h ), 3 . 18 ( bs , 2h ), 2 . 81 ( bs , 2h ), 1 . 23 - 2 . 04 ( m , 14h ); 13 cnmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 159 . 4 , 150 . 6 , 148 . 0 , 133 . 7 , 127 . 5 , 124 . 5 , 123 . 9 , 118 . 3 , 115 . 6 , 49 . 4 , 33 . 9 , 33 . 7 , 32 . 5 , 31 . 5 , 28 . 3 , 27 . 8 , 26 . 6 , 24 . 4 , 22 . 8 , 22 . 5 . the following compounds were prepared according to the procedure described above : 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 88 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 26 ( dd , j = 9 . 3 , 1 . 9 hz , 1h ), 3 . 46 ( t , j = 7 . 2hz , 2h ), 3 . 39 ( t , j = 6 . 8 hz , 2h ), 3 . 02 ( brs , 2h ), 2 . 65 ( brs , 2h ), 1 . 25 - 1 . 91 ( m , 16h ); 13 cnmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 159 . 3 , 150 . 5 , 147 . 9 , 133 . 7 , 127 . 4 , 124 . 4 , 123 . 9 , 118 . 2 , 115 . 5 , 49 . 5 , 34 . 0 , 33 . 9 , 32 . 7 , 31 . 7 , 29 . 1 , 28 . 6 , 28 . 0 , 26 . 8 , 24 . 6 , 23 . 0 , 22 . 7 . 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 87 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 24 ( dd , j = 9 . 0 , 2 . 0 hz , 1h ), 3 . 45 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 38 ( t , j = 6 . 8 hz , 2h ), 3 . 01 ( brs , 2h ), 2 . 64 ( brs , 2h ), 1 . 23 - 1 . 90 ( m , 17h ). 13 c - nmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 159 . 1 , 150 . 5 , 147 . 8 , 133 . 6 , 127 . 2 , 124 . 4 , 123 . 8 , 118 . 1 , 115 . 4 , 49 . 5 , 34 . 0 , 33 . 9 , 32 . 7 , 31 . 7 , 29 . 2 , 29 . 1 , 28 . 6 , 28 . 0 , 26 . 8 , 24 . 5 , 22 . 9 , 22 . 6 . 2 - benzyloxy - 7 , 8 - dihydro - 6h - quinolin - 5 - one : a mixture of 7 , 8 - dihydro - 1h , 6h - quinoline - 2 , 5 - dione ( 20 . 4 g , 125 . 0 mmol ), benzyl bromide ( 17 . 8 ml , 150 mmol ) and 20 . 8 g , 75 mmol ) in toluene ( 250 ml ) was stirred at room temperature for 3 days under the protection from light . the reaction was stopped , filtered through celite and rinsed with a mixture of methylene chloride and methanol . the filtrate was concentrated and trituated in petroleum ether ( 150 ml ). filtration of the mixture provided the desired product ( 29 . 4 g , 92 %). o - benzyl - n -( 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - yl )- hydroxylamine : to the mixture of 2 - benzyloxy - 7 , 8 - dihydro - 6h - quinolin - 5 - one ( 37 . 8 g , 149 mmol ) in pyridine ( 300 ml ) was added o - benzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 26 . 2 g , 164 mmol ) and the resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 24 h . the reaction was concentrated , diluted with methylene chloride and washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate (× 2 ) and brine (× 2 ). the methylene chloride layer was dried , filtered and concentrated . purification by column chromatography on silica gel with 5 % ethyl acetate in hexane provided the desired product ( 51 . 0 g , 96 %) as an offwhite solid . 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - ylamine : a solution of o - benzyl - n -( 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - yl )- hydroxylamine ( 51 . 0 g , 142 mmol ) dissolved in dry thf ( 65 ml ) was cooled in ice - water bath under nitrogen . borane ( 1 . 0 m in thf , 427 ml ) was added dropwise in 30 min via an addition funnel . the reaction was allowed to warm up to room temperature and stirred for overnight . the mixture was then heated to reflux . after 2 h , the heating was stopped and the reaction was allowed to cool to room temperature . water ( 120 ml ) was added dropwise via an addition funnel . the mixture was then concentrated , and 20 % aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 200 ml ) was added . the resulting mixture was heated to reflux for 2 h . the reaction was allowed to cool to room temperature , and extracted with methylene chloride (× 3 ). the combined methylene chloride extract was dried , filtered and concentrated . purification by column chromatography on silica gel with 20 % methanol / 1 % ammonium hydroxide / methylene chloride provided the desired product ( 32 . 0 g , 89 %) as colorless oil . resolution : to a solution of r -(−)- mandelic acid ( 26 . 64 g , 104 . 8 mmol ) dissolved in 700 ml methanol , was added a solution of racemic 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - ylamine ( 15 . 95 g , 104 . 8 mmol ) dissolved in 100 ml methanol . after addition was completed , additional methanol was added until the total volume is 0 . 95 l . the solution was swirled and allowed to sit at room temperature overnight . the sak of r -(−) mandelic acid and ( s )- 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - ylamine was crystallized . the crystals ( 15 . 8 g , 36 . 6 %) were collected by filtration and rinse with methanol . its optical purity was determined to be 94 % ee . the crystals were dissolved again in 760 ml methanol upon heating and the resulting solution was allowed to sit at room temperature overnight . the needle crystals ( 9 . 6 g , 22 %, 97 % ee ) were collected by filtration . another crop ( 3 . 6 g , 8 . 5 %, 98 % ee ) was obtained from the mother liquor . releasing : the salt of r -(−) mandelic acid and ( s )- 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - ylamine ( 13 . 29 g , 98 % ee ) was added to into a solution of aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 82 ml , 2 n ), and the resuting mixture was heated to 50 degree celsius for 30 min . the mixture was extracted with methylene chloride (× 3 ). the combined methylene chloride was washed with brine (× 1 ), dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated to give the desired product ( 8 . 3 g ) as colorless oil . ( r )- 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - ylamine : according to the procedure described as above , using s -(+)- mandelic acid as resolution reagent , the desired ( r )- enantiomer was obtained . ( r )— n -( 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - yl )- n ′-( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- heptane - 1 , 7 - diamine : a solution of ( 7 - bromo - heptyl )-( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- amine ( 180 mg , 0 . 43 mmol ) and ( s )- 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - ylamine ( 108 mg , 0 . 43 mmol ) in dried n , n - dimethylformamide ( 2 . 1 ml ) was heated up to 120 degree celsius under nitrogen for 5 h . after cooling to room temperature , the reaction mixture was poured into icy water . the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate . the combined ethyl acetate was dried , filtered and concentrated . the resulting crude product was purified by column chromatography on silica gel using hexane / ethyl acetate / triethyl amine ( 8 / 2 / 1 ) to give the desired product ( 80 mg , 0 . 14 mmol ) in 33 % yield . 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 88 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 24 · 7 . 56 ( m , 7h ), 6 . 58 ( d , j = 8 . 3 hz , 1h ), 5 . 33 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 68 ( d , j = 4 . 4 hz , 1h ), 3 . 45 ( d , j = 5 . 6hz , 2h ), 3 . 01 ( brs , 2h ), 2 . 56 ˜ 2 . 82 ( m , 6h ), 1 . 31 ˜ 1 . 98 ( m , 18h ). 3 c - nmr ( 100 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 161 . 5 , 159 . 4 , 154 . 5 , 150 . 6 , 148 . 0 , 139 . 5 , 137 . 5 , 133 . 7 , 128 . 2 ( 2c ), 127 . 9 ( 2c ), 127 . 5 , 127 . 4 , 127 . 2 , 124 . 4 , 124 . 0 , 118 . 3 , 115 . 6 , 108 . 2 , 67 . 4 , 54 . 6 , 49 . 6 , 47 . 0 , 34 . 1 , 32 . 4 , 31 . 8 , 30 . 5 , 29 . 3 , 28 . 2 , 27 . 4 , 27 . 0 , 24 . 6 , 23 . 0 , 22 . 7 , 18 . 9 . the following compounds were prepared according to the procedure described above . 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 24 ˜ 7 . 89 ( m , 9h ), 6 . 59 ( dd , j = 8 . 3 , 5 . 6hz , 1h ), 5 . 33 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 68 ( t , j = 4 . 6hz , 1h ), 3 . 46 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 01 ( brs , 2h ), 2 . 61 ˜ 2 . 83 ( m , 6h ), 1 . 25 ˜ 1 . 96 ( m , 20h ); 13 cnmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 161 . 5 , 159 . 3 , 154 . 4 , 150 . 6 , 148 . 0 , 139 . 5 , 137 . 5 , 133 . 7 , 128 . 2 ( 2c ), 127 . 9 ( 2c ), 127 . 5 , 127 . 4 , 127 . 2 , 124 . 4 , 124 . 0 , 118 . 3 , 115 . 6 , 108 . 2 , 67 . 4 , 54 . 6 , 49 . 6 , 47 . 1 , 34 . 1 , 32 . 4 , 31 ., 8 , 30 . 6 , 29 . 5 , 29 . 3 , 28 . 2 , 27 . 4 , 26 . 9 , 24 . 6 , 23 . 0 , 22 . 7 , 18 . 9 . nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 24 ˜ 7 . 89 ( m , 9h ), 6 . 59 ( d , j = 8 . 3 hz , 1h ), 5 . 33 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 69 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 47 ( t , j = 7 . 1hz , 2h ), 3 . 01 ( brs , 2h ), 2 . 61 ˜ 2 . 82 ( m , 6h ), 1 . 25 ˜ 1 . 96 ( m , 22h ); 13 cnmr ( 75 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 161 . 5 , 159 . 3 , 154 . 4 , 150 . 6 , 148 . 0 , 139 . 5 , 137 . 5 , 133 . 7 , 128 . 2 ( 2c ), 127 . 9 ( 2c ), 127 . 5 , 127 . 4 , 127 . 2 , 124 . 5 , 124 . 0 , 118 . 3 , 115 . 5 , 108 . 2 , 67 . 4 , 54 . 6 , 49 . 6 , 47 . 1 , 34 . 1 , 32 . 4 , 31 . 8 , 30 . 6 , 29 . 5 ( 2c ), 29 . 3 , 28 . 2 , 27 . 4 , 26 . 9 , 24 . 6 , 23 . 0 , 22 . 7 , 18 . 9 . ( 6r )- 5 -[ 7 -( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - ylamino )- heptylamino ]- 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 1h - quinolin - 2 - one : to a solution of 30 % hydrogen bromide in acetic acid ( 4 ml ) cooled at 0 ° c ., was added ( r )— n -( 2 - benzyloxy - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - quinolin - 5 - yl )- n ′-( 6 - chloro - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydro - acridin - 9 - yl )- heptane - 1 , 7 - diamine ( 105 mg , 0 . 18 mmol ) in one portion . this mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 1 hour , and was allowed to warm up to room temperature . after 5 h , the reaction was quenched with 10 % naoh until ph value was up to 13 . the mixture was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 8 ml × 3 ). the organic layers were combined , dried , filtered and concentrated . the resulting residue was purified by column chromatography using 2 : 3 : 0 . 5 : 0 . 5 ( ch 2 cl 2 / petroleum ether / meoh / triethylamine ) as eluent , to afford the desired product ( 33 mg , 0 . 0652 mmol , 68 % yield ). the following enantiomerically pure compounds were prepared according to the procedure described as above : | 2 |
fig1 is a cross section of an intermediate product of an example of the method . a semiconductor body or substrate 1 has a recess or trench 2 in a main surface 10 . the recess or trench 2 can be provided for a through - wafer via or through - substrate via ( tsv ), for instance . the recess may instead be provided for a microelectromechanical sensor or another integrated component that renders a high topography or high aspect ratio of the substrate surface . if the recess or trench 2 is provided for a through - substrate via , a metal layer 7 may be applied to form a vertical electrical connection through the substrate 1 . the metal layer 7 may cover the sidewall and bottom of the recess or trench 2 and may extend onto the main surface 10 . a mask 3 is applied above the main surface 10 as a planar layer , which may be formed from a resist , for instance , and may be produced by a dry film technology . the inner volume of the recess or trench 2 is thus closed and forms a cavity 4 , which is filled with the ambient gas that is present when the cavity 4 is being closed . the gas may be ambient air , for example , or the gas may be captured from an artificial atmosphere that is present during a process step immediately preceding the application of the mask 3 , like a nitrogen atmosphere used during an etching step , for instance . the initial pressure of the gas trapped in the cavity 4 is the same as the outer gas pressure that is prevalent in the moment the cavity 4 is being closed . the gas pressure depends on the temperature and may change during subsequent process steps . the difference between the pressure exerted on the mask 3 by the gas trapped in the cavity 4 and a pressure exerted on the mask 3 from outside the recess or trench 2 may change in the further process steps and may in particular increase to values above a predefined value . thus the pressure difference may exceed a maximal value which is regarded as a tolerable limit . the limit value is predefined according to individual requirements and may especially depend on the mechanical resistance and the adhesive strength of the mask layer . fig2 is a cross section according to fig1 after the formation of at least one opening 5 in the mask 3 at a small distance from the recess or trench 2 . further openings 8 are provided in the mask 3 according to the intended structure that is to be produced in a subsequent etching step . the opening 5 near the recess or trench 2 is provided as a vent to allow the gas to escape from the cavity 4 . fig3 is a cross section according to fig2 and shows the device after the mask 3 has been used to structure the metal layer 7 and / or further layers not shown in the figures . the size of the opening 5 may be kept small , so that the metal layer 7 can also be removed in the opening 5 without adversely affecting the device structure and the performance of the device during its later operation . the opening 5 may be designed in such a way that no wet chemicals like water or developer are able to enter the cavity . the distance 6 between the opening 5 and the recess or trench 2 may be typically about 2 μm , for instance . in optional embodiments the distance 6 is less than 5 μm , in particular less than 3 μm . during the pump down procedure in an rie ( reactive ion etching ) process , lowering the external pressure below the pressure of the gas trapped in the cavity 4 , the expansion of the gas that is trapped in the cavity 4 causes the mask 3 to be lifted next to the opening 5 . due to the localized lifting of the mask 3 from the main surface 10 , at least some of the trapped gas escapes through the opening 5 , which thus provides a suitable venting feature . in this way the gas pressures inside and outside the cavity 4 are balanced . fig4 is a schematic plan view of the arrangement of a recess or trench 2 and mask openings 5 , 8 . the hidden contours of the recess or trench 2 and the portion of the metal layer 7 covering the sidewall of the recess or trench 2 are shown with broken lines surrounding the cavity 4 . the opening 5 that is arranged at a small distance 6 from the recess or trench 2 is provided as a vent of the cavity 4 in the manner described above . the further openings 8 of the mask 3 are provided to structure the metal layer 7 . the further openings 8 may be larger than shown in fig4 , so that the mask 3 only covers conductor tracks that are to be left from the metal layer 7 on the main surface 10 , for example . fig5 is a schematic plan view of a further arrangement according to fig4 . in the embodiment according to fig5 the opening 5 is one of a plurality of openings 5 , which are arranged on the periphery of the recess or trench 2 . the sizes , number and arrangement of the openings 5 can be designed according to the requirements of individual embodiments . fig6 is a cross section according to fig1 for a further embodiment . the elements of the embodiment according to fig6 that are similar to corresponding elements of the embodiment according to fig1 are designated with the same reference numerals . in the process step that is represented in fig6 , the metal layer 7 provided for the through - wafer via has already been structured . for the etching step that is performed to structure the metal layer 7 , a mask with a venting feature according to the above description may have been used . this is indicated by the structure of the metal layer 7 shown in fig6 , which is similar to the structure of the metal layer 7 shown in fig3 . a further layer 9 has been applied , which may be a passivation layer , for instance . the further layer 9 is to be structured using the mask 3 , which may be a resist mask ( or a further resist mask ). the mask 3 is going to be provided with at least one opening 5 at a small distance from the recess or trench 2 , as indicated by the dotted vertical lines in fig6 . the opening 5 has the same venting purpose as the opening 5 of the mask 3 described above in conjunction with fig1 to 3 . the example shown in fig6 is given to indicate how a mask 3 that is provided with a venting feature as described can be applied to various layers in different process steps or repeatedly to different layers in two or more process steps . the method enables the use of dry film technology for the masking of high aspect ratio topographies . deep etched features having dimensions or spacings up to 500 μm covered with a masking resist layer can be processed in low - pressure reactors without the risk of mask rupture and / or delamination . this is accomplished by the use and layout of venting features at the perimeter of the covered structure . the geometry is designed in a way that the resist interface just opens in the predefined area under specific sub - atmospheric pressure conditions to balance detrimental overpressure . dry film technology using a well - known and controllable lamination technique enables high throughput . only few process parameters have to be controlled . the quality of the dry film mask can be easily controlled at the surface of the wafer and is not affected by the topography . critical topography is thus easily eliminated by covering deep structures . | 7 |
fig1 shows a sound control device according to the present invention which is provided for controlling the sound which is emitted by a muffler 3 . muffler 3 is connected to an internal combustion engine 1 of a vehicle via a pipe 2 . for controlling the sound emitted by muffler 3 , a controller 4 is provided , which generates a sound control signal , with which an amplifier 5 is activated which in turn activates a sound converter 6 which is situated on muffler 3 and designed to inject the amplified sound control signal into muffler 3 in such a way that sound emitted by muffler 3 is appropriately controlled . moreover , controller 4 is connected to a microphone 7 which picks up the sound emitted by muffler 3 , in this case the sound at a muzzle pipe of an exhaust system composed of pipe 2 and muffler 3 . furthermore , controller 4 is connected to internal combustion engine 1 or a control device of internal combustion engine 1 in such a way that controller 4 receives information about the operating mode and the operating point of the internal combustion engine . the operation of the sound control device shown in fig1 is explained in greater detail in the following in connection with fig2 based on a preferred exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention . in the description of fig2 , reference is made to fig1 . fig2 shows a method according to the present invention for controlling the sound which is emitted by muffler 3 as a unit of the engine periphery . the method begins in a step 11 with the start of internal combustion engine 1 of the vehicle . a query is subsequently made in a step 12 regarding in which operating mode internal combustion engine 1 is operated . the concrete query regards whether the internal combustion engine is operated as a two - stroke engine . if this is the case , the method is continued in a step 13 . the other possible operating mode of internal combustion engine 1 is as a four - stroke engine , so that , in the event of a negative response to the query of step 12 , it is assumed that internal combustion engine 1 is operated as a four - stroke engine . in this case , the method jumps to a step 14 . the parameter set stored for the respective stroke number is called in steps 13 and 14 . these parameter sets are used to activate controller 4 using the appropriate parameter set , so that , via sound converter 6 , controller 4 controls the sound emitted by muffler 3 according to the parameter sets . both parameter sets are adjusted to one another in such a way that the emitted sound does not show any substantial differences after control by the sound control signal , regardless of whether the internal combustion engine is operated as a two - stroke engine or as a four - stroke engine . after selection of one of the two parameter sets in steps 13 and 14 , the method continues in any case with a step 15 in which additional parameters are supplied to controller 4 , e . g ., the angle position of internal combustion engine 1 , so that controller 4 receives information about the pulsation behavior of the exhaust gas in pipe 2 and muffler 3 . furthermore , additional operating point - dependent parameters or operating point - independent parameters are supplied to controller 4 in step 15 if needed . for example , information about silencers preferred by the driver may be supplied to controller 4 . controller 4 controls the sound in a subsequent step 16 . this control is continued , a query being made in a subsequent step 17 as to whether the internal combustion engine is shut off . if the internal combustion engine is shut off , then the method jumps to a step 18 where it is terminated . however , if the internal combustion engine is recognized as still running in step 17 , the method jumps back to step 12 in which another query is made as to whether the operating mode of the internal combustion engine has changed . the described circuit is subsequently run through until it is established in step 17 that the internal combustion engine is shut off . the method is described here in connection with an internal combustion engine which is designed to be operated as a two - stroke engine or as a four - stroke engine . however , it is alternatively also conceivable to use the method with other numbers of strokes , for example in an internal combustion engine which is designed to be operated as a six - stroke engine . in the represented exemplary embodiment , the sound control device is situated on center muffler 2 and end muffler 3 which form a unit of the engine periphery of internal combustion engine 1 , i . e ., the exhaust system of internal combustion engine 1 . however , the present invention may also be used on other units of the engine periphery , such as the air intake system of internal combustion engine 1 . | 5 |
the following detailed description is exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the invention in any way . rather , the following description provides practical illustrations for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention . fig1 a is a perspective view of a slurry dividing apparatus 500 , according to some embodiments of the present invention ; and fig1 b is a frontal elevation view of dividing apparatus 500 . fig1 a - b illustrate apparatus 500 including a main flow channel 550 extending upward , preferably vertically , a flow divider 540 terminating an upper end of main flow channel 550 , and a pair of branch flow channels 531 , 532 in fluid communication with main flow channel 550 and extending upward , preferably vertically , from flow divider 540 . accordingly , slurry encountering slurry divider 540 will be split as it is traveling in an upward , vertical direction . the flow divider 540 is useful for separating a slurry stream into two or more constituent parts . as shown , the flow divider 540 comprises the inner walls of branch flow channels 531 , 532 . in other embodiments , flow divider 540 may comprise a single vertically oriented planar member . branch flow channels 531 , 532 may be provided in any relative cross - sectional sizes . for example , if a slurry stream is to be split into roughly two equivalent streams , the cross - sectional area of branch flow channels 531 , 532 may be approximately equal . other stream split ratios and corresponding branch flow channel cross - sectional areas ( e . g ., 60 / 40 , 70 / 30 ) may be provided as desired . fig1 a - b further illustrate main flow channel 550 including a slurry inlet opening 510 , an inlet zone 515 , which extends upward from the opening 510 , and a deceleration zone 505 extending upward from inlet zone 515 toward flow divider 540 ; an increasing cross - sectional area of deceleration zone 505 decelerates slurry flow for division into constituent slurry streams flowing within branch channels 531 , 532 . according to the illustrated embodiment , opposing sidewalls 55 of deceleration zone 505 expand outward with increasing elevation in order to reduce slurry flow velocity , at flow divider 540 , to a value just above that which would maintain the solids of the slurry in suspension , for a minimum anticipated slurry flow rate at inlet opening 510 . without intending to be bound by theory , the density difference between the suspended particles and the transporting fluid of the slurry will generally determine the minimum velocity required to maintain the solids of the slurry in suspension . further , the height of the deceleration zone may depend on both the anticipated inlet velocity and the ideal reduced velocity at the top of the deceleration zone . in general , embodiments of the flow divider will work within a large range of inlet velocities . for example , for pellet slurry applications , inlet velocities may generally be between about 10 to about 20 feet per second and the velocity in the deceleration zone could be reduced by a factor of about 10 to 1 . other slurry applications could deviate significantly from this range . in some embodiments , each of branch flow channels 531 , 532 has a cross - sectional area of approximately one half of this maximum cross - sectional area of the deceleration zone . with further reference to fig1 b , it may be appreciated that sidewalls 55 gradually taper outward , in a linear fashion , at an angle a , which is preferably less than or equal to approximately 10 degrees , in order to prevent boundary layer separation between inlet zone 515 and deceleration zone 505 which can lead to turbulent flow that may cause separation of the solids suspended in the slurry . in some embodiments , the slurry stream is decelerated in deceleration zone 505 until it reaches laminar flow . in certain embodiments , the deceleration zone 505 is sized and shaped to decelerate the slurry stream to the minimum velocity that maintains particle suspension . fig1 a further illustrates slurry dividing apparatus 500 including a pair of discharge flow channels 541 , 542 . according to the illustrated embodiment , each of discharge flow channels 541 , 542 is in fluid communication with a corresponding branch flow channel 531 , 532 , and , with reference to fig1 c , it may be appreciated that the constituent slurry streams flowing upward within each of branch channels 531 , 532 , when reaching an upper portion thereof , will spill over a weir 503 and into discharge channels 541 , 542 , respectively . in some embodiments , weir 503 may be included in separate sections corresponding with each branch flow channel . with reference back to fig1 a , an optional observation window 565 may provide a view of the flow of the slurry streams over weirs 503 . weirs 503 are preferably horizontally plumb and located at approximately the same elevation such that each slurry stream flows at the same depth over the corresponding weir 503 , and an approximately equivalent head pressure is maintained across branch channels 531 , 532 . such equivalent head pressure allows the slurry stream to be split according to the relative cross - sectional area of the branch channels 531 , 532 , as discussed above . in some embodiments , the slurry has been decelerated in the deceleration zone 505 to such an extent that the constituent slurry streams are in laminar flow when they encounter weirs 503 . with further reference to fig1 c , in conjunction with fig1 d , which is a side section view through apparatus 500 , optional bypass flow channels 570 are shown extending between each of branch flow channels 531 , 532 and the corresponding discharge flow channel 541 , 542 . although only one is shown in fig1 d , a valve 575 is provided for each of optional bypass flow channels 570 ; when valve 575 is opened the corresponding optional bypass channel 570 provides a flow pathway from the corresponding branch flow channel 531 , 532 to the corresponding discharge flow channel 541 , 542 , which bypasses the corresponding weir 503 . according to the illustrated embodiment one of valves 575 may be opened to short circuit one of the constituent slurry streams , which is flowing upward in the corresponding branch channel 531 , 532 , directly to the corresponding discharge flow channel 541 , 542 and thereby increase a flow rate thereof . with further reference to fig1 a , each of discharge flow channels 541 , 542 is shown including an acceleration zone 509 extending downward , preferably vertically , toward a corresponding slurry outlet opening 519 . according to the illustrated embodiment , acceleration zones 509 have cross - sectional areas that decrease with decreasing elevation in order to accelerate flow back to a velocity which provides for efficient transporting of the constituent streams out from outlets 519 to subsequent processing stations . it should be noted that although each of inlet and outlet openings 510 , 519 are shown having round cross - sections , which may be preferred for coupling with standard piping delivering slurries into and out from apparatus 500 , the invention is not so limited and any suitable shape of cross - section may be employed for these openings . furthermore , although main flow channel 550 , branch flow channels 531 , 532 and discharge flow channels 541 , 542 are shown having rectangular cross - sections , again the invention is not so limited and any suitable shape of cross - section may be employed for these channels . embodiments of the present invention may further include more than two branch flow channels and discharge flow channels to divide a slurry stream into more than two constituent streams . embodiments of the invention also include methods of separating a slurry stream into two or more constituent parts . in some embodiments , the method includes the steps of causing the slurry to flow through a deceleration zone to decelerate the slurry stream and dividing the slurry into a first slurry stream and a second slurry stream with a flow divider . in some embodiments , each slurry stream enters independent agglomerate removal and dewatering units after the slurry divider . as shown in fig2 a and 2b , in certain embodiments the independent agglomerate removal and dewatering units are provided within the same apparatus 500 as the slurry flow divider . in such embodiments , each slurry stream passing over weirs 503 ( as described above ) encounters a separate agglomerate removal and dewatering units 520 , 525 in an agglomerate removal zone 527 and a dewatering zone 529 . each agglomerate removal unit and dewatering unit may be contained within a single housing , such as housing 528 shown in fig2 a . examples of agglomerate removal and dewatering units useful for utilization with some embodiments of the invention will be further described below . after traveling through the agglomerate removal and dewatering units , the particulates and transport fluid from each stream may exit the apparatus separately , such as at first stream fluid component exit 570 , second stream fluid component exit 580 , first stream particulate component exit 662 , and second stream particulate component exit 660 , as shown in fig2 a . the particulates exiting at the first and second stream particulate component exits may then independently proceed to individual dryers for further moisture removal . the configuration of the agglomerate removal and dewatering units can take any suitable form useful for removing agglomerates and dewatering , respectively . an illustrative apparatus is described in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 063 , 296 , entitled “ agglomerate removal and dewatering apparatus ,” which is incorporated by reference herein . in the embodiment of fig2 c , in such an apparatus the constituent slurry streams pass over weirs 503 and in to an agglomerate removal zone 527 and encounter a screening apparatus within the agglomerate removal zone . in some embodiments , screening apparatus comprises at least a first screen 600 . agglomerates present in the constituent slurry streams pass over the screen and out an agglomerate exit 610 while the slurry transport fluid and desired particulates pass through the screen and flow on to the dewatering zone 529 . continuing with the embodiment shown in fig2 c , apparatus 500 includes a dewatering unit in the dewatering zone 529 . the dewatering unit includes a central tower 620 having a substantially cylindrical configuration . the central tower is surrounded by a substantially cylindrical screen 630 having a plurality of screening apertures sized to allow flow of the transport fluid through the screen but not the particulates entrained in the fluid . the screen includes a plurality of vertically spaced apart flanges 640 extending inwardly toward the tower . the tower includes a plurality of outwardly extending flanges 650 . in operation , the fluid flow will enter the dewatering unit from the screen of the agglomerate removal unit . the particles will bounce back and forth between the flanges and the tower and screen , causing the transport fluid to separate from the particles . the fluid will largely flow through the screen while the particles will drop downwardly into a second stream particulate discharge exit 660 . the fluid meanwhile , will exit the apparatus through second stream fluid component exit 580 . some embodiments of the invention include a method for removing agglomerates from a slurry comprising a transport fluid , particulates , and agglomerates formed from the particulates . in some embodiments , the method comprises the steps of causing the slurry to flow through a deceleration zone and past a flow divider to divide the slurry stream into a first slurry stream and a second slurry stream . embodiments of the invention also include removing agglomerates from the first slurry stream by channeling the first slurry stream into the first agglomerate removal unit and removing agglomerates from the second slurry stream by channeling the second slurry stream into the second agglomerate removal unit . other embodiments of the invention further include separating the slurry transport fluid from the slurry particles from the first and second slurry streams by channeling the first slurry stream into a first dewatering unit and by channeling the second slurry stream into a second dewatering unit . in the foregoing detailed description , the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments . however , it may be appreciated that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . | 1 |
compositions for use in the present invention are dsa compositions and include a block copolymer ( typically a diblock copolymer ) dissolved or dispersed in a solvent system . in general , dsa compositions contain two or more immiscible compounds ( e . g ., polymer blends ) or a self - assembling compound comprising at least two components having distinct ( and often opposite ) characteristics , such as functionality , polarity , or water affinity , etch resistance , etc ., which allow segregation ( essentially nanophase separation ) and alignment of the two compounds or components in a rational manner , as well as selective removal of one compound or component . block copolymers , as noted above , are particularly well - suited to dsa techniques , as they can be synthesized containing at least two distinct blocks , allowing for each component to align under appropriate conditions , and to be selectively removed after alignment . suitable block copolymers for use in the present invention should contain two or more blocks of polymers that self - assemble at the appropriate time ( e . g ., when annealed ). the block copolymer comprises first and second blocks . in one embodiment , the first block is a polymer comprising random monomers of vinylbenzocyclobutene (“ vbcb ” and preferably 4 - vinylbenzocyclobutene or “ 4 - vbcb ”), styrene , and a monomer other than vbcb or ( unsubstituted ) styrene . the monomer other than vbcb or styrene is selected from the group consisting of styrene - containing monomers , vinylpyridine ( preferably 2 - vinylpyridine or 4 - vinylpyridine ), and vinyl naphthalene . preferably , the monomer is a styrene - containing monomer . as used herein , “ styrene - containing monomer ” refers to a monomer that has a styrene - moiety in its structure along with other atoms or moieties ( e . g ., the ring is substituted ). “ styrene - containing monomer ” does not include monomers that include only styrene , without other atoms or ring substitutions . examples of suitable styrene - containing monomers include those selected from the group consisting of fluorostyrene ( preferably 4 - fluorostyrene ), butyl styrene ( preferably 4 - tert - butyl styrene ), vinylanisole ( preferably 4 - vinylanisole ), methyl styrene , and trifluormethylstyrene . advantageously , the vbcb block crosslinks upon heating to its crosslinking temperature , after annealing , for applications where that is desirable . the molar percentage of styrene repeating units in the first block of this embodiment can be from about 0 . 1 % to about 99 . 99 %, preferably from about 10 % to about 80 %, and more preferably from about 10 % to about 60 %. the molar percentage of vbcb repeating units in the first block of this embodiment is from about 1 % to about 99 . 99 %, preferably from about 5 % to about 70 %, and more preferably from about 10 % to about 60 %. the molar percentage of the monomer other than the vbcb or styrene ( e . g ., fluorostyrene repeating units ) in the first block can be from about 0 . 1 % to about 99 . 99 %, preferably from about 1 % to about 60 %, and more preferably from about 5 % to about 35 %. in another embodiment , the first block is a polymer comprising random monomers of vinyl biphenyl (“ vb ,” and preferably 4 - vinyl biphenyl or “ 4 - vb ”) and styrene . even more preferably , first blocks according to this embodiment further comprise at least one other monomer , and preferably two other monomers , that are not vb or styrene . preferred other monomers are selected from the group consisting of styrene - containing monomers ( such as those noted above ), vinylpyridine ( preferably 2 - vinylpyridine or 4 - vinylpyridine ), vinyl naphthalene , methyl styrene , and fluorostyrene ( preferably 4 - fluorostyrene ). more preferably both methyl styrene and fluorostyrene ( again , preferably 4 - fluorostyrene ) are present as other monomers . advantageously , the vb block does not crosslink upon heating , for applications where crosslinking is undesirable . the molar percentage of styrene repeating units in the first block of this embodiment is from about 0 . 1 % to about 99 . 99 %, preferably from about 10 % to about 90 %, and more preferably from about 10 % to about 60 %. the molar percentage of vb repeating units in the first block of this embodiment is from about 0 . 1 % to about 99 . 99 %, preferably from about 5 % to about 75 %, and more preferably from about 10 % to about 50 %. in embodiments where fluorostyrene repeating units are present in the first block , the molar percentage of those units is from about 0 . 1 % to about 99 . 99 %, preferably from about 1 % to about 40 %, and more preferably from about 5 % to about 30 %. in embodiments where methyl styrene repeating units are present in the first block , the molar percentage of the methyl styrene present is from about 0 . 1 % to about 99 . 99 %, preferably from about 5 % to about 60 %, and more preferably from about 15 % to about 60 %. while a polymer formed of methyl methacrylate monomers ( i . e ., pmma ) is the most preferred second block , other second blocks could also be utilized , including those selected from the group consisting of polymers comprising monomers selected from the group consisting of lactic acid , ethylene oxide , vinyl esters , vinyl amides , and methyl acrylate . the inventive block copolymers have a weight average molecular weight of from about 1 , 000 g / mol to about 100 , 000 g / mol , and preferably from about 10 , 000 g / mol to about 50 , 000 g / mol . furthermore , the polydispersity index (“ pdi ,” as determined in example 9 ) of the block copolymer is preferably from about 1 . 01 to about 1 . 50 , and more preferably from about 1 . 01 to about 1 . 30 . the inventive block copolymer has a χ value that is at least about 1 . 5 times , and preferably at least about 2 times the χ value of a polystyrene and poly ( methyl methacrylate ) block copolymer . the ratio of the blocks in the copolymer varies , depending on the desired self - assembly microstructures and properties of the polymer . however , typically the volume ratio of first block to second block is from about 10 : 90 to about 90 : 10 , and more preferably from about 20 : 80 to about 80 : 20 . “ volume ratio ” as used herein is the ratio of the “ volume ” of each block of the polymer ( where the volume is calculated by taking the molecular weight of that block of the polymer ) and dividing it by the density of that block of the polymer . when the structure being formed is a hole , the volume ratio will typically be from about 75 : 25 to about 65 : 35 , and more preferably about 70 : 30 . when the structure being formed is a cylinder , the volume ratio will typically be from about 25 : 75 to about 35 : 65 , and more preferably about 30 : 70 . when the structure being formed are lamellae , lines , or spaces , the volume ratio will typically be from about 45 : 55 to about 55 : 45 , and more preferably about 50 : 50 . suitable block copolymers can be created by using controlled radical polymerization techniques , such as reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer ( raft ), atom transfer radical polymerization ( atrp ), stable free radical mediated polymerization ( sfrp ), etc . scheme a shows a general reaction of using raft polymerization to create a block copolymer . the process to create a block copolymer utilizes a two - step reaction . first , one or more monomers ( monomer a in scheme a ) is polymerized via raft polymerization in the presence of a radical initiator and a chain transfer agent ( such as thiocarbonylthio compounds ) to generate a polymer ( polymer a in scheme a ) with a chain transfer agent moiety ( such as thiocarbonylthio ) at one chain end . the obtained polymer is then used as a macromolecular chain transfer agent in the second reaction , to effectuate the polymerization of a second monomer ( monomer b in scheme a ) in the presence of a radical initiator to generate the block copolymer ( a - b in scheme a ). suitable radical initiators for use in the raft polymerization method include , but are not limited to , 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( aibn ), 4 , 4 ′- azobis ( 4 - cyanovaleric acid ) ( acva ), and 1 , 1 ′- azobis ( cyclohexanecarbonitrile ) ( achn ). suitable chain transfer agents include , but are not limited to , 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl benzodithioate , 2 - phenyl - 2 - propyl benzodithioate , 4 - cyano - 4 -( phenylcarbonothioylthio ) pentanoic acid , 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate , and 4 - cyano - 4 -[( dodecylsulfanyl - thiocarbonyl ) sulfanyl ] pentanoic acid . suitable solvents include , but are not limited to , toluene , 1 , 4 - dioxane , tetrahydrofuran , propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate , and anisole . scheme b below shows a raft reaction scheme to prepare the inventive block copolymers where the vbcb embodiment ( specifically 4 - vbcb ) is used for the first block , the monomer other than styrene or vbcb is 4 - fluorostyrene , and pmma is the second block . the raft process to create the block copolymer utilizes a two - step reaction . first , methyl methacrylate is polymerized via raft polymerization in the presence of a radical initiator and a chain transfer agent to generate a poly ( methyl methacrylate ) with a chain transfer agent moiety at one chain end . next , the p ( s - fs - vbcb )- b - pmma block copolymer can be synthesized by using end - functionalized pmma as a chain transfer agent , a radical initiator , and a mixture of styrene , 4 - fluorostyrene , and 4 - vinylbenzocyclobutene as the monomers . the chemical structure of the resulting block copolymer is shown in scheme c . it will be appreciated that although the monomers of the first block are shown in a certain order , that is simply exemplary , and those monomers will be random throughout the first block . additionally , the “ x ” and “ y ” simply indicate that what is shown is a snapshot of each overall block . that is , the block will be longer than shown , and will be polymerized to the desired size for the particular application . scheme d shows the raft reaction scheme used to prepare the inventive block copolymers where the vb embodiment ( specifically 4 - vb ) is used for the first block , both methyl styrene and 4 - fluorostyrene are present in the first block , and pmma is the second block . again , a two - step reaction is utilized . first , methyl methacrylate is polymerized via raft polymerization in the presence of a radical initiator and a chain transfer agent to generate a poly ( methyl methacrylate ) with a chain transfer agent moiety at one chain end . then , p ( s - ms - fs - vb )- b - pmma block copolymer can be synthesized by using end - functionalized pmma as a chain transfer agent , a radical initiator , and a mixture of styrene , 4 - fluorostyrene , methyl styrene , and vinylbiphenyl ( vb ) as the monomers . the chemical structure of the resulting block copolymer is shown in scheme e . again , it will be appreciated that although the monomers of the first block are shown in a certain order , that is simply exemplary , and those monomers will be random throughout the first block . additionally , the “ x ” and “ y ” simply indicate that what is shown is a snapshot of the overall block . that is , the block will be longer than shown , and will be polymerized the desired size for the particular application . in addition to the block copolymer described above , the inventive compositions can include a number of optional ingredients , such as those selected from the group consisting of surfactants , acid catalysts , base catalysts , crosslinkers , and mixtures thereof . the dsa compositions are prepared by dissolving or dispersing the above - described block copolymer in a solvent system . suitable solvents include those selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol monomethyl ether ( pgme ), propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate ( pgmea ), gamma - butyrolactone ( gbl ), cyclohexanone , cyclopentanone , ethyl lactate ( el ), ethylacetoacetate ( eaa ), n - butyl acetate , methyl isobutyl carbinol ( mibc ), 2 - heptanone , isopropyl alcohol ( ipa ), methyl ethyl ketone ( mek ), and mixtures thereof . preferred compositions will preferably have solids content of from about 0 . 1 % by weight to about 5 % by weight , more preferably from about 0 . 1 % by weight to about 2 % by weight , and even more preferably from about 0 . 1 % by weight to about 1 % by weight , based upon the total weight of the composition taken as 100 % by weight . the amount of block copolymer in the composition will generally fall within the above ranges as well , since it is most likely the primary ( and possibly only ) solid present in the composition . the inventive dsa layer can be formed from the above - described compositions by any known application method , with some of those methods being described in u . s . patent application no . 2013 / 0273330 , the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein . one preferred method involves spin - coating the block copolymer composition onto a substrate at speeds from about 500 rpm to about 2 , 500 rpm , preferably from about 1 , 000 rpm to about 1 , 500 rpm , for a time period of from about 30 seconds to about 90 seconds , preferably from about 50 seconds to about 60 seconds . after the block copolymer composition is applied , self - assembly can be carried out using any suitable technique , including thermal annealing , solvent annealing , microwave annealing , and combinations thereof . in a preferred embodiment , thermal annealing is carried out by heating the layer to a temperature above its glass transition temperature ( tg ). that temperature would typically be from about 100 ° c . to about 300 ° c ., and more preferably from about 110 ° c . to about 250 ° c ., for a time period of from about 30 seconds to about 600 seconds , and preferably from about 60 seconds to about 120 seconds , in order to anneal the material and form the dsa layer . an optional second bake stage may be used to crosslink the material after microphase separation . the thickness of the dsa layer after baking is preferably from about 5 nm to about 60 nm , and more preferably from about 10 nm to about 40 nm , depending upon the molecular weight of each polymer block . in one embodiment , the self - assembly is carried out right after the dsa composition is applied . in other words , there aren &# 39 ; t any additional layers or other compositions applied on top of the dsa layer prior to annealing , as is the case in some prior art methods . advantageously , the present invention provides for self - assembly to be carried out purely by thermal annealing . that is , some prior art methods require special other conditions ( e . g ., solvent annealing , annealing in an inert atmosphere ), and those are avoided here . the dsa layer can optionally be coated on top of a series of one or more underlayers selected from the group comprising bottom anti - reflective coatings , neutral brush layers , hardmask neutral layers ( hm nl ), hardmasks , spin - on carbon , or other layers . in some cases , a single layer , such as an hm nl , can perform the function of multiple layers , such as those of the bottom anti - reflective coatings , the neutral brush layer and the hardmask . one optional intermediate layer is a hardmask layer . a hardmask layer can be formed by any known application method , with one preferred method being spin - coating at speeds from about 1 , 000 to about 5 , 000 rpm , and preferably from about 1 , 250 rpm to about 1 , 750 rpm , for a time period of from about 30 to about 120 seconds , and preferably from about 45 seconds to about 75 seconds . suitable hardmask layers are preferably high - silicon content materials , such as those selected from the group consisting of silanes , siloxanes , and silsesquioxanes . exemplary hardmask layers will generally compromise a polymer dissolved or dispersed in a solvent system , optionally along with one or more the following ingredients : surfactants , acid or base catalysts , and crosslinkers . preferred hardmask compositions will preferably have solids content of from about 0 . 1 % by weight to about 70 % by weight , more preferably from about 0 . 5 % by weight to about 10 % by weight , and even more preferably from about 1 % by weight to about 2 % by weight , based upon the total weight of the hardmask composition taken as 100 % by weight . after the hardmask is applied , it is preferably heated to a temperature from about 100 ° c . to about 300 ° c ., and more preferably from about 150 ° c . to about 250 ° c ., and for a time period of from about 30 seconds to about 120 seconds , and preferably from about 45 seconds to about 60 seconds , to evaporate solvents . the thickness of the hardmask layer after baking is preferably from about 5 nm to about 50 , 000 nm , more preferably from about 5 nm to about 1 , 000 nm , and even more preferably from about 10 nm to about 100 nm . the hardmask layer should have an etch rate at least 0 . 75 times that of the block copolymer in a fluorine - rich plasma atmosphere , and at least 5 times slower than any soc in an oxygen - rich plasma etch atmosphere . the hardmask thickness should not be affected by the solvent in the dsa composition ( i . e ., no hardmask stripping ). thus , when subjected to a stripping test , the crosslinked hardmask layer will have a percent stripping of less than about 5 %, preferably less than about 1 %, and more preferably about 0 %. the stripping test involves first determining the thickness by taking the average of measurements at five different locations of the hardmask layer . this is the initial average film thickness . next , the film is rinsed with a solvent or developer for about 30 seconds , followed by spin drying at about 500 - 3 , 000 rpm for about 20 - 60 seconds to remove the solvent . the thickness is measured again at those five points on the wafer using ellipsometry , and the average of these measurements is determined . this is the average final film thickness . the amount of stripping is the difference between the initial and final average film thicknesses . the percent stripping is : while the above lack of stripping is described with respect to hardmask layers , the same would be true for any other intermediate layer included under the inventive dsa layer , including those described above . some commercial hardmask layers can be used . other preferred hardmask layers contain a copolymer of monomers selected from the group containing phenethyltrimethoxysilane ( petms ), 2 -( carbomethoxy ) ethyltrimethoxysilane ( cmetms ), tetraethoxysilane ( teos ), methyltrimethoxysilane , and phenyltrimethoxysilane . an optional carbon - rich layer can be formed by any known application method , with one preferred method being spin - coating at speeds from about 1 , 000 rpm to about 5 , 000 rpm , and preferably from about 1 , 250 rpm to about 1 , 750 rpm , for a time period of from about 30 seconds to about 120 seconds , and preferably from about 45 seconds to about 75 seconds . the term “ carbon - rich ” refers to layers formed from compositions comprising greater than about 50 % by weight carbon , preferably greater than about 70 % by weight carbon , and more preferably from about 75 % to about 80 % by weight carbon , based upon the total solids in the carbon - rich composition taken as 100 % by weight . suitable carbon - rich layers are selected from the group consisting of spin - on carbon layers ( soc ), amorphous carbon layers , and carbon planarizing layers . exemplary carbon - rich layers will generally compromise a polymer dissolved or dispersed in a solvent system , along with one or more of the following optional ingredients : acid and / or base quenchers , catalysts , crosslinking agents , and surface modification additives . preferred compositions will be suitable for forming thick layers and will preferably have solids content of from about 0 . 1 % by weight to about 70 % by weight , more preferably from about 5 % by weight to about 40 % by weight , and even more preferably from about 10 % by weight to about 30 % by weight , based upon the total weight of the carbon - rich composition taken as 100 % by weight . after the carbon - rich composition is applied , it &# 39 ; s preferably heated to a temperature from about 100 ° c . to about 300 ° c ., and more preferably from about 160 ° c . to about 250 ° c ., and for a time period of from about 30 seconds to about 120 seconds , and preferably from about 45 seconds to about 60 seconds , to evaporate solvents . the thickness of the carbon - rich layer after baking is preferably from about 10 nm to about 50 , 000 nm , more preferably from about 100 nm to about 5 , 000 nm , and even more preferably from about 500 nm to about 1 , 500 nm . the substrate to which the dsa layer is applied is preferably a semiconductor substrate , such as those selected from the group consisting of silicon , sige , sio 2 , si 3 n 4 , sion , aluminum , tungsten , tungsten silicide , gallium arsenide , germanium , tantalum , tantalum nitride , ti 3 n 4 , hafnium , hfo 2 , ruthenium , indium phosphide , coral , black diamond , glass , or mixtures of the foregoing . again , optional intermediate layers may be formed on the substrate prior to processing . while the above describes a preferred embodiment , it will be appreciated that there are a number of variations that could be carried out . these variations are described and shown in detail in u . s . patent application no . 2013 / 0273330 , previously incorporated by reference . for example , the invention could be utilized in lithography - assisted ( e . g ., graphoepitaxy ) self - assembly . in summary , a stack is prepared as described above , using a substrate , optional intermediate layer ( e . g ., carbon - rich layer ), and hardmask layer . in embodiments where a hardmask neutral layer is not used , a neutral or brush layer must be used on the hardmask layer to enable the dsa material to self - assemble . an imaging layer is formed on the cured hardmask layer following conventional methods . suitable photosensitive compositions for use as the imaging layer include any composition that can be patterned upon exposure to at least about 1 mj / cm 2 radiation , such as photoresists , anti - reflective imaging layers , and the like . the imaging layer can then be post - application baked (“ pab ”) at a temperature of at least about 80 ° c ., and preferably from about 100 ° c . to about 140 ° c ., for time periods of from about 10 seconds to about 120 seconds ( preferably from about 30 seconds to about 60 seconds ). the thickness of the imaging layer is preferably from about 10 nm to about 300 nm , more preferably from about 20 nm to about 150 nm , and even more preferably from about 30 nm to about 100 nm . that imaging layer can then be patterned , for example , by exposure to radiation ( e . g ., light in the case of optical lithography ) of the appropriate wavelength , followed by development of the unexposed portions of the imaging layer , again following conventional methods . for example , the imaging layer could be exposed using a mask positioned above the imaging layer . the mask has open areas designed to permit radiation ( hv ) to pass through the mask and contact the imaging layer to yield exposed portions of the imaging layer that are rendered insoluble in solvent ( when using a negative - tone photoresist ). the remaining solid portions of the mask are designed to prevent radiation from contacting the imaging layer in certain areas to yield unexposed portions of the imaging layer that remain solvent soluble . those skilled in the art will readily understand that the arrangement of open areas and solid portions is designed based upon the desired pattern to be formed in the imaging layer , although the present method is particularly suited for dark - field exposure where the majority of the imaging layer is shielded from radiation to form raised features such as lines and pillars . after exposure , the imaging layer is preferably subjected to a post - exposure bake (“ peb ”) at a temperature of from about 80 ° c . to about 150 ° c ., more preferably from about 100 ° c . to about 130 ° c ., for a time period of from about 30 seconds to about 60 seconds . upon exposure , the portions of the imaging layer that are exposed to radiation are rendered insoluble in organic ( preferably non - alkaline ) solvent developer . the exposed imaging layer is then contacted with solvent to remove the unexposed portions to form the desired “ pre - pattern ” in the imaging layer . alternatively , when using a positive - tone photoresist , the exposed portions of the imaging layer can be rendered soluble in aqueous developer ( e . g ., an alkaline developer ) or solvent during the exposure process , in which case , the removal process is reversed from what is described above . that is , the exposed portions are removed during development to form the pattern ( not shown ). in either embodiment , at least about 95 % of the unexposed ( or exposed , as the case may be ) portions of the imaging layer 22 will preferably be removed by developer , more preferably at least about 99 %, and even more preferably about 100 % will be removed . suitable non - alkaline solvent developers include n - butyl acetate , n - butyl propionate , isobutyl butyrate , and / or ketones ( e . g ., 2 - heptanone ). suitable alkaline developers for positive - tone imaging layers are organic or inorganic alkaline solutions such as potassium hydroxide ( koh ) and tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide ( tmah ), and preferably comprise an aqueous solution of tmah at a concentration of 0 . 26n or lower . some of these developers are commercialized under the tradenames pd523ad ( available from moses lake industries , inc ., moses lake , wash . ), mf - 319 ( available from shipley , mass . ), mf - 320 ( available from shipley ), and nmd3 ( available from tok , japan ). thus , pre - pattern formation results in portions of the hardmask layer underneath the imaging layer being uncovered or exposed when those selected portions of the imaging layer are removed from the stack . the resulting pre - pattern preferably comprises raised features ( e . g ., lines , pillars , square islands , or combinations thereof ) formed on the hardmask layer . these features are chemically identical to the exposed portions of the imaging layer , and are each defined by respective sidewalls and respective top surfaces . it will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments , any other suitable patterning process may be used to pattern the imaging layer and form raised features , including multiple patterning processes , as well as immersion lithography . as mentioned above , it will also be appreciated that a positive - tone resist or photosensitive material could also be used , instead of the negative - tone imaging layer described herein . in that case , the unexposed portions of the imaging layer remain insoluble , while the exposed portions are rendered soluble and are removed with developer . other patterning methods may also be used , including emerging technologies , such as imprint lithography , nano - imprint lithography , hot embossing lithography , and stamping pattern transfer . these technologies use a patterned mold to transfer patterns instead of relying on photolithographic patterning , as described above . regardless of the embodiment , once the desired pre - pattern is formed , a dsa composition according to the invention can be applied to the patterned stack , such that it flows into the spaces between the raised features ( i . e ., directly adjacent the hardmask ), and adjacent the sidewalls of the raised features . in one or more embodiments , the self - assembling composition can also overcoat the top surfaces of the raised features . however , in other embodiments , the self - assembling composition preferably does not overcoat the top of the raised features . in other words , the self - assembling composition is deposited between the raised features and adjacent the feature sidewalls , but is absent from the top surfaces of the raised features . as a result , the top surface of the raised features remain open to be easily removed via solvent removal or etching , without the need for an etch - back step or other modification of the self - assembling layer to expose the pre - pattern . the dsa composition can then be self - assembled or annealed as described above to yield first self - assembled regions and second self - assembled regions in the self - assembled or annealed layer , with one of the first or second self - assembled regions being adjacent the raised feature sidewalls , and the other of the first or second self - assembled regions segregated away from the raised features . for example , in the case of p ( s - fs - vbcb )- b - pmma block copolymer composition , the first blocks ( i . e ., the s - fs - vbcb blocks ) would align adjacent to the photoresist sidewalls , while the second blocks ( i . e ., the pmma blocks ) would be drawn towards each other and are segregated between adjacent self - assembled regions of s - fs - vbcb . either of the first or second self - assembled regions can then be removed to generate a pattern . for example , the first self - assembled region can then be removed to generate a pattern in the dsa layer on the patterned stack , followed by transferring this pattern down into the hardmask and carbon - rich intermediate layer . it will be appreciated that instead of the first self - assembled region , the second self - assembled region could be removed instead . regardless , the resulting pattern is eventually transferred down into the substrate . the pattern will typically be comprised of features such as lines , spaces , cylinders , and / or holes . advantageously , these features will have an average ( mean ) respective feature size of less than about 20 nm , preferably less than about 15 nm , more preferably less than about 10 nm , and even more preferably from about 1 nm to about 10 nm . the term “ feature size ,” as used herein , refers to the average ( mean ) width of the features as measured on an sem cross - section of the stack ( thus in the case of holes the width is the same as the hole diameter ). one advantage of the present invention is that , in embodiments where a hardmask neutral layer is utilized , the surface properties of that layer can be modified from a neutral layer that will facilitate aligning of the self - assembling materials to a non - alignment layer over which the self - assembling materials will not align during annealing or self - assembly . one possible avenue for modifying the hardmask layer involves chemoepitaxy . a stack is prepared comprising a substrate , optional intermediate layer , hardmask neutral layer , and imaging layer , as described above . a pre - pattern is created in the imaging layer , either using the method described previously , or any other conventional method . thus , pre - pattern formation results in portions of the hardmask layer underneath the imaging layer being uncovered or exposed when those selected portions of the imaging layer are removed from the stack . the remaining portions of the imaging layer adjacent the hardmask serve as a mask for surface modification of the hardmask neutral layer . in one or more embodiments , the imaging layer is patterned using optical lithography and a developer ( e . g ., alkaline developer ) or solvent rinse . alternatively , the imaging layer is patterned using another suitable method , followed by contact with a developer solution ( e . g ., alkaline developer ) or solvent . regardless , the exposed portions of the hardmask layer are contacted with a developer solution ( separately or during developer rinse ). the remaining portions of the imaging layer are then removed ( e . g ., with solvent ), yielding the hardmask layer having surface - modified regions and non - modified regions , where the surface - modified regions correspond to those portions of the hardmask that were uncovered during patterning of the imaging layer . advantageously , contact with the developer ( and particularly with an alkaline developer ) changes the surface energy of the hardmask layer . in one or more embodiments , the surface energy is increased and causes the surface - modified regions of the hardmask to lose their ability to act as a neutral layer and induce alignment during the self - assembly process . however , the non - modified regions of the hardmask , which remained covered by the imaging layer during patterning and developer contact , still retain their neutral layer properties . thus , the surface - modified regions correspond to non - aligning areas while the non - modified regions correspond to aligning areas on the hardmask . the active aligning areas therefore have the ability to become guiding structures for pattern formation during self - assembly . a dsa layer is then formed directly on top of the surface - modified hardmask layer , such that there is direct contact between the dsa layer and surface - modified regions and non - modified regions . the dsa layer is then self - assembled as described above to allow the components to self - assemble . because of the surface modification , the self - assembling layer will only self assemble into first self - assembled regions and second self - assembled regions in those portions of the dsa layer that are adjacent the non - modified areas of the hardmask . in other words , portions of the dsa layer adjacent the surface - modified areas of the hardmask do not separate or segregate into a pattern during annealing or self - assembly and are “ unassembled ” or “ non - aligned .” one of the first or second self - assembled regions can then be selectively removed , followed by etching the resulting pattern into the hardmask layer and optional intermediate layer . this pattern is eventually transferred down into the substrate . in embodiments where a hardmask neutral layer is not utilized , an intermediate layer is required that will form modified and non - modified areas or regions , and the rest of the process would proceed as described above . in a further embodiment , this intermediate layer could be patterned directly , thus avoiding the need to use an imaging or photoresist layer that must ultimately be removed . that is , selective exposure to radiation will result in the creation of the surface - modified areas or regions noted above . it will be appreciated that in each of the foregoing methods , self - assembly or annealing results in nanophase separation in the dsa layer , which permits the formation of nanometer - sized patterns generally not achievable using conventional optical lithography techniques . it will also be appreciated that although the present methods illustrate formation of at least two distinct annealed or self - assembled regions in the dsa layer , it is envisioned that additional dsa materials could be formulated that are capable of separation into more than two distinct phases , including third and fourth annealed or self - assembled regions . the following examples set forth preferred methods in accordance with the invention . it is to be understood , however , that these examples are provided by way of illustration and nothing therein should be taken as a limitation upon the overall scope of the invention . a mixed solution of 518 milligrams of 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 35 . 0 grams of methyl methacrylate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 28 milliliters of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the prepared solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 24 . 6 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added afterwards . the schlenk reaction flask was de - gassed by three consecutive freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 60 ° c . for 16 hours . a viscous reaction mixture was obtained and diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer product was precipitated in 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and collected by filtration . the polymer solid obtained was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . the polymer product , pmma with a trithiocarbonate end group , was analyzed by gpc with a mn of 13 , 300 , mw = 14 , 800 , and pdi of 1 . 11 . in the second step , 3 . 0 grams of pmma prepared above , 5 . 80 grams of styrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 2 . 08 grams of 4 - vinylbenzocyclobutene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 0 . 98 grams of 4 - fluorostyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) in 4 grams of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 3 . 8 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added . the schlenk reaction flask was then de - gassed by three repeated freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 90 ° c . for 17 hours . the reaction mixture obtained was diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitated in 0 . 8 liter methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer collected by filtration was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 0 . 8 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . a mixed solution of 518 milligrams of 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 35 . 0 grams of methyl methacrylate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and 28 milliliters of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the prepared solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 24 . 6 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added afterwards . the schlenk reaction flask was de - gassed by three consecutive freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 60 ° c . for 16 hours . a viscous reaction mixture was obtained and diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer product was precipitated in 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and collected by filtration . the polymer solid obtained was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . the polymer product , pmma with a trithiocarbonate end group , was analyzed by gpc with a mn of 13 , 300 , mw = 14 , 800 , and pdi of 1 . 11 . in the second step , 3 . 0 grams of pmma prepared above , 4 . 80 grams of styrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 2 . 01 grams of 4 - vinylbenzocyclobutene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 1 . 88 grams of 4 - fluorostyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) in 4 grams of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 3 . 8 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added . the schlenk reaction flask was then de - gassed by three repeated freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 90 ° c . for 17 hours . the reaction mixture obtained was diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitated in 0 . 8 liter methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer collected by filtration was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 0 . 8 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . a mixed solution of 518 milligrams of 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 35 . 0 grams of methyl methacrylate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 28 milliliters of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the prepared solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 24 . 6 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added afterwards . the schlenk reaction flask was de - gassed by three consecutive freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 60 ° c . for 16 hours . a viscous reaction mixture was obtained and diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer product was precipitated in 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and collected by filtration . the polymer solid obtained was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . the polymer product , pmma with a trithiocarbonate end group , was analyzed by gpc with a mn of 13 , 300 , mw = 14 , 800 , and pdi of 1 . 11 . in the second step , 3 . 3 grams of pmma prepared above , 3 . 21 grams of styrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 4 . 01 grams of 4 - vinylbenzocyclobutene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 1 . 88 grams of 4 - fluorostyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) in 4 grams of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 3 . 8 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) were added . the schlenk reaction flask was then de - gassed by three repeated freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 90 ° c . for 17 hours . the reaction mixture obtained was diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitated in 0 . 8 liter methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer collected by filtration was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 0 . 8 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . a mixed solution of 690 milligrams of 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 38 . 0 grams of methyl methacrylate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and 30 milliliters of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the prepared solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 41 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added afterwards . the schlenk reaction flask was de - gassed by three consecutive freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 60 ° c . for 16 hours . a viscous reaction mixture was obtained and diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer product was precipitated in 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and collected by filtration . the polymer solid obtained was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . the polymer product , pmma with a trithiocarbonate end group , was analyzed by gpc with a mn of 11 , 300 , mw = 12 , 900 , and pdi of 1 . 15 . in the second step , 3 . 0 grams of pmma prepared above , 3 . 61 grams of styrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 5 . 01 grams of 4 - vinylbenzocyclobutene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 0 . 47 grams of 4 - fluorostyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) in 4 grams of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) were placed in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 4 . 1 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) were added . the schlenk reaction flask was then de - gassed by three repeated freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 90 ° c . for 17 hours . the reaction mixture obtained was diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitated in 0 . 8 liter methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer collected by filtration was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 0 . 8 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . a mixed solution of 504 milligrams of 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 40 grams of methyl methacrylate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and 28 milliliters of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the prepared solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 24 . 0 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) were added afterwards . the schlenk reaction flask was de - gassed by three consecutive freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 60 ° c . for 16 hours . a viscous reaction mixture was obtained and diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer product was precipitated in 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and collected by filtration . the polymer solid obtained was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . the polymer product , pmma with a trithiocarbonate end group , was analyzed by gpc with a mn of 12 , 500 , mw = 14 , 200 , and pdi of 1 . 14 . in the second step , 3 . 0 grams of pmma prepared above , 4 . 00 grams of styrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 4 . 01 grams of 4 - vinylbenzocyclobutene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 0 . 94 grams of 4 - fluorostyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) in 4 grams of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) were placed in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 4 . 1 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added . the schlenk reaction flask was then de - gassed by three repeated freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 90 ° c . for 17 hours . the reaction mixture obtained was diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitated in 0 . 8 liter methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer collected by filtration was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 0 . 8 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . a mixed solution of 692 milligrams of 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 40 grams of methyl methacrylate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 28 milliliters of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the prepared solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 28 . 0 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added afterwards . the schlenk reaction flask was de - gassed by three consecutive freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 60 ° c . for 17 hours . a viscous reaction mixture was obtained and diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer product was precipitated in 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and collected by filtration . the polymer solid obtained was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . the polymer product , pmma with a trithiocarbonate end group , was analyzed by gpc with mn of 12 , 900 , mw of 14 , 200 , and pdi of 1 . 10 . in the second step , 3 . 0 grams of the pmma prepared above , 4 . 40 grams of styrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 2 . 70 grams of 4 - vinylbiphenyl ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 1 . 77 grams of 4 - methylstyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 1 . 41 grams of 4 - fluorostyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) in 4 . 0 grams of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) were added into a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the obtained solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 3 . 8 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) were added . the schlenk reaction flask was then de - gassed by three repeated freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 85 ° c . for 16 hours . the reaction mixture obtained was diluted with 40 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitated in 0 . 8 liter methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer collected by filtration was further purified by re - dissolving in 40 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 0 . 8 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . a mixed solution of 692 milligrams of 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 40 grams of methyl methacrylate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 28 milliliters of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the prepared solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 28 . 0 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added afterwards . the schlenk reaction flask was de - gassed by three consecutive freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 60 ° c . for 17 hours . a viscous reaction mixture was obtained and diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer product was precipitated in 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and collected by filtration . the polymer solid obtained was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . the polymer product , pmma with a trithiocarbonate end group , was analyzed by gpc with mn of 12 , 900 , mw of 14 , 200 , and pdi of 1 . 10 . in the second step , 3 . 0 grams of the pmma prepared above , 5 . 20 grams of styrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 3 . 60 grams of 4 - vinylbiphenyl ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 2 . 34 grams of 4 - methylstyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 1 . 21 grams of 4 - fluorostyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) in 4 . 0 grams of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) were added into a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the obtained solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 3 . 8 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added . the schlenk reaction flask was then de - gassed by three repeated freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 85 ° c . for 16 hours . the reaction mixture obtained was diluted with 40 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitated in 0 . 8 liter methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer collected by filtration was further purified by re - dissolving in 40 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 0 . 8 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . a mixed solution of 692 milligrams of 2 - cyano - 2 - propyl dodecyl trithiocarbonate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 38 grams of methyl methacrylate ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 28 milliliters of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was prepared in a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the prepared solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 24 . 0 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added afterwards . the schlenk reaction flask was de - gassed by three consecutive freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 60 ° c . for 17 hours . a viscous reaction mixture was obtained and diluted with 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer product was precipitated in 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and collected by filtration . the polymer solid obtained was further purified by re - dissolving in 50 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 1 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . the polymer product , pmma with a trithiocarbonate end group , was analyzed by gpc with mn of 12 , 100 , mw of 14 , 000 , and pdi of 1 . 16 . in the second step , 3 . 0 grams of the pmma prepared above , 4 . 16 grams of styrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 3 . 60 grams of 4 - vinylbiphenyl ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), 2 . 36 grams of 4 - methylstyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and 2 . 43 grams of 4 - fluorostyrene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) in 4 . 0 grams of toluene ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) were added into a round - bottom flask and stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes under nitrogen atmosphere . the obtained solution was transferred into a schlenk reaction flask , and 3 . 8 milligrams of 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - methylpropionitrile ) ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) was added . the schlenk reaction flask was then de - gassed by three repeated freeze - evacuate - thaw cycles and sealed in vacuum . the polymerization was carried out at 85 ° c . for 17 hours . the reaction mixture obtained was diluted with 40 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitated in 0 . 8 liter methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .). the polymer collected by filtration was further purified by re - dissolving in 40 milliliters of dichloromethane ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo .) and precipitating into 0 . 8 liter of methanol ( sigma - aldrich , st . louis , mo . ), and then dried in a vacuum oven at 45 ° c . for 24 hours . the molecular weight and polydispersity of each prepared bcp were measured by gpc . the results are shown in table 1 . the gpc parameters were : mobile phase thf ; column - waters styragel hr 3 , 708 × 300 mm ; flow rate — 0 . 5 ml / min ; detector — r1 ; column temperature 40 ° c . ; polystryrene standards used for calibration and for the pmma polymers pmma standards were used . strip testing was performed using a brewer science ® cee ® cb100 coat and bake tool . spin speeds were varied from 1 , 000 rpm to 2 , 000 rpm in 250 - rpm increments . the ramp speed was 10 , 000 rpm with a duration of 60 seconds . a dual stage bake was performed at 180 ° c . for 3 minutes ( to achieve micro - phase separation of the bcp ) and then at 230 ° c . for 2 minutes ( to crosslink the material ). initial thickness values were obtained from measurements on an m2000 vuv vase . the coated wafers were then developed using a 60 - second puddle of pgmea and then spun dry at 1 , 000 rpm for 30 seconds . a second thickness measurement was then taken on the vase tool to determine the thickness loss . the bcbs prepared in examples 1 - 8 were annealed and examined under sem . for the compositions of examples 1 - 5 , a hardmask layer from u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0273330 , incorporated by reference herein , was formed on respective silicon wafers . for the compositions of examples 6 - 8 , a neutral layer formed from a composition that included a random copolymer of the monomers of each bcp was formed on respective silicon wafers . the particular block copolymer composition to be tested was then spin - coated onto the neutral or hardmask layer to yield a total thickness of about 20 nm for both the underlying neutral or hardmask and the dsa layer . a thermal annealing was carried out at 150 - 250 ° c . for 30 seconds to 10 minutes ( usually 5 minutes ) on a hot plate . sem images of the annealed bcps were taken using a jeol sem ( mag 200 . 00 kx , eht 5 kv ). these images are shown in fig1 - 8 . measurements of l 0 and critical dimensions of the lines and spaces from example 11 were taken using imagej software . six locations were measured per sem image and averaged to find the final l 0 values . | 6 |
fig1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a camera exterior member of a camera which is embodiment 1 of the present invention . fig2 is a view illustrating how a camera main body unit is inserted into the camera exterior member . in fig1 , reference numeral 1 denotes a camera exterior member constituting a casing of the camera , which is formed by drawing . as shown in fig1 , the camera exterior member 1 has an opening 13 ( hereinafter referred to as a drawing opening ), which is formed by inserting a tool at the time of drawing , in a direction different from that of an image - taking optical axis 11 , that is , a direction orthogonal to the image - taking optical axis 11 and in a lateral direction of the camera . further , the camera exterior member 1 has a structure surface 14 which is a camera front surface orthogonal to a surface including the drawing opening 13 . the structure surface 14 is provided with an opening 21 which ensures an optical path for a finder optical system , an opening 18 which allows a lens barrel to move in the direction of the image - taking optical axis 11 , and an opening 16 from which a lens placed in a front surface of an illuminating unit 28 , described later , is exposed , the openings being formed by another machining following drawing . fig2 is a view of the camera exterior member 1 as viewed from its rear surface . the camera exterior member 1 has a structure surface 15 locating opposite the structure surface 14 . the structure surface 15 is provided with an opening 17 from which a liquid crystal display unit 23 displaying taken images , image - taking information , and the like is exposed . further , a surface 19 of the camera exterior member 1 which is located opposite the surface including the drawing opening 13 is provided with a plurality of openings 20 through which a plurality of operation buttons 24 penetrate . on the other hand , a camera main body unit 22 as an image - taking unit has the liquid crystal display unit 23 , a finder unit 27 , the illuminating unit 28 , the operation buttons 24 , and the like . the dimensions of the liquid crystal display unit 23 , finder unit 27 , and illuminating unit 28 of the camera main body unit 22 are set to be smaller than those of inner wall surfaces of the camera exterior member 1 , that is , the dimensions in the height direction , lateral direction , and thickness direction of the camera . accordingly , these units are accommodated in the camera exterior member 1 . thus , in the direction of an arrow a in fig2 , when the camera main body unit 22 is housed in the camera exterior member 1 , the camera main body unit 22 is prevented from partly interfering with the camera exterior member 1 . on the other hand , the operation buttons 24 of the camera main body unit 22 are not housed in the camera exterior member 1 . the operation buttons 24 penetrate the openings 20 and partly project from the surface of the camera exterior member 1 . the operation buttons 24 are provided on a side of the camera main body unit 22 in the same direction as that in which the camera main body unit 22 is inserted as shown by the arrow a in fig2 . thus , the camera main body unit 22 can be housed in the camera exterior member 1 without causing the operation buttons 24 to interfere with the inner wall surfaces of the camera exterior member 1 . as described above , according to the present embodiment , even if the operation buttons 24 being a part of the camera main body unit 22 project from the surface of the camera exterior member 1 after the camera has been assembled , the camera main body unit 22 can be housed in the camera exterior member 1 by being inserted into the camera exterior member 1 from the surface provided with the operation buttons 24 , without causing the operation buttons 24 to interfere with the inner wall surfaces of the camera exterior member 1 . this enables the camera to be easily assembled . further , the camera exterior member 1 is integrally formed by drawing , it is not necessary to provide auxiliary members inside of exterior members in order to combine the divided exterior members together as in the case of the prior art . moreover , in contrast to the prior art , the combined part of the camera exterior members is not located near the operation buttons or the like . thus , the strength of the camera exterior member 1 can be increased compared to the prior art . further , by drawing in the direction different from that of the image - taking optical axis , it is possible to integrally form the camera exterior member by deep drawing . this enables the number of combined parts to be reduced compared to the construction of the outer surface of the camera using a plurality of divided camera exterior members . furthermore , the rigidity of the camera exterior member can be increased and an esthetically excellent camera can be provided . fig3 is a perspective view of the appearance of a camera which is embodiment 2 of the present invention . the same members as those described in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals with their description omitted . in fig3 , the operation buttons 24 of the camera project from the surface locating opposite the surface including the drawing opening 13 , that is , a side 19 of the camera exterior member 1 , as in the case of embodiment 1 . a release button 45 projects out of an opening which formed in an area closer to the drawing opening 13 of a top surface of the camera constituting a part of the camera exterior member 1 . thus , when an image is to be taken , the side on which the release button 45 is placed is used as a grip portion . by inserting the camera main body unit from the drawing opening 13 , it is possible to assemble the camera without causing the camera main body unit to interfere with the camera exterior member 1 as in the case of embodiment 1 . further , the operation buttons 24 are arranged in an area located opposite the grip portion . accordingly , an inadvertent operation of the operation buttons 24 is repressed when the camera is held . as described above , according to the present embodiment , the release button 45 is placed away from the operation buttons 24 . therefore , an inadvertent operation of the operation buttons 24 can be repressed . fig4 is a perspective view of the appearance of a camera which is embodiment 3 of the present invention . fig5 is a view showing that a cover member provided on a side of the camera of the present embodiment is open . a camera exterior member 101 is formed by drawing in a direction orthogonal to the image - taking optical axis ( the lateral direction of the camera ). a camera main body unit ( corresponding to the camera main body unit in fig2 ) housed in the camera exterior member 101 has a lens barrel 102 which can move in the direction of the image - taking optical axis , a release button 103 used to start an image - taking operation and image - taking preparing operation ( a focusing operation or a light metering operation ), a finder 104 through which a subject is observed , and an illuminating unit including a fresnel lens 105 . these members are arranged as shown in fig4 . as shown in fig4 , the camera exterior member 101 is provided with a cover member 106 constituting a part of the casing of the camera . the cover member 106 is placed so as to open and close a drawing opening 101 a formed in the camera exterior member 101 . here , the cover member 106 can be slid in the thickness direction ( the direction of an arrow b in fig4 ) of the camera using a slide member ( not shown ) provided in the camera exterior member 101 . fig5 shows that the cover member 106 is opened to expose a battery housing portion 107 and a recording medium housing portion 108 both formed in the camera main body unit . the battery housing portion 107 houses batteries as a power source for the camera . the recording medium housing portion 108 houses a recording medium which records image data taken by an image pickup element ( a ccd sensor , a cmos sensor , or the like ) provided in the camera main body unit . instead of the above slide type , an opening and closing mechanism for the cover member 106 may be rotatably supported by the camera exterior member 101 . in this case , the cover member 106 can be rotated around the axis of rotation to open and close the drawing opening 101 a in the camera exterior member 101 , that is , the opening for the battery housing portion 107 and recording medium housing portion 108 . thus , if there are members such as batteries and recording media which are frequently installed in and removed from the camera main body , insertion ports for those members are arranged at the drawing opening 101 a to enable the area of the drawing opening 101 a side of the camera main body to be efficiently utilized . further , the structure of the camera can be simplified . furthermore , compared to the formation of the respective openings for the battery housing portion and recording medium housing portion in the camera exterior member , the number of openings can be reduced and the rigidity of the camera exterior member can be improved . further , by drawing in the direction different from that of the image - taking optical axis , it is possible to integrally form a camera exterior member by deep drawing . furthermore , the only combined part of exterior members which part is formed on the outer surface of the camera is the abutting part between the cover member 106 and the camera exterior member 101 . consequently , compared to the use of a plurality of camera exterior members , the number of combined parts of the exterior members can be reduced . fig6 is a perspective view of the structure of a camera exterior member of a camera which is embodiment 4 of the present invention . a hinge portion 201 b is formed on a camera exterior member 201 to attach a cover member to a side end of a drawing opening 201 a . openings 201 c , 201 d , and 201 e corresponding to the openings 21 , 16 , and 18 in embodiment 1 are formed in the camera exterior member 201 . the camera of the present embodiment is assembled by inserting a camera main body unit ( similar to the camera main body unit 22 , shown in fig2 ) constituting the interior of the camera , from a drawing opening 201 a formed in the camera exterior member 201 . the camera exterior member 201 is formed by integrating up to five of the six surfaces covering the camera main body unit , excluding one located on a side of the camera . that is , the surfaces ( up to five surfaces mentioned above ) of the camera exterior member 201 other than the one including the drawing opening 201 a are composed of continuous surfaces . further , the hinge portion 201 b is integrally formed on the drawing opening 201 a of the camera exterior member 201 . accordingly , separate hinge parts need not be attached to the camera exterior member 201 . this enables the number of parts to be reduced , thus reducing costs . in the above embodiment , the drawing opening of the camera exterior member is formed at a position such that a surface formed by the drawing opening is orthogonal to a direction different from that of the image - taking optical axis 11 . however , the drawing opening may be formed at a position such that the surface formed by the drawing opening is orthogonal to the image - taking optical axis . that is , in the camera according to the above embodiment , the camera exterior member can be molded by drawing so that the front or rear surface of the camera forms a drawing opening . further , various changes or improvements may be made to the above embodiments . while preferred embodiments have been described , it is to be understood that modification and variation of the present invention may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims . [ heading - 0053 ] this application claims priority from japanese patent application no . 2003 - 330110 filed on sep . 22 , 2003 , which is hereby incorporated by reference herein . | 7 |
advantages and features of the present invention and methods of accomplishing the same will be apparent by referring to embodiments described below in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings . however , the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms . the embodiments are provided only for completing the disclosure of the present invention and for fully representing the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art . for simplicity and clarity of illustration , the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction , and descriptions and details of well - known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the discussion of the described embodiments of the invention . additionally , elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale . for example , the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention . like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification . hereinafter , various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . meter proving systems in the united states are guided by the american petroleum institute manual of petroleum measurement standards , chapter 4 — proving systems , section 2 , displacement provers , third edition , september 2003 , reaffirmed — march 2011 ( api standard ). meter proving using bidirectional sphere provers is approved by this api standard . various methods and devices have been utilized to determine the health of sensors relating to flowmeter provers . these include using monitoring systems that look at the signal that is returned back from the detector sensors and diagnosing the health of the detector sensor so that the prover will not be down for an extended period of time . however all of these systems for determining the health of sensors within provers do not take into account historical data comparing the meter factor ratios of different sections of the prover pipe . provers need to be accurate in order to determine the amount of hydrocarbon material that has passed through the pipe in order to properly allocate and price the material . provers with monitoring systems disclosed herein take into account trends of meter factors and meter factor ratios to determine the health of the particular sensor within the prover system . embodiments of the present disclosure display trends of the meter factor ratios and the meter factors over a set amount of time and analyze these trends so that the health of the sensor can be diagnosed . the system includes monitoring systems with computer executable instructions for performing the process of reading the signal returned from the detector switches , computing the meter factor based on the pulses from the flowmeter also attached to the monitoring system and based on the base prover volume already known about the prover . fig1 is a schematic representation of a prover system 100 for proving a flowmeter 101 in accordance with various embodiments . in one embodiment the flowmeter 101 is a turbine meter , but it is not limited to such an embodiment and can be any type of flowmeter commonly used in pipeline systems . based upon the turning of a turbine in the flowmeter 101 as the fluid stream passes through the flowmeter 101 from a pipeline entrance 130 the flowmeter generates a pulse where each pulse is proportional to a volume and the rate of pulses is proportional to the volumetric flow rate . the flowmeter 101 is connected to a data acquisition and monitoring system 118 , which contains a processor and computer instructions to determine , based upon the pulse count , the flow rate and the volume of liquid which has passed through the flowmeter 101 . this value is ostensibly the value that indicates how much liquid has passed through that particular section of pipe within a specified time . the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 in one embodiment is a computer system containing memory , a hard drive , multiple input and output ports , a display , input means such as a mouse and keyboard , and processor circuitry . the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 may also include network access to share information with other computers throughout the local area network . other embodiments can include wireless connections as well . the flowmeter 101 and the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 are connected via an electrical connection or a wireless connection and the flowmeter 101 sends the pulses to the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 . other embodiments of the flowmeter may include an ultrasonic meter or any other type of flowmeter known in the art . further a displacer , such as a sphere displacer , can be moved through the prover pipe section 110 by allowing the hydrocarbon fluid to flow through the prover system 100 from the pipeline system to prove the flowmeter 101 . the displacer is first moved passed the first detector 102 , then the second detector 104 , then the third detector 106 and finally the fourth detector 108 . the volume between the detectors is a known prover volume called the base prover volume bpv . further , bpv can be calibrated through means of a waterdraw or other method as outlined in the api standards or any other international standards . in the waterdraw method , water is pumped through the prover flow tube into test measures that are certified by nist or another weights and measures organization . water passes the detectors into the measuring tubes so that the displaced volume between the detectors may be accurately established . the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 controls a four - way valve 112 that allows liquid to flow either through the prover section 110 in a reverse or forward direction . the four - way valve 112 can be any electromechanically controlled valve that is known in the art and can be controlled wirelessly . further , the valve 112 can be controlled through the control logic of the processor in the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 . if the prover is not in use , fluid from the flowmeter 101 does not flow to the prover at all . when the prover is in use , the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 first keeps the 4 - way valve 112 in the ‘ reverse ’ position . fluid , which enters at port 134 leaves 4 - way valve 112 at port 116 and passes through the proper pipe portion 110 and re - enters the 4 - way valve 112 at port 114 . the fluid that re - enters the 4 - way valve 112 at port 114 will leave at port 132 . the sphere rests at launcher chamber 124 . there are three isolation valves 136 , 138 , and 140 . 136 and 140 can be conventional gate or ball type isolation valves while 138 can be a double block and bleed ( dbb ) type isolation plug valves . the dbb valves can help ensure that a valve is not leaking when it is closed and if it is leaking when it is closed the proving results are invalid . normally when the flowmeter 101 is not proving and the prover is not in use , the valves 136 and 140 remain in a closed position and valve 138 remains in an open position . all the fluid passing through the flowmeter 101 will bypass the prover 100 in this case . when the flowmeter is going to be proved , the 136 and 140 valves will be opened and valve 138 will be closed . the fluid in this case will enter from the flowmeter 101 and leaves the proving system . the default position of the system is in the ‘ reverse ’ direction . the data acquisition system 118 controls the valve and keeps it in this ‘ reverse ’ position . fluid in this case enters the 4 - way valve 112 and 134 and exits at 116 , reenters at 114 and leaves at 132 . the ‘ standby ’ mode of the prover 100 stabilizes the operating conditions of the prover and flowmeter . when the prover 100 is being used to prove , the 4 - way valve is changed to ‘ forward ’ and ‘ reverse ’ positions as described below . once the proving operation is over , the data acquisition system 118 puts the 4 - way valve in the reverse position and valve 138 will be opened and valves 136 and 140 will be closed . during the start of the proving cycle , when valves 136 and 140 are open and valve 138 is closed , the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 will change the position of the 4 - way valve 112 to ‘ forward ’ and the fluid that enters the 4 - way valve 112 at port 134 will leave it at port 114 and enter the proper pipe portion 110 . as the fluid enters the prover pipe portion 110 , the displacer actuates or trips the first sensor 102 . all the while that fluid is flowing a pulse count is being sent to the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 by the flowmeter 101 . when the displacer passes and triggers the first sensor 102 , two separate pulse counters c1 and c2 in the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 begin to count . then , as the displacer sphere moves along the prover pipeline 110 , it triggers the second detector switch 104 starting a second set of counters c3 and c4 . when the sphere reaches the third detector switch 106 , c1 and c3 will be stopped . further , when the displacer sphere hits detector switch 108 , counters c2 and c4 will be stopped . the values c1 - c4 are stored in the memory of the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 and used to later calculate the four meter factors to prove the flowmeter 101 . there are four detector sensors or switches on the prover , but there can be more . in this configuration in fig1 , there are two on each side and usually they are in pairs . the sensors 102 , 104 , 106 , and 108 can be a transducer or any other detector switch sensor that has a trigger mechanism tied into the tube of the pipeline . it can be actuated by any type of displacer , including a sphere as it passes through the prover pipeline 110 . the same process can be used in reverse . after the displacer passes the last detector switch 108 , the values of the pulse counters c1 - c4 are recorded by the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 . then , the counters are reset and the process is repeated for the reverse pass of the bi - directional sphere prover system 100 . the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 accomplishes this by changing the position of the 4 - way valve in to the ‘ reverse ’ position . the fluid that enters the 4 - way valve 112 at port 134 will leave it at port 116 and enters prover pipe portion 110 . the first and second counters c1 and c2 are started in the same way as the forward pass of the bi - directional sphere prover system 100 . liquid flows through the prover pipe section 110 pushing the displacer passed the first detector switch 108 in the reverse direction starting the first two counters c1 and c2 . then it passes the second detector switch 106 in the reverse direction starting the second two counters c3 and c4 in the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 . as the displacer passes the third detector switch 104 , the first and third counters are stopped and as it passes the fourth switch 102 the second and fourth counters are stopped . the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 records these values and the process of forward and reverse proving runs continues for as long as the user deems necessary . when the prover is in standby mode , the liquid just passes through the flowmeter 101 and through the four - way valve 112 to its destination along the pipeline 128 . this process of a forward and reverse pass can be repeated until the repeatability of the meter factors is within a certain threshold set by the user . further , depending upon the meter factor ratios and their comparison with historical values and trends , the detector switches can be deemed healthy or in need of repair . data acquisition and monitoring system 118 takes the obtained count values from the pulse counters and derives four meter factors using four base prover volumes . the first base prover volume ( bpv1 ) is the portion of the prover pipeline 110 from the first switch 102 to the third switch 106 . the second base prover volume ( bpv2 ) is from the first switch 102 to the fourth switch 108 . the third base prover volume ( bpv3 ) is from the second switch 104 to the third switch 106 . the final base prover volume ( bpv4 ) is from the second switch 104 to the fourth switch 108 . the distance between the second switch 104 and third switch 106 is sufficient enough to collect ten thousand pulses from the flowmeter 101 if pulse interpolation is not used . further the distance between the second switch 104 and the third switch 106 complies with criterion of minimum distance between detector switches as defined in the api standards . also the distance between the first switch 102 and the second switch 104 and the distance between the third switch 106 and the fourth switch 108 , are such that the bpv1 is about the same as bpv4 , or the base prover volumes between the switches is the same . all the signals from the four detector switches ( 102 , 104 , 106 , and 108 ) and the flowmeter 101 are routed to the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 . these connections can be through traditional means or can be wirelessly connected to the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 . the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 performs meter factor calculation and can display archive and trend the four different meter factors which are calculated for each section of pipe . it is industry practice that once the detector switch is repaired or replaced , the prover is recalibrated to make sure that none of the base prover volumes have changed . to determine if the base prover volume from one detector switch to another has changed , the meter factor ratios for each section is determined and then compared to the meter factor ratios before the change . for each prover run , the following method is used to determine the meter factors . the number of flowmeter pulses counted by the flow meters in the forward and reverse direction are used to determine the four meter factors for each section of pipe . the meter factor is the number obtained by dividing the gross standard volume of liquid passed through a meter , as measured by a prover during proving , by the corresponding meter indicated volume at standard conditions . this meter factor is used to show the actual volume measured by the meter . because the pulses are being counted from the flowmeter as the sphere is moved through the prover , and the volume of the different sections between the detector switches is known , accurate meter factors can be calculated using the following equation : mf = kv /( np * pv ), where mf is the meter factor , kv is the known volume of the pipe section , np is the number of pulses and pv is the volume of liquid per pulse . once the meter factors ( mf1 , mf2 , mf3 , and mf4 ) are calculated for each section during a prover run , these numbers are compared with each other . for instance mf1 and mf4 are compared and a ratio is created . these ratios should be close to one and should be constant . the data acquisition and monitoring system 118 constantly calculates and compares these numbers . if after the change of the detector switch , these ratios are not changed , then it can be concluded that the base prover volume in the section has not changed . further , if there is a change in the value of these ratios , then there will be a change in the value of other ratios among the four meter factors and base prover volume . for instance , the ratio of mf1 and mf4 , which is based off bpv1 from the first switch 102 to the third switch 106 for mf1 and bpv4 and mf4 ( calculated from the second switch 104 to the fourth switch 108 ) should be close to 1 . also the ratio between mf2 ( calculated using the distance between the first switch 102 and the fourth switch for mf2 ) and mf3 ( calculated using the distance from the second switch 104 to the third switch 106 ) should be close to 1 as well . after the replacement of a faulty switch , the data acquisition and monitoring system determines if the ratios of mf1 to mf4 , mf1 to mf2 , mf3 to mf4 , and mf2 to mf3 for example are not changed . if they are not , it can be concluded that the bpv for each of these pipeline sections has not changed . if there is a change however in the base prover volume from detector switch 102 to detector switch 106 , then there must be a corresponding change in value of the ratios of meter factors mf . this is because the value of the prover volume is between two intersecting sections and therefore the ratio should change proportionally . for instance if the first switch 102 is replaced and the value of the ratio between the mf1 and mf4 has increased by two percent , it would indicate that the bpv for the volume from the first switch 102 to the third switch 106 has increased by 2 percent . also the values of the ratios between mf2 and mf3 and mf1 and mf2 in this case will also be changed , but the ratio between mf3 and mf4 will not be affected because it is not an overlapping section of pipe . diagnostic information related to the health of a flowmeter or a prover detector switch is calculated using the above method and system . if the repeatability of the four meter factors is within a limit , it is reported to the user through data acquisition and monitoring system 118 that all the detector switches and flowmeters are acting properly . these meter factors can be compared to past meter factors to show that the system is acting in a healthy manner . if the meter factors is not within a healthy limit , then it can be stated that the flowmeter is faulty and a detector switch is not healthy . if the two meter factors are within an acceptable repeatability limit , predetermined by the user , and the other two are beyond , then a common detector switch is probably faulty for the two meter factors . for instance , if mf3 and mf4 are within an acceptable repeatability limit based off the past readings of the sensors , and mf1 and mf2 are not repeatable , then the first switch is faulty and this is indicated through the data acquisition and monitoring system . further if mf1 and mf2 are repeatable but mf3 and mf4 are not repeatable then switch number 2 is faulty and this is indicated to the user . if mf2 and mf4 are repeatable and mf1 and mf3 are not , then it is probably the third detector switch , which is faulty . finally if the mf1 and mf3 are repeatable and mf2 and mf4 are not , then probably the fourth detector switch is faulty . ideally , all four meter factors should be similar , but if there is a constant disparity of any one mf form the other three meter factors , then that would indicate the bpv for that pair of detector switches is not correct . the running average of the meter factors should be similar and should follow the same trend for the given process fluid within an operating process range . if the running average of the meter factors goes to one direction there may be a buildup of waxy or sticky material . further , if the running average of two meter factors changes suddenly , the actuation point of the detector switch which is common may have changed affecting the actual volume between the detector switches . various modifications can be made to the two prover systems set forth in this specification and these embodiments described are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . multiple different types of sensors could be used and multiple different types of flowmeters and computer systems could be used to perform the calculations including mobile devices . | 6 |
in the following detailed description , only the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described , simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by the inventor ( s ) of carrying out the invention . as will be realized , the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects , all without departing from the invention . accordingly , the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature , and not restrictive . fig1 shows a block diagram of a digital cable television broadcasting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . as shown , the digital cable television broadcasting system comprises a satellite broadcasting antenna 10 ; a terrestrial broadcasting antenna 20 ; qpsk demodulators 100 and 110 ; vsb demodulators 120 and 130 ; psip converters 200 , 210 , 220 , and 230 ; qam modulators 300 , 310 , 320 , and 330 ; up - converters 400 , 410 , 420 , and 430 ; a psip server 600 ; an out - of - band channel network controller 700 , an out - of - band channel qpsk modulator 800 ; and a mixer 500 . among them , the satellite broadcasting antenna 10 , the qpsk demodulators 100 and 110 , the psip converters 200 and 210 , the qam modulators 300 and 310 , the up - converters 400 and 410 , and the mixer 500 are used to link digital satellite television broadcasting to a digital cable television broadcasting network in real - time . also , the terrestrial broadcasting antenna 20 , the vsb demodulators 120 and 130 , the psip converters 220 and 230 , the qam modulators 320 and 330 , the up - converters 420 and 430 , and the mixer 500 are used to link digital terrestrial television broadcasting to the digital cable television broadcasting network in real - time . first , in order to link the digital satellite television broadcasting to the digital cable television broadcasting network in real - time , the satellite broadcasting antenna 10 receives digital satellite television broadcasting signals , a tuner ( not illustrated ) tunes the received signals for each channel , and the tuned signals are transmitted to the qpsk demodulators 100 and 110 . here , the channel represents an actual channel . the qpsk demodulators 100 and 110 demodulate the digital satellite television broadcasting signals tuned and input for each channel , and output a satellite broadcasting ts of the mpeg - 2 ts format to the psip converters 200 and 210 . the psip converters 200 and 210 analyze the satellite broadcasting ts input by the qpsk demodulators 100 and 110 , convert an si / psi ( program specific information ) table for transmitting program and system information into a psip / psi table of a digital cable television broadcasting standard , and generate a cable broadcasting ts . the qam modulators 300 and 310 modulate the cable broadcasting ts generated by the psip converters 200 and 210 to transmit them to a subscriber . the up - converters 400 and 410 convert the signals modulated by the qam modulators 300 and 310 into radio frequency ( rf ) signals , and output them through the mixer 500 . the mixer 500 transmits the signals converted by the up - converters 400 and 410 to a user through a cable broadcasting network . in a like manner , in order to link digital terrestrial television broadcasting to the digital cable television broadcasting network in real - time , the terrestrial broadcasting antenna 20 receives digital terrestrial television broadcasting signals , a tuner ( not illustrated ) tunes the signals for each channel , and the tuned signals are transmitted to the vsb demodulators 120 and 130 . the vsb demodulators 120 and 130 demodulate the digital terrestrial television broadcasting signals tuned and input for each channel , and output a terrestrial broadcasting ts of the mpeg - 2 ts format to the psip converters 220 and 230 . the psip converters 220 and 230 analyze the terrestrial broadcasting ts input by the vsb demodulators 120 and 130 , convert an psip / psi table for transmitting program and system information into a psip / psi table of a digital cable television broadcasting standard , and generate a cable broadcasting ts . the qam modulators 320 and 330 modulate the cable broadcasting ts generated by the psip converters 220 and 230 to transmit them to a subscriber . the up - converters 420 and 430 convert the signals modulated by the qam modulators 320 and 330 into rf signals , and output them to the mixer 500 . the mixer 500 transmits the signals converted by the up - converters 420 and 430 to a user through the cable broadcasting network . the psip server 600 receives cable psip data generated by the psip converters 200 , 210 , 220 , and 230 , and include them in cable si data to be transmitted to an out - of - band channel . the out - of - band channel network controller 700 controls the cable si data transmitted to the out - of - band channel qpsk modulator 800 from the psip server 600 . the out - of - band channel qpsk modulator 800 modulates the cable si data generated by the psip server 600 to transmit them to a subscriber through an out - of - band channel . as described , since the psip converters 200 , 210 , 220 , and 230 convert the si / psi table included in the satellite broadcasting ts and the psip / psi table included in the terrestrial broadcasting ts into the psip / psi tables of the digital cable television broadcasting standard to generate the cable broadcasting ts , the digital terrestrial broadcasting and the digital satellite television broadcasting can be linked to the digital cable television network in real - time . fig2 shows a detailed block diagram of one of the psip converters 200 to 230 of fig1 . as shown , the psip converter 200 comprises a ts receiver 210 ; a protocol data extractor 202 ; a protocol data converter 203 ; a protocol data inserter 204 ; a ts transmitter 205 ; a user interface 206 ; and a system controller 207 . the ts receiver 201 receives a satellite broadcasting ts from the qpsk demodulators 100 and 110 or a terrestrial broadcasting ts from the vsb demodulators 120 and 130 . the protocol data extractor 202 performs ts - demultiplexing to extract audio / video ( a / v ) data and si / psi data from the satellite broadcasting ts received through the ts receiver 201 or the a / v data and the psip / psi data from the terrestrial broadcasting ts . the protocol data converter 203 uses the psip / psi data or the si / psi data extracted by the protocol data extractor 202 to generate psip / psi data of the cable broadcasting standard . the user interface 206 receives information and control data needed for generating the psip / psi data from the user , and in particular , from a system manager . the protocol data inserter 204 inserts the psip / psi data generated by the protocol data converter 203 into the a / v data extracted by the protocol data extractor 202 through ts multiplexing . the ts transmitter 205 outputs the cable broadcasting ts generated by the protocol data inserter 204 to the qam modulators 300 to 330 . the system controller 207 checks the above units 202 , 203 , 204 , and 206 and controls their operation . an operation of the psip converter 200 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described . first , a packet identifier ( pid ) needed for analyzing the terrestrial broadcasting ts or the satellite broadcasting ts input in the initialization of the psip converter 200 , information needed for protocol conversion , and data needed for other control are provided by a user through the user interface 206 . next , when receiving the satellite broadcasting ts from the qpsk demodulators 100 and 110 or the terrestrial broadcasting ts from the vsb demodulators 120 and 130 , the ts receiver 201 determines whether they fit the atsc or the dvb standard , converts them into an internally processed bit rate format , and outputs them to the protocol data extractor 202 . the protocol data extractor 202 performs pid filtering on the terrestrial broadcasting ts or the satellite broadcasting ts input through the ts receiver 201 , and splits the a / v data , the psip / psi data , or the si / psi data . the split a / v data are output to the protocol data inserter 204 , and the psip / psi data or the si / psi data are output to the protocol data converter 203 . the protocol data converter 203 analyzes the terrestrial broadcasting psip / psi data input by the protocol data extractor 202 or the satellite broadcasting si / psi data , generates cable psip / psi data , outputs the cable psip / psi data to the protocol data inserter 204 , and also outputs the generated cable psip data to the psip server 600 so as to include the cable psip data in the cable si data and transmit the cable si data together with the cable psip data to the out - of - band channel . the protocol data inserter 204 receives cable psip / psi data from the protocol data converter 203 and the a / v data from the protocol data extractor 202 , and performs ts multiplexing to amend variations of a program clock reference ( pcr ), convert the multiplexed ts according to an output bit rate , and output the same to the ts transmitter 205 . the ts transmitter 205 outputs the ts according to the cable broadcasting standard &# 39 ; s signals input by the protocol data inserter 204 . in the above , it is assumed that all the units are located in the same system or same hardware block , and as shown in fig3 , the protocol data converter 203 and the user interface 206 can be implemented in a different system or another hardware block . as shown in fig3 , the ts receiver 201 , the protocol data extractor 202 , the protocol data inserter 204 , the ts transmitter 205 , and the system controller 207 are implemented in a single system 900 such as a personal computer ( pc ) or in a single hardware block 900 such as a pci board that can be installed in a windows nt workstation , and the protocol data converter 203 and the user interface 206 are implemented in another system 910 such as a windows nt workstation . in this instance , when the hardware block 900 is a pci board , a pci interface 208 for connecting the protocol data extractor 202 , the protocol data inserter 204 , and the system controller 207 with the protocol data converter 203 is required to be implemented in the hardware block 900 . also , a pci interface is needed in a system 910 connected to the pci interface 208 of the hardware block 900 , and conventionally , since a pci socket for providing a pci interface function is installed in the windows nt workstation , the pci interface function is obviously possible , which can be easily understood by a skilled person . fig4 shows a detailed block diagram of the protocol data converter 203 of fig3 . as shown , the protocol data converter 203 comprises a ts packet data receiver 2031 ; a table data manager 2032 ; a common protocol data manager 2033 ; a database 2035 ; a scheduler 2036 ; a psip / psi table generator 2037 ; and a ts packet data generator 2038 . in general , terrestrial psip / psi data , satellite si / psi data , and cable psip / psi data respectively include tables . here , commonly included psi data comprise a program association table ( pat ); a conditional access table ( cat ); and a program map table ( pmt ) of the mpeg - 2 standard . terrestrial psip data comprise a master guide table ( mgt ); a system time table ( stt ); a rating region table ( rrt ); a television virtual channel table ( tvct ); an event information table ( eit ); and an extended text table ( eet ). satellite si data comprise a network information table ( nit ); a service description table ( sdt ); an eit ; and a time data table ( tdt ). cable psip data comprise an mgt ; an stt ; an rrt ; a cable virtual channel table ( cvct ); an eit ; and an ett in a similar manner to the terrestrial psip data . as described above , since tables of the terrestrial psip / psi are matched with those of the cable psip / psi one by one , a protocol conversion process is easily executed . however , much additional information is required to convert the satellite si / psi into cable psip / psi . minor modification is needed in this conversion since the psi tables are commonly used . however , so as to convert the satellite si tables into cable psip tables , much information must be input from the user , and in particular , from the system manager . therefore , as shown in fig4 , an information input process through the common protocol data manager 2033 and the user interface 206 is essential for the protocol conversion . first , in order to convert the psip / psi data of the terrestrial broadcasting or the si / psi data of the satellite broadcasting into the psip / psi data of the cable broadcasting standard , the ts packet data receiver 2031 receives the psip / psi data of the terrestrial broadcasting or the si / psi data of the satellite broadcasting from the protocol data extractor 202 , and transmits them to the table data manager 2032 . the table data manager 2032 receives the psip / psi data or the si / psi data through the ts packet data receiver 2031 , splits them according to tables corresponding to the psip or the si and the psi , extracts data for generating cable psip / psi tables , and outputs them to the common protocol data manager 2033 . the common protocol data manager 2033 uses the data extracted by the table data manager 2032 , the data input by the system manager through the user interface 206 , and the data stored in the database 2035 to configure data needed for generating cable psip / psi tables , and outputs them to the psip / psi table generator 2037 . the psip / psi table generator 2037 generates a cable psip / psi table using the data input according to control signals corresponding to a generation period of each table of the scheduler 2036 , and outputs it to the ts packet data generator 2038 , and also transmits it to the psip server 600 through the ethernet so as to include the generated cable psip data in the cable si data transmitted to the out - of - band channel and transmit the same . the ts packet data generator 2038 receives the cable psip / psi tables from the psip / psi table generator 2037 , configures them in the mpeg - 2 ts packets , and transmits them to the protocol data inserter 204 . through this process , the terrestrial broadcasting ts and the satellite broadcasting ts are completely converted into the cable broadcasting ts , and therefore the terrestrial broadcasting , the satellite communication network , and the cable broadcasting network are easily linked in real - time . in the above , it is assumed that the protocol data converter 203 is implemented as a hardware block , and without being restricted to this , the protocol data converter 203 can be implemented in a software block . in this case , as shown in fig4 , a hardware unit controller 2034 for communicating control signals with the system controller 207 for controlling the operation of the hardware components is required , and the hardware unit controller 2034 controls transmission of control signals between the units of the protocol data converter 203 comprising software blocks , and in particular , between the common protocol data manager 2033 and the system controller 207 . according to the present invention , the terrestrial broadcasting psip protocol and the satellite broadcasting si protocol for transmitting program and system information are converted into the cable broadcasting standard psip protocol in real - time , and accordingly , the digital terrestrial television broadcasting and the digital satellite television broadcasting can be linked to the digital cable television broadcasting network in real - time . by this , the present invention can be efficiently used for obtaining the cable broadcasting station &# 39 ; s contents and duty retransmission , and the cable television broadcasting subscribers can view the digital terrestrial broadcasting and the satellite television broadcasting through the cable broadcasting without an additional terrestrial broadcasting or satellite broadcasting receiving terminal . in the future , the present invention will be a technique needed for a general network configuration of the digital television broadcasting . while this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments , but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
the function of patent this will be real - time moving spatial map view which includes nonlinear functions , vector graphics , geo - location radius queries and restful input data feeds where the data feeds to modular objects on the spatial map view or views to receive restful updates due to data changes nonlinear functions parameter changes . restful updates happen due to parties , services , data feeds and / or groups creating , posting , updating and deleting events or changing objects . variate nonlinear functions will enable the vector graphics or media object to displaying of a plurality of data types . the interactive map encapsulates data into modular layers that are dynamically updated due to restful pushes on a chronological spatial map in real - time . the main components of this are the modularity , variate nonlinear functions , vector graphics or other forms of media , the real - time display in a chronological container and a spatial map . the modularity of this design allows for many separate working parts to come together making one seamless layered moving picture . this minimizes dependencies and allows the modular objects to be individually customizable and fed by the realtime input and the the variate nonlinear functions . the modularity also help with dependency management this constitutes declaring the dependencies of the installed components at runtime while not loading undeclared foreign objects . modularity allows a way to coordinate the work of many interdependent mechanisms and assemble very complex systems in a reasonably reliable way . the modular design also makes it necessary for well - defined api ( application program interfaces ) connecting the modular parts . variate nonlinear functions receive the data the from parties , services , data feeds and / or groups creating , posting , updating and deleting events . the non linear program is able to have non linear constraints and objectives . the data feeds the nonlinear functions which enable the information to change variables based upon input parameters . the data feeds push dynamic updates that trigger parameters within the variables to the vector driven graphics or other forms of media . the patent turns the data input into interactive animated graphic art for data - driven interactive animations . every element and every attribute in these vector driven graphics can be interactive and animated . due to the vector based graphics the data from the nonlinear functions are able to fully manipulate and animate the visual layer . the input is passed by the conditions of the nonlinear layer . the animations are code dependent and depend upon the data to update the graphics or trigger some other form of media . future and prior events are captured and are viewable on the chronological spatial map at any given time . the chronological spatial map is constrained by date time . the system uses the longitude and latitude to determine the coordinates of an event located on the chronological spatial map . geolocation radius queries determined by the input parameters trigger the longitude and the latitude attributes and constraints of the input events . the system recognizes modifications in the event data , and updates the spatial map reflect the changes in real time . use case 1 : an animated chronological spatial map can be used to play in real - time on a system where the users can create or engage with other animated objects a few good examples for gamification and interact with objects like the ducks in duck hunt , or whack - a mole , or a new real - time where is waldo . use case 2 : animated chronological spatial maps can be used for marketing billboards online where users can find out business information via animated graphics provided by the clients use case 3 : a system in a longitude latitude position receives real time updates that are animated on a spatial map to get the latest information . this could also be viewed as an animated chronological spatial map to substitute the news outlets by providing real - time modular news animated on a map . event : is a type of trigger that is defined in an object that can pass input data between all levels of an application . real - time : is a level of computer responsiveness that a user senses as sufficiently immediate or that enables the computer to keep up with some external process ( for example , to present visualizations of the weather as it constantly changes ). real - time is an adjective pertaining to computers or processes that operate in real time . real time describes a human rather than a machine sense of time . spatial map view / spatial map object : provides a detailed representation of real - world surfaces in the environment . chronological : record of events starting with the earliest and following the order in which they occurred within a given date time . interactive : normally refers to products and services on digital computer - based systems which respond to the user &# 39 ; s actions by presenting content such as text , moving image , animation , video , audio , and video games . modular : designed with standardized parts that can be fit together in a variety of ways . dynamic : ( of a process or system ) characterized by constant change , capable of action and / or change , of data , variables , images and inputs . restful : a service defines a set of resources and actions that can be accessed via uri endpoints . nonlinear functions : in which the output is not directly proportional to the input due to the formulas that create the output . where the output is not moving in one direction , or not changing in one way at a regular rate of speed . geo - location radius queries : the process or technique of identifying the geographical location of a person or device by means of digital information processed via the internet . animates : give a image or vector graphics the appearance movement vector graphics : are the use of polygons to represent images in computer graphics . vector graphics are based on vectors , which lead through locations called control points or nodes . each of these points has a definite position on the x - and y - axes of the work plane and determines the direction of the path ; further , each path may be assigned various attributes , including such values as stroke color , shape , curve , thickness , and fill . media : is digitized content that can be transmitted over the internet or computer networks . this can include text , audio , video , and graphics . | 6 |
a phosphorus - containing compound prepared in accordance with the present invention has a formula selecting from the group consisting of ( a ) to ( i ): l and m independently are 0 , 1 or 2 , and l + m & gt ; 0 ; i and j independently are 0 , 1 or 2 , and 0 & lt ; i + j & lt ; 4 ; k is 0 or 1 , and i + k & lt ; 3 ; z is — nh 2 , — ch 3 or phenyl ; r 1 , r 2 independently are h , c1 ˜ c18 alkyl , c6 ˜ c18 aryl , c6 - c18 substituted aryl , c6 ˜ c18 aryl methylene , or c6 ˜ c18 substituted aryl methylene ; wherein r is c1 - c4 alkyl or c6 - c18 aryl ; and n is an integer of 0 to 5 . preferably , the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of the formula ( a ). preferably , the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of the formula ( b ). preferably , the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of the formula ( c ). preferably , the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of the formula ( d ). preferably , the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of the formula ( e ) or ( f ). preferably , the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of the formula ( g ). preferably , the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of the formula ( h ) or ( i ). preferably , r 1 and r 2 are hydrogen . preferably , n is 0 . when the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of the formula ( a ). when the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of the formula ( b ). preferably , ar is phenoxy , when the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of one of the formulas ( a ) to ( d ). preferably , ar is phenyl , when the phosphorus - containing compound of the present invention has a structure of one of the formulas ( f ) to ( i ). the present invention also discloses a phosphorus - containing frame - retardant advanced epoxy resin and cured epoxy resin having the following formula ( j ): the formula ( j ) represents the advanced epoxy resin , when t = l ; and the formula ( j ) represents the cured epoxy resin , when t = m ; or a phenol - aldehyde novolac epoxy resin backbone , and when ep is the phenol - aldehyde novolac epoxy resin backbone , the flame - retardant advanced epoxy resin and the cured epoxy resin represented by the formula ( j ) is prepared by reacting the phosphorus - containing compound ( a ) with a phenol - aldehyde novolac epoxy resin having the following formula ( ii ) wherein r 3 is hydrogen , or — ch 3 , and g is an integer of 1 - 6 . preferably , ep in the formula ( j ) is the phenol - aldehyde novolac epoxy resin backbone , wherein r 3 in the phenol - aldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( ii ) is — ch 3 . a suitable process for preparing the flame - retardant advanced epoxy resin ( j ) comprises reacting the phosphorus - containing compound ( a ) with an excess amount of an epoxy resin having the following formula : the phosphorus - containing compounds ( a ) to ( i ) of the present invention can be used as a flame - retardant hardener for an epoxy resin , when there is more than one active hydrogen contained therein ; and can be used as a flame retardant for the epoxy resin , if there is only one active hydrogen contained therein . suitable processes for preparing the phosphorus - containing compounds ( a )-( i ) of the present invention include ( but not limited ) processes utilizing the following reactions : l , m , i , j , k , z , x , q and q ′ in the aforesaid reactions for synthesizing the phosphorus - containing compounds ( a )-( i ) are defined as above . the qoh reactant used in the aforesaid reactions for synthesizing the phosphorus - containing compounds ( a )-( d ) may be prepared by the following reactions ( 1 ) and ( 2 ): wherein dopo is an abbreviation of 9 , 10 - dihydro - 9 - oxa - 10 - phosphaphenanthrene 10 - oxide , r 1 and r 2 are defined as above . 2 -( 6 - oxid - 6h - dibenz & lt ; c , e & gt ;& lt ; 1 , 2 & gt ; oxa - phosphorin - 6 - yl ) methanol ( abbreviated as odopm ) can be synthesized when r 1 and r 2 in the reaction ( 1 ) are both hydrogen . r 1 , r 2 and ar in the reaction ( 2 ) are defined as above . diphenoxy phosphoryl methanol ( abbreviated as dpom ) can be synthesized when r 1 , r 2 are both hydrogen , and ar is phenoxy in the reaction ( 2 ). the q ′ cl reactant used in the aforesaid reactions for synthesizing the phosphorus - containing compounds ( g )-( i ) may be prepared by the following reactions ( 3 ) and ( 4 ): wherein odopc in the reaction ( 3 ) is an abbreviation of 2 -( 6 - oxid - 6h - dibenz & lt ; c , e & gt ;& lt ; 1 , 2 & gt ; oxa - phosphorin - 6 - yl ) chloride ; wherein r , n and ar in the reaction ( 4 ) are defined as above . diphenyl phosphoryl chloride ( abbreviated as dpc ) can be synthesized , when r is hydrogen and ar is phenyl in the reaction ( 4 ). the present invention further synthesized a phosphorus - containing flame - retardant cured epoxy resin by curing an epoxy resin or advanced epoxy resin with the hardener of the present invention alone or together with the conventional curing agent for the epoxy resin in a molten state . the conventional curing agent for the epoxy resin preferably is selected from the group consisting of phenol - formaldehyde novolac resin , dicyandiamide , methylenedianiline , diaminodiphenyl sulfone , phthalic anhydride and hexahydrophthalic anhydride . preferably , the curing reaction is carried out at a temperature higher than 150 ° c . and with a stoichiometric amount of the hardener and the curing agent , i . e . the equivalent ratio of the epoxide group in the epoxy resin and / or advance epoxy resin and the functional groups in the hardener and the curing agent is about 1 : 1 . more preferably , the curing reaction is carried out in the presence of a curing promoter such as triphenylphosphine , and in an amount of 0 . 01 - 10 . 0 parts by weight of the curing promoter per 100 parts by weight of the epoxy resin and / or advance epoxy resin . the phosphorus - containing flame - retardant cured epoxy resin of the present invention is suitable for use in making a flame - retardant printed circuit board as a matrix resin and in semiconductor encapsulation . preferably , the phosphorus - containing flame - retardant cured epoxy resin of the present invention contains 0 . 5 - 30 wt %, and more preferably 0 . 5 - 5 wt %, of phosphorus . a suitable epoxy resin for use in the present invention can be any known epoxy resin , for examples those having two epoxide groups such as bisphenol a epoxy resin , bisphenol f epoxy resin , bisphenol s epoxy resin and biphenol epoxy resin , and those having more than two epoxide groups such as phenol formaldehyde novolac epoxy and cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy ( cne ) with 4 - 18 functional groups , and mixtures thereof . an advanced epoxy resin suitable for use in the present invention can be prepared by conducting a curing reaction of the conventional curing agent for an epoxy resin and using an excess amount of an epoxy resin in a molten state . [ heading - 0069 ] i ). substituted bisphenol - a ( bpa ), diamonodiphenyl methane ( ddm ), diaminodiphenyl sulfone ( dds ), melamine ( ma ) or dicyandiamide ( dicy ) types to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 228 g ) bisphenol - a ( bpa ) was added , heated to 170 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 0 . 7 g ( 0 . 3 wt %) potassium acetate was mixed with the molten bpa followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 246 g ) 2 -( 6 - oxid - 6h - dibenz & lt ; c , e & gt ;& lt ; 1 , 2 & gt ; oxa - phosphorin - 6 - yl ) methanol ( odopm ). the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 220 ° c . when the addition of odopm was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 6 hours . the reaction product was dissolved in cyclohexanone , and washed with water several times before the solvent was evaporated under vacuum to obtain odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ). yield , 98 %; softening temperature , 125 - 132 ° c . phosphorus content : 6 . 79 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 228 9 ) bisphenol - a ( bpa ) was added , heated to 170 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 1 . 14 g ( 0 . 5 wt %) potassium acetate was mixed with the molten bpa followed by adding slowly 1 . 5 mole ( 369 g ) odopm . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 220 ° c . when the addition of odopm was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction product was dissolved in cyclohexanone , and washed with water several times before the solvent was evaporated under vacuum to obtain odopm - bpa - b ( p - 1 - b ). yield , 96 %; softening temperature , 136 - 140 ° c . phosphorus content : 8 . 16 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 228 g ) bisphenol - a ( bpa ) was added , heated to 170 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 1 . 14 g ( 0 . 5 wt %) potassium acetate was mixed with the molten bpa followed by adding slowly 2 mole ( 492 g ) odopm . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 220 ° c . when the addition of odopm was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 10 hours . the reaction product was dissolved in cyclohexanone , and washed with water several times before the solvent was evaporated under vacuum to obtain odopm - bpa - c ( p - 1 - c ). yield , 92 %; softening temperature , 143 - 148 ° c . phosphorus content : 9 . 06 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 228 g ) bisphenol - a ( bpa ) was added , heated to 170 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 0 . 7 g ( 0 . 3 wt %) potassium acetate was mixed with the molten bpa followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 264 g ) diphenoxy phosphoryl methanol ( dpom ). the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 220 ° c . when the addition of dpom was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction product was dissolved in cyclohexanone , and washed with water several times before the solvent was evaporated under vacuum to obtain dpom - bpa ( p - 2 ). yield , 98 %; softening temperature , 118 - 124 ° c . phosphorus content : 6 . 54 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 198 g ) diaminodiphenylmethane ( ddm ) was added , heated to 170 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 0 . 7 g ( 0 . 3 wt %) potassium acetate was mixed with the molten ddm followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 246 g ) odopm . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 220 ° c . when the addition of odopm was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction product was dissolved in cyclohexanone , and washed with water several times before the solvent was evaporated under vacuum to obtain odopm - ddm ( p - 3 ). yield , 98 %; softening temperature , 145 - 149 ° c . phosphorus content : 6 . 57 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 198 g ) diaminodiphenylmethane ( ddm ) was added , heated to 170 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 0 . 7 g ( 0 . 3 wt %) potassium acetate was mixed with the molten ddm followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 264 g ) dpom . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 220 ° c . when the addition of dpom was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction product was dissolved in cyclohexanone , and washed with water several times before the solvent was evaporated under vacuum to obtain dpom - ddm ( p - 4 ). yield , 98 %; softening temperature , 136 - 141 ° c . phosphorus content : 6 . 31 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 248 g ) diaminodiphenyl sulfone ( dds ) was added , heated to 180 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 0 . 7 g ( 0 . 3 wt %) potassium acetate was mixed with the molten dds followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 246 g ) odopm . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 220 ° c . when the addition of odopm was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction product was dissolved in cyclohexanone , and washed with water several times before the solvent was evaporated under vacuum to obtain odopm - dds ( p - 5 ). yield , 92 %; softening temperature , 147 - 152 ° c . phosphorus content : 5 . 88 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 248 g ) diaminodiphenyl sulfone ( dds ) was added , heated to 180 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 0 . 79 ( 0 . 3 wt %) potassium acetate was mixed with the molten dds followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 264 g ) dpom . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 220 ° c . when the addition of dpom was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction product was dissolved in cyclohexanone , and washed with water several times before the solvent was evaporated under vacuum to obtain dpom - dds ( p - 6 ). yield , 92 %; softening temperature , 141 - 146 ° c . phosphorus content : 6 . 28 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 126 g ) melamine ( ma ) and 500 ml n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) were added , heated to 90 ° c . and then stirred until ma was dissolved completely . 0 . 63 g potassium acetate was mixed with the resulting solution followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 246 g ) odopm . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 168 ° c . when the addition of odopm was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled and filtered , and the resulting cake was dried to obtain odopm - ma ( p - 7 ). yield , 98 %; softening temperature , 129 - 134 ° c . phosphorus content : 8 . 76 %. nitrogen content : 23 . 73 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 126 g ) melamine ( ma ) and 500 ml n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) were added , heated to 90 ° c . and then stirred until ma was dissolved completely . 0 . 63 g potassium acetate was mixed with the resulting solution followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 264 g ) dpom . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 168 ° c . when the addition of dpom was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled and filtered , and the resulting cake was dried to obtain dpom - ma ( p - 8 ). yield , 98 %; softening temperature , 124 - 130 ° c . phosphorus content : 8 . 33 %. nitrogen content : 22 . 58 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 86 g ) dicyandiamide ( dicy ) and 500 ml n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) were added , heated to 90 ° c . and then stirred until dicy was dissolved completely . 0 . 6 g potassium acetate was mixed with the resulting solution followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 246 g ) odopm . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 168 ° c . when the addition of odopm was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled and filtered , and the resulting cake was dried to obtain odopm - dicy ( p - 9 ). yield , 98 %; softening temperature , 138 - 143 ° c . phosphorus content : 9 . 87 %. nitrogen content : 17 . 83 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 86 g ) dicyandiamide ( dicy ) and 500 ml n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) were added , heated to 90 ° c . and then stirred until dicy was dissolved completely . 0 . 6 g potassium acetate was mixed with the resulting solution followed by adding slowly 1 mole ( 264 g ) dpom . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 168 ° c . when the addition of dpom was completed . the substitution reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled and filtered , and the resulting cake was dried to obtain dpom - dicy ( p - 10 ). yield , 98 %; softening temperature , 129 - 135 ° c . phosphorus content : 9 . 34 %. nitrogen content : 16 . 87 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 86 g ) dicyandiamide ( dicy ) was added , heated to 120 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 1 mole ( 216 g ) 9 , 10 - dihydro - 9 - oxa - 10 - phosphaphenanthrene - 10 - oxide ( dopo ) was added slowly to the molten dicy , and the resulting mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 190 ° c . when the addition of dopo was completed . the addition reaction was continued for 4 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled to obtain dopo - dicy ( p - 11 ). yield , 96 %; softening temperature , 137 - 143 ° c . phosphorus content : 10 . 26 %. nitrogen content : 18 . 54 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 86 g ) dicyandiamide ( dicy ) was added , heated to 120 ° c . and then stirred to a molten state . 1 mole ( 234 g ) diphenyl phosphite ( dpp ) was added slowly to the molten dicy , and the resulting mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 190 ° c . when the addition of dpp was completed . the addition reaction was continued for 4 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled to obtain dpp - dicy ( p - 12 ). yield , 96 %; softening temperature , 134 - 138 ° c . phosphorus content : 9 . 68 %. nitrogen content : 17 . 50 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 126 g ) melamine ( ma ) and 500 ml n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) were added , heated to 120 ° c . and then stirred until ma was dissolved completely . 1 mole ( 251 g ) 2 -( 6 - oxid - 6h - dibenz & lt ; c , e & gt ;& lt ; 1 , 2 & gt ; oxa - phosphorin - 6 - yl ) chloride ( odopc ) was added slowly to the resulting solution . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 170 ° c . when the addition of odopc was completed . the reaction was continued for 16 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled and filtered , and the resulting cake was dried to obtain odopc - ma ( p - 13 ). yield , 94 %; softening temperature , 137 - 142 ° c . phosphorus content : 9 . 10 %. nitrogen content : 24 . 67 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 126 g ) melamine ( ma ) and 500 ml n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) were added , heated to 120 ° c . and then stirred until ma was dissolved completely . 1 mole ( 253 g ) diphenyl phosphoryl chloride ( dpc ) was added slowly to the resulting solution . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 168 ° c . when the addition of dpc was completed . the reaction was continued for 10 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled and filtered , and the resulting cake was dried to obtain dpc - ma ( p - 14 ). molecular weight : 558 . yield , 94 %; softening temperature , 131 - 135 ° c . phosphorus content : 9 . 05 %. nitrogen content : 24 . 53 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 86 g ) dicyandiamide ( dicy ) and 500 ml n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) were added , heated to 120 ° c . and then stirred until dicy was dissolved completely . 1 mole ( 251 g ) odopc was added slowly to the resulting solution . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 170 ° c . when the addition of odopc was completed . the reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled and filtered , and the resulting cake was dried to obtain odopc - dicy ( p - 15 ). molecular weight : 515 . yield , 96 %; softening temperature , 134 - 139 ° c . phosphorus content : 10 . 32 %. nitrogen content : 18 . 64 %. to an one liter four - inlet flask equipped with a thermocouple and temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed and a mechanical stirrer , 1 mole ( 86 g ) dicyandiamide ( dicy ) and 500 ml n , n - dimethylacetamide ( dmac ) were added , heated to 120 ° c . and then stirred until dicy was dissolved completely . 1 mole ( 253 g ) dpc was added slowly to the resulting solution . the mixture was heated gradually to a temperature of 170 ° c . when the addition of dpc was completed . the reaction was continued for 8 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled and filtered , and the resulting cake was dried to obtain dpc - dicy ( p - 16 ). molecular weight : 519 . yield , 96 %; softening temperature , 127 - 132 ° c . phosphorus content : 10 . 25 %. nitrogen content : 18 . 51 %. [ heading - 0109 ] i ). an advanced epoxy resin prepared from bisphenol a epoxy resin and odopm - bpa to a one liter reactor equipped with a temperature controller , a reflux condenser , a nitrogen feed , a vacuum system and a mechanical stirrer , 564 g diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a ( bpa epoxy resin ) having an epoxide equivalent weight ( eew ) of 188 was added , and heated to 110 ° c . while stirring and vacuuming (& lt ; 100 mmhg ) for a period of 30 minutes to remove a trace amount of water contained in the epoxy resin . the vacuuming was stopped , and dried nitrogen was introduced into the reactor until the atmospheric pressure was reached . the temperature of the reactor was raised to 130 ° c ., and 228 g odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) was then added while stirring . after a molten mixture of odopm - bpa - a and bpa epoxy resin was formed , 500 ppm ( based on total weight ) ethyl triphenyl phosphonium chloride was added , and the temperature of the reaction mixture was increased to 160 ° c . and maintained at 160 ° c . for two hours . the equivalent ratio of epoxide group to hydroxyl group was 3 . 0 : 1 at the starting point of the reaction . the resultant advanced epoxy resin had an eew of 396 . the procedures of example a were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) was replaced by odopm - bpa - b ( p - 1 - b ). the equivalent ratio of epoxide group to hydroxyl group was 3 . 0 : 1 at the starting point of the reaction . the resultant solid advanced epoxy resin had an eew of 424 . the procedures of example a were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) was replaced by odopm - bpa - c ( p - 1 - c ). the equivalent ratio of epoxide group to hydroxyl group was 3 . 0 : 1 at the starting point of the reaction . the resultant solid advanced epoxy resin had an eew of 453 . the procedures of example a were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) was replaced by bisphenol a . the equivalent ratio of epoxide group to hydroxyl group was 2 . 04 : 1 at the starting point of the reaction . the resultant solid advanced epoxy resin ( designated as control ) had an eew of 483 . the procedures of example a were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) was replaced by tetrabromobisphenol a . the equivalent ratio of epoxide group to hydroxyl group was 2 . 58 : 1 at the starting point of the reaction . the resultant solid advanced epoxy resin ( designated as tbba ) had an eew of 483 . the procedures of example a were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) was replaced by bis ( 3 - hydroxyphenyl ) phenyl phosphate ( bhpp ). the equivalent ratio of epoxide group to hydroxyl group was 2 . 04 : 1 at the starting point of the reaction . the resultant solid advanced epoxy resin ( designated as bhpp ) had an eew of 483 . [ heading - 0122 ] ii ). preparation of a cured epoxy resin from an advanced epoxy resin cured epoxy resins were prepared from the advanced epoxy resins prepared in examples a - c and control examples a - c with a curing agent selected from phenol - formaldehyde novolac resin ( pn ), melamine - phenol - formaldehyde - novolac resin ( mpn ) and dicyandiamide ( dicy ). the advanced epoxy resin was mixed with the curing agent ( 1 : 1 equivalent ratio ) at 150 ° c . with stirring , and the well mixed molten mixture was poured into a hot aluminum mould , cured in an oven at 175 ° c . for one hour , and then postcured at 200 ° c . for two hours . the thermogravimetric analysis data of the resulting cured epoxy resins are shown in table 1 . the flame - retardant properties of the resulting cured epoxy resins are shown in table 2 . the data in tables 1 and 2 show that the cured epoxy resins prepared from the odopm - bpa advanced epoxy resins of the present invention have excellent flame retardant properties in comparison with the conventional cured epoxy resins prepared from bpa advanced epoxy resins , especially no fume and dripping occur in the combustion test , and thus is very suitable for the printed circuit board applications . [ heading - 0128 ] curing of epoxy resins with the phosphorus - containing hardeners and nitrogen - phosphorus - containing hardeners cured epoxy resins were prepared from a cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) with the hardeners p - 1 to p - 16 prepared in examples 1 to 16 in an equivalent ratio of epoxide : active hydrogen = 1 : 1 and with 0 . 2 wt % of triphenylphosphine as a curing accelerator . the mixture was grounded into fine powders to give thermosettable epoxy resin powders . the resin powders were cured in a mold at 150 ° c . and 50 kg / cm 2 for a period of one hour and then at 170 ° c . for two hours and further postcured at 200 ° c . for three hours to obtain cured specimens . the procedures of example 1 were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) used in example 1 was replaced by phenol formaldehyde novolac resin ( pn ) to cure the cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) in the curing reaction . the procedures of example 1 were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) used in example 1 was replaced by tetrabromobisphenol a ( tbba ) to cure the cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) in the curing reaction . the procedures of example 1 were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) used in example 1 was replaced by bis ( 3 - hydroxyphenyl ) phenyl phosphate ( bhpp ) to cure the cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) in the curing reaction . the procedures of example 1 were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) used in example 1 was replaced by dicyandiamide ( dicy ) to cure the cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) in the curing reaction . the procedures of example 1 were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) used in example 1 was replaced by melamine ( ma ) to cure the cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) in the curing reaction . the procedures of example 1 were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) used in example 1 was replaced by bisphenol a ( bpa ) to cure the cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) in the curing reaction . the procedures of example 1 were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) used in example 1 was replaced by diaminodiphenylmethane ( ddm ) to cure the cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) in the curing reaction . the procedures of example 1 were repeated except that odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ) used in example 1 was replaced by diaminodiphenyl sulfone ( dds ) to cure the cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) in the curing reaction . the dynamic mechanical analysis ( dma ) properties of the resulting cured epoxy resins are shown in table 3 ; the thermogravimetric analysis data thereof are shown in table 4 ; and the flame - retardant properties thereof are shown in table 5 . it can be seen from table 3 that the cured epoxy resins of the present invention have glass transition temperatures ( tg ) about 60 ° c . higher than that of the epoxy resin cured with the conventional flame - retardant tbba hardener . the data in table 4 show that the cured epoxy resins of the present invention have a better thermal stability and higher char yield than those of the conventional epoxy resin cured by flame - retardant tbba . the data in table 5 indicate that the cured epoxy resins of the present invention have excellent flame retardant properties , especially no fume and dripping occur in the combustion test , and thus is very suitable for use in the semiconductor encapsulation applications . the flame - retardant hardeners containing the phosphorus - containing rigid groups disclosed in the present invention can be used to prepare flame - retardant cured epoxy resins having improved thermal properties and flame - retardancy , as shown in tables 3 to 5 . the nitrogen and phosphorus elements contained in the hardeners of the present invention have a synergistic effect in flame - retardancy of the cured epoxy resin . [ heading - 0152 ] ii ). using phosphorus - containing bpa hardener ( p - 1 - a ) prepared in preparation example 1 - a various amounts of the hardener odopm - bpa - a ( p - i - a ) were separately mixed with bisphenol ( bpa ) to form a mixed curing agent for cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin ( cne ) to determine the flame - retardant effect of phosphorus . the mixed curing agents consisting of p - 1 - a / bpa in various weight ratios ( 0 / 100 , 25 / 75 , 50 / 50 , 75 / 25 , and 100 / 0 ) were prepared . triphenyl phosphine ( ph 3 p ) powder was used as a curing accelerator . the cne was mixed with the above mixed curing agents and 0 . 2 wt % ph 3 p in a mill at 25 ° c . to give thermosettable epoxy resin powders , wherein the equivalent ratio of epoxide group to hydroxyl group is 1 : 1 . the resin powders were cured in a mould at 150 ° c . and 50 kg / cm 2 for a period of one hour and then at 170 ° c . for two hours and further postcured at 200 ° c . for three hours to obtain cured specimens . for comparison , various weight ratios of tetrabromobisphenol a ( tbba ) and pn ( 25 / 75 , 75 / 25 , 100 / 0 ) were also used as a curing agent to prepare the cured specimens as above . the cured specimens were subjected to the thermogravimetric analysis and the ul - 94 test . the results are shown in table 6 and table 7 . it can be seen from table 6 that the tg values of the phosphorus - containing cured epoxy resin specimens of the present invention ( p - 1 - a / bpa ) are about 30 ° c . higher than those of the conventional bromine - containing cured epoxy resin specimens . furthermore , the phosphorus - containing cured epoxy resin specimens of the present invention exhibit significantly higher thermal degradation temperatures and higher char yields in comparison with the conventional bromine - containing cured epoxy resin specimens . the data in table 7 show that 1 . 13 % phosphorus content of the phosphorus - containing cured epoxy resin of the present invention can produce substantially the same flame - retardant effect as 11 . 92 % bromine content of the conventional bromine - containing cured epoxy resin . in addition , the phosphorus - containing cured epoxy resin specimens of the present invention generate much less fumes in the combustion test . the results shown in tables 6 and 7 indicate that the phosphorus - containing cured epoxy resin of the present invention is very suitable for semiconductor encapsulation applications . the phosphorus - containing compounds ( a )-( i ) of the present invention have an active hydrogen , and thus can be used as a staring material for the preparation of flame - retardant epoxy resins by reacting with epihalohydrin under alkaline condition as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 499 , 255 . the details of this us patent are incorporated herein by reference . the flame - retardant epoxy resins so prepared will have one of the formulas ( ep - a ) to ( ep - i ) as follows : wherein l , m , i , j , k , z , x , q and q ′ are defined as above ; and l ′ is hydrogen or preferably , the flame - retardant epoxy resins ( ep - a ) to ( ep - i ) are prepared from the preferred phosphorus - containing compounds of the present invention . the present invention further synthesizes a phosphorus - containing flame - retardant cured epoxy resin by curing the epoxy resin selected from ( ep - a ) to ( ep - i ) with the conventional curing agent for the epoxy resin , which preferably is selected from the group consisting of pherol - formaldehyde novolac resin , dicyandiamide and hexahydrophthalic anhydride . preferably , the curing reaction is carried out at a temperature higher than 150 ° c . and with stoichiometric amount of the curing agent ( hardener ). more preferably , the curing reaction is carried out in the presence of a curing promoter such as triphenylphosphine , and in an amount of 0 . 01 - 10 . 0 parts by weight of the curing promotor per 100 parts by weight of the epoxy resin . the phosphorus - containing flame - retardant cured epoxy resin of the present invention is suitable for use in making a flame - retardant printed circuit board as a matrix resin and in semiconductor encapsulations . to a reaction vessel equipped with a temperature controller , a mechanical stirrer , a reflux condenser , a dean stark trap and a vacuum system was added 91 . 2 g ( 0 . 4 equivalent ) of 2 -( 6 - oxid - 6h - dibenz & lt ; c , e & gt ;& lt ; 1 , 2 & gt ; oxa - phosphorin - 6 - yl ) methyl - bisphenol - a ( odopm - bpa - a ) ( p - 1 - a ), 185 g ( 2 equivalents ) of epichlorohydrin ( epi ), and 54 g of 1 - methoxy - 2 - hydroxy propane as a solvent . after stirring at room temperature and atmospheric pressure to thoroughly mix the contents , the temperature was raised to 65 ° c . and the pressure was reduced to 160 mm hg absolute . to the resultant solution was continuously added 32 g of 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution at a constant rate over a period of 1 hour . during the addition of the sodium hydroxide , the water was removed by codistilling with epichlorohydrin and solvent . the distillate was condensed and introduced into the dean stark trap , wherein two distinct phases , an aqueous phase ( top ) and an organic epichlorohydrin - solvent phase ( bottom ) were formed . the aqueous phase was removed continuously and disregarded . the organic phase was continuously returned to the reactor . after completion of the sodium hydroxide addition , the reaction mixture was maintained at a temperature of 65 ° c . and a pressure of about 160 mm hg absolute for an additional 30 minutes . the reaction mixture was washed with deionized water two or three times to remove salt after cooling , and subsequently distilled to remove residual epi resulting in a phosporus - containing epoxy resin ( p - d ) having an epoxide equivalent weight ( eew ) of 298 - 301 . the procedures of example 17 were repeated except that 82 . 8 g ( 0 . 4 equivalent ) 2 -( 6 - oxid - 6h - dibenz & lt ; c , e & gt ;& lt ; 1 , 2 & gt ; oxa - phosphorin - 6 - yl ) methyl - 4 , 4 ′- biphenol - a ( odopm - bp ) was used to replace odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ). the resultant phosphorus - containing epoxy resin ( p - e ) had an eew of 279 - 281 . the procedures of example 17 were repeated except that 95 . 6 g ( 0 . 4 equivalent ) 2 -( 6 - oxid - 6h - dibenz & lt ; c , e & gt ;& lt ; 1 , 2 & gt ; oxa - phosphorin - 6 - yl ) methyl - 4 , 4 ′- sulfonyl diphenol - a ( odopm - sdp ) was used to replace odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ). the resultant phosphorus - containing epoxy resin ( p - f ) had an eew of 315 - 319 . the procedures of example 17 were repeated except that 45 . 6 g ( 0 . 4 equivalent ) bisphenol - a ( bpa ) was used to replace odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ). the resultant phosphorus - containing epoxy resin ( bpa - 9 ) had an eew of 181 - 185 . the procedures of example 17 were repeated except that 37 . 2 g ( 0 . 4 equivalent ) 4 , 4 ′- biphenol - a ( bp ) was used to replace odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ). the resultant phosphorus - containing epoxy resin ( bp - 10 ) had an eew of 159 - 162 . the procedures of example 17 were repeated except that 50 g ( 0 . 4 equivalent ) 4 , 4 ′- sulfonyl diphenol ( sdp ) was used to replace odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ). the resultant phosphorus - containing epoxy resin ( sdp - 11 ) had an eew of 191 - 195 . the procedures of example 17 were repeated except that 108 . 8 g ( 0 . 4 equivalent ) tetrabromobisphenol a ( tbba ) was used to replace odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ). the resultant phosphorus - containing epoxy resin ( tbba - 12 ) had an eew of 356 - 359 . the procedures of example 17 were repeated except that 71 . 6 g ( 0 . 4 equivalent ) bis ( 3 - hydroxyphenyl ) phenyl phosphate ( bhpp ) was used to replace odopm - bpa - a ( p - 1 - a ). the resultant phosphorus - containing epoxy resin ( bhpp - 13 ) had an eew of 253 - 256 . [ heading - 0185 ] ii ). preparation of a cured epoxy resin from a phosphorus - containing epoxy resin cured epoxy resins were prepared from the epoxy resins prepared in examples 17 - 19 and control examples 9 - 13 with phenol - formaldehyde novolac resin ( pn ) as a curing agent . the epoxy resin was mixed with the curing agent ( 1 : 1 equivalent ratio ) at 150 ° c . with stirring , and the well mixed molten mixture was poured into a hot aluminum mould , cured in an oven at 170 ° c . for one hour , and then postcured at 200 ° c . for two hours . the dynamic mechanical analysis ( dma ) properties of the resulting cured epoxy resins are shown in table 8 ; the thermogravimetric analysis data thereof are shown in table 9 ; and the flame - retardant properties thereof are shown in table 10 . it can be seen from table 8 that the cured epoxy resins of the present invention have glass transition temperatures ( tg ) about higher than those of the conventional bisphenol - a cured epoxy resin and the conventional flame - retardant tbba cured epoxy resin . the data in table 9 show that the cured epoxy resins of the present invention have a better thermal stability and higher char yield than those of the conventional flame - retardant tbba epoxy resin cured by phenol - formaldehyde novolac resin ( pn ). the data in table 10 indicate that the cured epoxy resins of the present invention have excellent flame retardant properties , especially no fume and dripping occur in the combustion test , and thus is very suitable for use in the semiconductor encapsulation applications . the flame - retardant epoxy resins containing the phosphorus - containing rigid group ( odopm ) bonded to bpa , bp and sdp disclosed in the present invention can be used to prepare flame - retardant cured epoxy resins having improved thermal properties and flame - retardancy , as shown in tables 8 to 10 . the presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description , and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents thereof are intended to be embraced therein . | 2 |
all genes expressed were cloned from cdna preparations directly into each of the pan and pac series of vectors ( avidity inc , usa ). these were used to express n - terminal and c - terminal fusion proteins respectively . the fusion peptide sequence used was seq id no 2 shown above . the insert sequences were confirmed by dna sequencing performed on 377 ( pe corporation inc ) and magabase ( amersham pharamcia biotech ) instruments using the manufacturer &# 39 ; s methodologies . all fusion proteins were expressed under the control of the tightly repressed trc promoter and is iptg - inducible . all proteins were expressed in strain avb100 ( avidity inc , colo ., usa ), an e . coli k12 strain [ mc1061 ara d139 delta ( ara - leu ) 7696 delta ( lac ) 174 galu galk hsdr2 ( r k - m k + ) mcrbl rpsl ( str r )] with a bira gene stably integrated into the chromosome . over expression of the bira protein was accomplished by induction with l - arabinose . the stably integrated bira gene does not require antibiotics to be maintained , and use of avb100 with iptg - inducible vectors such as pac and pan , vectors ( avidity inc , usa ) allowed independent control over the expressed gene of interest and the bira levels . strain avb99 ( avidity inc ) was also used and is an e . coli strain ( xl1 - blue ) containing a pacyc184 plasmid with an iptg - inducible bira gene to overexpress biotin ligase ( pbiracm ). strain avb101 ( avidity inc ) was also used and is an e . coli b strain ( hsdr , lon11 , sul al ), containing a pacyc184 plasmid with an iptg - inducible bira gene to overexpress biotin ligase ( pbiracm ). expression of both biotin ligase and the fusion protein was induced with iptg ( 1 mm ). biotin was added at the time of induction to a concentration of 50 μm . biotinylated fusion proteins were isolated by two separate methods . these methods can either be used as alternates or were combined as a two - stage process where ultra - pure preparations were required . a partially purified mouse monoclonal antibody to the c - terminus fusion peptide was available and polyclonal antibodies to the c — and n - terminal fusion proteins were raised in rabbit . i ) in one of the methodologies , the anti c - terminal mouse monoclonal was attached directly to magnetic beads using 2 . 4 micron magnetic beads with a tosylated activated surface ( dynal biotech asa , norway ) as follows : coating procedure . dynabeads m - 280 tosylactivated were resuspended by pipetting and vortexing for approximately 1 min and were immediately pipetted into the reaction tube . supernatant was removed from the beads using a magnet ( dynal mpc ) to separate the beads from solution . the supernatant was removed , leaving beads undisturbed . the beads were resuspended in an ample volume of 0 . i m na - phosphate buffer ph 7 . 4 and mixed gently for 2 min . after using the magnet again and pipetting off the supernatant , the washed beads were resuspended in the same volume of 0 . 1 m na - phosphate buffer ph 7 . 4 to the required concentration . the appropriate antibody was dialysed into 0 . 1 m na - phosphate buffer ph 7 . 4 . the amount of antibody was approximately 3 μg antibody per 1 dynabeads ( approximately 20 μg / mg ) and the beads were resuspended by vortexing for 1 min . the mixture was incubated for 16 - 24 h at 37 ° c . with slow tilt rotation . after incubation , the magnet was used to separate the magnetic beads for 1 - 4 minutes and the supernatant was removed the coated beads were washed four times ( twice in × 1 pbs ph 7 . 4 [ phosphate buffered saline ] with 0 . 1 % [ w / v ] bsa for 5 minutes at 4 ° c .) once with 0 . 2 m tris - hcl ph 8 . 5 with 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa for 24 hours at 20 ° c . or for 4 hours at 37 ° c . ( tris blocks free tosyl - groups ) and finally once in × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 4 with 0 . 1 % [ w / v ] bsa for 5 minutes at 4 ° c . the dynabeads m - 280 tosylactivated are thereby coated with the antibody . the cells expressing the fusion protein of interest were lysed for 15 minutes in ice - cold × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 4 with 1 % np - 40 and protease inhibitors , after which the lysate was centrifuged at 2 , 000 × g for 3 minutes . the lysate was pre - cleared by incubation of the ice - old lysate ( in 1 . 5 ml eppendorf tubes ) for 2 hours with dynabeads pre - coated with the appropriate antibody ( 0 . 5 mg dynabeads pr . lysate from 1 × 10 6 cells ). the dynabeads were washed 3 times in 1 . 5 ml ice - cold pbs / 1 % np40 by using a dynal magnetic particle concentrator to collect the beads at the wall after each washing step . the fusion protein - antibody magnetic bead complex was disrupted by adjusting the ph to above 9 . 0 . supernatant was separated from the magnetic beads with the magnetic particle concentrator and assayed for total protein concentration , concentration of fusion peptide and the protein was identified by mass spectrometry using a perseptive voyager madli ( see below ). ii ) in the second methodology , the antibody was attached indirectly to dynal magnetic beads via protein a and protein g previously immobilised onto the surface of the bead by the manufacturer . a mixture of dynabeads - protein g and dynabeads - protein a were resupended by vortexing for 1 - 2 minutes . the supernatant was removed from the beads using a magnetic workstation as described above . 0 . 5 ml 0 . 1 m na - phosphate buffer ph 7 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 and 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa were added and the wash procedure repeated three times . the antibody was added to the washed dynabeads and incubated with gentle mixing for 10 - 40 minutes . the supernatant was removed using the magnetic workstation . the beads were twice resuspended in 0 . 5 ml 0 . 1 m na - phosphate buffer ph 7 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 and 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa for protein stability . supernatant was removed and the beads added to the lysate mixture as prepared above . binding of the fusion protein was performed at 2 - 8 ° c . for 10 minutes to 1 hour . approximately 25 μg target protein per μl of the initial dynabeads protein g volume was used to assure an excess of protein . incubation was performed while tilting and rotating the tube with incubation times as low as 10 minutes . supernatant containing detergents and cell lysate was removed from the fusion - protein - ig dynabeads - protein g complex using the magnetic workstation and washed 3 times using × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 4 with 0 . 01 % tween 20 . bound fusion protein was best eluted from the fusion - protein - ig dynabeads - protein g / a complexes by adjusting the ph to above 9 . 0 and removing the supernatant containing the now purified fusion protein . supernatant was separated from the magnetic beads with the magnetic particle concentrator and assayed for total protein concentration , concentration of fusion peptide and the protein was identified by mass spectrometry using a perseptive voyager madli ( see below ). iii ) in another example , proteins a , g and l mixtures were immobilised on to suitably prepared pipette tips . the antibody was incubated with the pipette tips in 50 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 and 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa for 60 minutes at room temperature . the coated pipette tips were then rinsed with 3 pipette volumes of 50 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 and 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa . 200μl cell lysate was aspirated from the bottom of the tip either by hand or with a robotic workstation several times to ensure the extraction of the biotinylated fusion protein . the cell lysate was discarded . the pipette tips were rinsed with three volumes of 10 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 and 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa . bound fusion protein was eluted in half a pipette volume of 50 mm sodium bicarbonate - hcl buffer , ph 10 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 by gently aspirating this aliquot up through the bottom of the pipette tip . the resulting solution containing the fusion protein was assayed as described below . iv ) in another preferred methodology an alternative version of the biotinylated fusion protein was constructed with the addition of a hexa his tag . the hexa his fusion peptide is often used as a standard purification procedure and is well known to those skilled in the art . typically , cells were lysed in 5 ml buffer per gram wet weight of cells . the lysis buffer comprised : × 1 nbb ( 20 mm tris cl , 100 mm nacl , 5 mm imidazol , ph 8 . 0 ) with 1 in 100 volume of 10 mg / ml lysozyme , 1 in 100 volume protease inhibitor cocktail ( calbiochem protease inhibitopr cocktail set 3 ), 10 mm beta mercaptoethanol , supplemented with a × 1 detergent cocktail supplied by novagen ( madison , usa ). the cells were lysed for 15 minutes at 30 - 37 ° c . cellular proteins were denatured by adding urea to a final concentration of 6m and 2m thiourea the solution was clarified by passing through a 0 . 22 micron filter , and then applied directly onto nickel agarose matrix ( nta supplied by qiagen , germany ). proteins were incubated with the nickel agarose beads for 15 minutes and the non - binding protein removed by centrifugation . the beads were washed three times in 10 volumes of the lysis buffer supplemented with 6m urea and 2m urea . after the final wash , 50 % of the wash buffer was removed and then diluted with a 20 mm tris hcl , 100 mm nacl , ph 8 . 0 buffer containing 10 mm beta mercaptoethanol . this step was repeated three times . finally the beads were washed with 10 volumes of buffer , the composition of which was 20 mm tris hcl , 100 mm nacl , ph 8 . 0 buffer ( without urea / thiourea ). the proteins were eluted several aliquots of buffer ( 20 mm tris hcl , 100 mm nacl , ph 8 . 0 buffer ), supplemented with various concentrations of imidazole . the typical concentration range of imidazole used to eluted the bound protein was between 20 mm to 500 mm . the fractions containing the eluted protein were pooled . in another experiment , the biotinylated fusion protein was isolated using a novel form of streptavidin marketed as captavidin ™ ( molecular probes , oregon , usa ) immobilised to a suitable surface . in this modified form of streptavidin , the tyrosine residue in the biotin binding sites is nitrated , thereby reducing the very strong non - covalent bond with a ka of 10 15 m − 1 to a ka of 10 9 m − 1 . the association between biotin and captavidin ™ can therefore be disrupted by raising the ph to between 9 - 10 as described below : i ) in one preferred embodiment , captavidin ™ protein was attached to tosylated magnetic beads ( dynal biotech asa , norway ) and was washed and prepared as described above . the captavidin ™ coated beads were washed three times in 50 mm citrate phoasphate buffer , ph 4 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 and 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa and the supernatant was discarded . the cell lysate mixture was prepared as described above and the ph adjusted to 5 . 0 . captavidin ™ coated beads were added at a ratio of 0 . 5 mg dynabeads per lysate from 1 × 10 6 cells . the solution was incubated with gentle agitation for 10 - 60 minutes . the supernatant was removed from the magnetic beads using a magnetic workstation ( dyanl biotech asa , norway ) and washed with three aliquots of 10 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 , discarding the supernatant . the biotinylated fusion protein is detached from the captavidin ™ coated magnetic beads by adding an aliquot of 50 mm sodium bicarbonate - hcl buffer , ph 10 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 and gently agitating the slurry for 15 minutes at room temperature . the magnetic beads were removed using the magnetic workstation and the supernatant containing the biotinylated fusion protein was retained . ii ) in another example , the magnetic beads were replaced by creating mini columns of captavidin ™ conjugated to agarose beads ( molecular probes inc , oregon , usa ) mixed with an equal volume of sepharose ® cl - 4b agarose ( amersham pharmacia biotech ltd , uk ) to increase the bed volume with mini columns made by pouring the slurry into pipette tips in 50 mm citrate phosphate buffer , ph 4 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 . biotinylated fusion protein was separated from cell lysate mixture by affinity chromatography . unbound material is eluted from the column with 10 column volumes of 10 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 . biotinylated fusion protein was eluted from the column in two column volumes of 50 mm sodium bicarbonate - hcl buffer , ph 10 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 . iii ) in yet another experiment , the captavidin ™ agarose beads were immobilised into a pipette tip and fusion protein binding and elution was performed as described above . expressed and purified fusion proteins were identified by peptide finger printing . using methods as reviewed in proteome research ( edited by rabilloud ), the fusion protein was digested with trypsin , the resulting peptide solution was desalted and concentrated using a ziptip ™ ( millipore , mass ., usa ) reverse phase column , diluted into matrix solution and applied to a target plated from a perseptive voyager ™ mass spectrometer and analysed by madli . the resulting spectra of peptide masses were compared with the anticipated peptide finger print for the protein using the expasy search algorithms ( genebio ag , switzerland ) via their website ( www . expasy . com ). a 3 - 5 μl aliquot of the purified fusion protein was removed from the stock solution and assayed for total protein content using the bca method in preference to bradford assay due to the presence of detergents in the protein samples . the concentration of biotinylated fusion protein was determined by immunoassay as follows ; a 3 - 5 μl aliquot of the purified fusion protein was removed from the stock solution and incubated in a black , streptavidin - coated microtitre plate ( beckton dickenson , usa ). the well was washed three times with 50 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 . the well was blocked using 1 % ( w / v ) bsa in the same buffer for 30 minutes and then rinsed three times with 50 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 . the immobilised biotinylated fusion protein was incubated with either an anti n - terminal or anti c - terminal polyclonal antibody raised in rabbit diluted into 50 mm tris - hcl buffer , ph 8 . 0 containing 0 . 01 % tween 20 and 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa . the well was rinsed three times with buffer and then probed with a anti - rabbit , mouse monoclonal conjugated to alexa 488 ( molecular probes inc , oregon , usa ) and the signal measured with a perkinelmer flight fluorescence plate reader . a standard curve with known amounts of glutathione s - transferase expressed using the expression system described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 723 , 584 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 874 , 239 and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 932 , 433 was used for calibration in the range of 0 . 1 - 500 μg of fusion protein per well . microscope slides coated with streptavidin were first imaged on a variety of commercially available slide readers using an excitation wavelength of 480 nm and and emission wavelength of 520 nm to assess the evenness of the coating . the streptavidin coated slides were rehydrated with × 1 phosphate buffered saline at ph 7 . 3 . purified biotinylated fusion proteins at a concentration of approximately 1 μg / μl were spotted onto the surface of the slide using a solid pin with a tip diameter of 100 - 150 microns ( biorobotics , cambridge , uk ) by hand and with a robotic system . the slide was incubated at room temperature in a humidity - controlled environment for 30 minutes . the slide was then typically washed with × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 3 containing 0 . 01 % ( v / v ) tween and then blocked by incubating the slide with 1 % ( w / v ) bsa for 10 minutes . the slide was rinsed with × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 3 containing 0 . 01 % ( w / v ) tween 20 and then incubated with the primary antibody of choice diluted 1 : 400 in × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 3 containing 0 . 01 % ( w / v ) tween 20 and 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa , or a complex biological mixture of proteins containing immunoglobulins , e . g . diluted serum samples . the slide was then rinsed in × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 3 containing 0 . 01 % ( w / v ) tween and 0 . 1 % ( w / v ) bsa and incubated with an appropriate secondary ( for example mouse anti - human igg monoclonal conjugated to alexa 488 ( molecular probes inc ) for the detection of immunoglobulins in serum , for example ). the slides were then imaged at excitation / emission wavelengths of 480 / 520 nm , for the alexa 488 conjugate , although one skilled in the art can appreciate that many such secondary abs with a variety of labels ( colorimetric , alternative fluorescent , radiolabelled or chemiluminescent ) could be used in its place . an example of the results obtained is illustrated in fig5 hereinafter . proteins a , g and l from streptococcus aureus were cloned into the expression vectors pan - 4 , pan - 5 or pan - 6 , pac4 , pac - 5 and pac - 6 ) and were expressed and purified as described above , resulting in both c — and n - terminal fusion proteins which were biotinylated in vivo , again as described above . streptavidin coated microscope slides were coated with a mixture of fusion proteins ( both c — and n - terminal fusions ) of proteins a , g and l in × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 3 at a concentration of 1 mg / ml . the slides were incubated at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes in a humidity - controlled environment . the slides were washed with × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 3 containing 2 mm sodium azide and were stored in sealed containers in a moist atmosphere ( to prevent drying ) at 4 ° c . until required . the universal antibody acceptor layer was used to attach a variety of different classes of antibodies and those phage molecules engineered to include a protein a , g or l binding site . antibody preparations are diluted in 1 × pbs , ph 7 . 3 containing 0 . 01 % tween to a concentration of 0 . 2 - 10 mg / ml . the antibody solutions were applied to the universal antibody acceptor layer with solid pins with a tip diameter of between 100 - 150 microns ( biorobotics , cambridge , uk ) by hand or with a robotic system . the slides were then blocked with 1 % bsa in xl pbs , ph 7 . 3 containing 0 . 01 % tween . slides were rinsed with the × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 3 containing 0 . 01 % tween and 2 mm sodium azide and were stored in sealed containers in a moist atmosphere ( to prevent drying ) at 4 ° c . until required . scanning as described above for antigen arrays produced the sort of results which are illustrated in fig6 . typically , protein samples were prepared by solubilising them in a variety of buffers and detergents , depending on the biological sample . many samples required aggressive solubilisation procedures requiring the use of non - ionic detergents and 8m urea , similar to those used in the preparation of proteins for the first dimension of 2d electrophoresis gels . for example , the solublization methodology involved homogenization of the sample into solution containing 4 % chaps , 50 mm pbs , ph 7 . 6 with either 7 m urea and 2 m thiourea or 8 m urea buffers containing primary amino groups such as tris and glycine inhibit the conjugation reaction and were therefore avoided . the presence of low concentrations (& lt ; 2 %) of biocides such as azide or thimerosal did not affect protein labelling . the solubilised protein was centrifuged at 10 , 000 g to remove cellular debris and non - solubilised material and the mixture was immediately labeled . complex mixtures of proteins from biological samples were labelled with a fluorescent tag prior to incubation with the antibody array as prepared above . clearly , those skilled in the art will recognise that other forms of labels can be applied to the technique such as radiolabelling , chemiluminescent and visual dyes . further , other fluorecent dyes can also be applied to the process . one preferred embodiment is the use of cy3 and cy5 mono reactive dyes ( amersham pharmacia biotech ltd , uk ). dye labelling of complex protein mixtures was unpredictable and had to be optimised for each type of biological sample . specifically , the binding of dye molecules to proteins via residues with amine groups often reduced the antigenicity of certain proteins such that they were no longer recognised by a functional antibody . the manufacturer &# 39 ; s recommended procedure is designed to label 1 mg protein to a final molar dye / protein ( d / p ) ratio between 4 and 12 . this assumes an average protein molecular weight of 155 , 000 daltons . in the present invention , an average dye / protein ratio above 2 - 3 was found to interfere with the antibody - antigen reaction for many of the proteins studied . it was determined that the d / p ratios could be simply controlled by using different concentrations of protein and different buffer ph values . altering the protein concentration and reaction ph changed the labelling efficiency of the reaction significantly . optimal labelling occured at ph 9 and by reducing the ph to 7 . 6 reduced the dye / protein ratio to between 1 - 3 . higher protein concentrations increased labeling and so the control of protein concentration was also found to be critical . solutions of up to 10 μg / μl of a single protein species gave dye / protein ratios of 10 - 14 , so more appropriate concentrations were found to be 0 . 1 - 1 . 0 μg / μl . a typical method was as follows : complex protein mixtures prepared as described above , were diluted to several concentrations in × 1 pbs buffer , ph 7 . 6 containing 0 . 2 % chaps to achieve an average protein species concentration of 1 . 0 μg / μl ( total protein concentration was in the range of 50 - 100μg / μl ) the protein solution was incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes with constant gentle agitation . labeled protein must be separated from the excess , unconjugated dye prior to incubation with the antibody arrays . the manufacturer recommends separation from unbound protein by gel permeation , however , due to the presence of membrane - bound proteins with poor solubility this step was replaced by simply adding an excess of glycine to the solution to halt the reaction . the labeled protein solution was incubated for a further 15 minutes to ensure the removal of residual free dye . labeled proteins were stored at 2 - 8 ° c . without further manipulation . free dye was also removed using the method of ünlü et al ( 1997 ) in which free dye was removed by overnight incubation with sm - 2 beads ( bio - rad , ca , usa ). the final dye / protein ( d / p ) ratio was estimated as follows : a portion of the labeled protein solution was diluted so that the maximum absorbance was 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 au . molar concentrations of dye and protein were calculated . the extinction coefficient will vary for different proteins but is a reasonable average to use for complex mixtures . the ratio of the average number of dye molecules coupled to each protein molecule was calculated as follows : cy5 / protein ratios were calculated using molar extinction coefficients of 250 , 000 m − 1 cm − 1 at 650 nm for cy5 , and 170 , 000 n − 1 cm − 1 at 280 nm for the protein mixture . the calculation was corrected for the absorbance of the cy5 dye at 280 nm ( approximately 5 % of the absorbance at 650 nm ) as per the manufacturer &# 39 ; s product data sheets . [ cy5 dye ]=( a650 )/ 250000 , [ protein ]=[ a280 −( 0 . 05 × a650 )]/ 170000 , ( d / p ) final =[ dye ]/[ protein ], ( d / p ) final =[ 0 . 68 × ( a650 )]/[ a 280 −( 0 . 05 × a650 )). cy3 / protein ratios were calculated using molar extinction coefficients of 150 , 000 m − 1 1 cm − 1 at 552 nm for the cy3 dye and 170000 m − 1 cm − 1 at 280 nm for the protein are used in this example . the calculation was corrected for the absorbance of the dye at 280 nm ( approximately 8 % of the absorbance at 552 nm ). [ cy3 dye ]=( a552 )/ 150000 , [ antibody ]=[ a 280 −( 0 . 08 × as52 )]/ 170000 , ( d / p ) final =[ dye ]/[ antibody ], ( d / p ) final =[ 1 . 13 ×( a552 )]/[ a280 −( 0 . 08 × a552 )). cy3 - labelled and cy5 - labelled proteins were mixed in equimolar amounts based on the dye / protein ratios determined above . 100 μl of the mixture was incubated with a antibody array that had previously been rinsed with several slide volumes of × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 6 containing 0 . 01 % tween . the labelled protein mixture was incubated at 30 ° c . for one hour in an automated slide processor subject to uk patent application gb 0028647 . 6 ( unpublished ). the slide was then rinsed with 10 slide volumes of × 1 pbs , ph 7 . 6 containing 0 . 01 % tween . the slides were dried by centrifugation and imaged immediately on a commercially available slide imager using the manufacturer &# 39 ; s operating procedures . the cy3 and cy5 labelled protein ratios were analysed and normalised to a number of marker proteins such as actin and gapdh . while this approach is suitable for similarly prepared tissues or other biological samples , care must be taken on the applicability of this normalisation strategy between different tissue types and other biological samples , since the total cell content of all proteins vary considerably from tissue to tissue . the potential of protein arrays has been discussed for many years and clearly is a much needed tool . the problems with expressing , purifying , assaying and in particular , attaching proteins to solid , non - porous surfaces have all proved difficult problems to solve . through the novel exploitation of the vector technology described in patents u . s . pat . no . 5 , 723 , 584 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 874 , 239 and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 932 , 433 , the present invention provides a method for the preparation of both antigen and antibody arrays that allow researchers to now apply these techniques with greater success . all references mentioned in the above specification are herein incorporated by reference . other modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . although the invention has been described in connection with the specific preferred embodiments , it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments . indeed , various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention , which are obvious to those skilled in the art , are intended to be within the scope of the following claims . | 2 |
with reference to fig1 and in association with fig2 and 3 , the multi - functional test machine is designated at 10 which comprises generally an upper crosshead system 20 and a lower crosshead system 30 , slidably supported by a pair of upright columns 40 and a pair of upper specimen grip 50 and a lower specimen grip 50 &# 39 ; respectively secured to the upper and lower crosshead system 20 and 30 . the upper corsshead system 20 ( as shown in fig2 and 4 ) comprises an upper base plate 27 and a lower base plate 28 of rectangular configuration spacedly fastened by the phillips screws 26 through their corresponding screw holes 27a and 28a . each of the base plate 27 and 28 includes a pair of corresponding circular holes 27b and 28b made in registry with each other in the proximity of their lateral ends for sladably engaging with the upright columns 40 , a pair of roughly rectangular corresponding grooves 27c and 28c toward each other so as to form a pair of rectangular chambers therebetween . the upper base plate 27 further includes a hemispherical cavity 27d centrally formed in an under side and the lower base plate 28 further includes a hemispherical central bore 28d made in registry with the hemispherical cavity 27d . a hollow spherical bearing seat 24 which is divided into an upper part 240 and a lower part 245 secured together into the hemispherical central bore 28d by screws 246 through their corresponding vertical screw holes 244 . within the upper part 240 , there includes at least three engaging holes 242 respectively connected with a plurality of first conduits 243a and a plurality of second conduits 243b which gather to a convergent port 241 at the top of the upper base plate 27 ( as shown in fig6 ). the lower part 245 includes at least three buckle slots 246 formed spaced apart around the upper rim and made in registry with the engaging holes 242 and tapered central bore 247 made in registry with the hemispherical central bore 28d of the lower base plate 28 . a ball bearing rod 21 includes a ball bearing 211 movably engaged into the hollow interior of the sphere seat 24 and a threaded rod 212 extended downward through the tapered central bore 247 and coupled with the upper specimen grip 50 via an internally threaded load cell 213 . the specimen grip 50 is of a conventional tapered type including a threaded extension screwed into the load cell 213 . at least three hydraulic buckle members 22 respectively and slidably engaged into the engaging holes 242 each includes a first piston 221 , an annular ring 222 and a clamp lock 223 which are coaxially and slidably engaged by a pin 224 and wherein the clamp lock 223 has a spherical surface made engageable with the spherical surface of the ball bearing 211 . when the hydraulic buckle members 22 engaged into the engaging holes 242 , a pair of first and second hydraulic chambers 248a and 248b are respectively defined within each of the holes 242 . a stress sensor 23 attaches to the outward end of each of the buckle members 22 for detecting the buckle member of its tensioning condition . a pair of hydraulic brakes 25 slidably disposed into the pair of rectangular chambers between the upper and lower base plate 27 and 28 . the brakes 25 ( as shown in fig4 and 7 ) each includes a hollow rectangular cylinder 251 having a closed end and a cylindrical central opening slidably engageable with a second piston 252 having a threaded screw hole centrally formed within a smaller diameter end , a rectangular cover 253 engageable with the opened end of the cylinder 251 having a circular central hole engageable with the smaller diameter end of the second piston 252 and a second clamp lock 254 having a central hole for fastening itself with the second piston 252 by a screw 255 . the clamp lock 254 has a flat surface engageable with the rectangular cover 253 and spherical surface engageable with outer periphery of the upright column 40 . when the hydraulic brake disposes into the rectangular chamber , a pair of third and fourth hydraulic chambers 256a and 256b are thus defined therewithin . the chambers 256a and 256b respectively communicate with an outside hydraulic source via a third and fourth conduits 257a and 257b . the arrangement of the hydraulic brakes 25 aims to displaceably positioning the upper crosshead 20 on the upright column 40 and the arrangement of the buckle members 72 facilitate a multi - axle rotation and positioning of the upper specimen grip 50 . a pair of hydraulic jacks 60 at outmost lateral sides of the test machine 10 parallel to the upright columns 40 which are designed to actuate the upper crosshead 20 sliding up and down on the column 40 so as to facilitate the upper specimen grip 50 adjusting its vertical positions . the hydraulic jacks each includes a base 61 , a fixed end 62 connected to a lateral end of the of the upper crosshead 20 , an axial rod 63 of t - shaped section axially inserted into a vertical cylinder 64 to define a fifth and sixth hydraulic chambers 641 and 642 which respectively communicate to an outside hydraulic source ( not shown ) via a pair of fifth and sixth conduits 601 and 602 . referring to fig3 and 5 and fig1 again , the lower crosshead system 30 comprises generally a base seat 31 , a rotatable hydraulic cylinder 32 a linear hydraulic cylinder 25 , a actuator shaft 33 , a linear piston 252 , an outer housing 36 and a foundation 37 . the base seat 31 includes a circular concave 311 centrally formed in an under side for receiving the upper part of the housing 36 , a central bore 312 communicating with the concave 311 for slidably engaging with the actuator shaft 33 which has an upper end connected to the lower specimen grip 50 &# 39 ;, a pair of vertical engaging holes 313 adjacent two lateral ends for securing the pair of upright columns 40 therethrough . further , the lateral ends of the base seat 31 respectively integrate with the verticaly cylinders 64 of the hydraulic jacks 60 . the rotatable hydraulic cylinder 32 includes a tubular casing 320 having a pair of first tapered extensions 321 symmetrically extended inward form an inner periphery with seal 3210 fixed in a groove along the length of the forward end , a pair of upper and lower covers 322 each having a circular hole 3220 in the center , a phirality of screw holes 3221 formed spaced apart adjacent the periphery for respectively fastening themselves to two ends of the tubular casing 321 through their corresponding screw holes 3221 and 3211 by screws 3222 , a rotatable piston 323 rotatably disposed into the casing 320 having a pair of second tapered extensions 324 symmetrically extending outward from an outer periphery along the length thereof each including a groove centrally formed along the length for engaging a seal 3240 therein and a central bore 325 of arc lined triangle section for receiving a linear bearing 326 therein . the linear bearing 236 has also an arc lined triangle section engageable into the central bore 325 and a hollow interior slidably engageable with the shaft 32 therein . fig3 a shows that the inward ends of the first tapered extensions are closed to the outer periphery of the rotatable piston and the second tapered extensions 324 are closed to the inner periphery of the casing 320 and both with a seal therebetween so that four equal vertical hydraulic chambers 327a , 327b , 327c , 327d are defined within the casing 320 . the casing 320 further includes four conduits 328a , 328b , 328c and 328d symmetrically formed spaced apart through hemispheral walls abutting the lateral side of the first tapered extensions 3210 and communicated with external hydraulic sources ( not shown ). it is understood that if the hydraulic fluid enters into the chambers 327a and 327b via conduit 328a and 328b . the oil existing in the chambers 327c and 327d will be pressed to flow out via conduits 328c and 328d so as to actuate the rotatable piston 323 to rotate clockwise , contrarily , if the hydraulic fluid enters via conduits 328c and 328d , the rotatable piston 323 will be forced to rotate counterclockwise . the alternate rotation of the rotatable piston 323 enables the test machine 10 providing a torsion test function for a specimen . the actuator shaft 33 includes a large diameter portion 331 of arc lined triangular section ( as shown in fig3 b ) slidable engageable into the linear bearing 326 , a smaller diameter upper end 332 connected with the lower specimen grip 50 &# 39 ; and a threaded lower end 333 axially connected to the upper end a linear piston 352 with a bearing means 334 engaged therebetween . the arrangement of the arc lined triangular section for the actuator shaft 33 and the linear bearing 326 aims to prevent the shaft 33 from rotation but it can be rotated in cencern with the rotatable piston 323 . further , the rotatable cylinder 32 is firmly retained within an upper part of the outer housing 36 and secured by screws 361 ( as shown in fig1 ). the linear hydraulic cylinder 35 is secured to a lower part of the outer housing 36 and includes a tubular body 350 , a pair of upper and lower covers 351 each having a circular central hole 3511 and a plurality of screw holes 3512 formed spaced apart adjacent outer periphery for fastening themselves respectively to two ends of the tubular body 350 through the corresponding screw holes 3501 by screws 3513 . the linear piston 352 slidably disposes into the tubular body 350 and includes a cylindrical body of a length longer than the tubular body 350 and a diameter equal to the circular central hole 3511 of the covers 351 so that the piston 352 enables to stretch out of the tubular body 350 , a central bore 3521 extended along the length of its cylindrical body so as to permit the insertion of the threaded lower end of the actuator shaft 33 and a fixture 375 from opposite end thereof and an annular flange 353 extended outward from a middle outer periphery having a seal ring 3531 secured into a groove centrally extending around the outer periphery of the flange 353 . the flange 353 has an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the tubular body 350 so that when the linear piston 352 disposes into the tubular body 350 , a pair of upper and lower hydraulic chambers 354 and 355 are defined within the tubular body 350 . a pair of conduits 356a and 356b dispose spaced apart through a peripheral wall of the tubular body for communicating the chambers 354 and 355 with an external hydraulics source ( not shown ). a tubular fixture 357 inserts into the lower end of the linear piston 352 and fasten the threaded lower end of the actuator shaft 33 with a bearing 335 engaged therebetween . the fixture 357 has an internally threaded upper end 3571 made in registry with the threaded lower end 333 of the actuator shaft and a toothed lower end 3572 which is prepared in cooperation with a toothed end of a specific screw driver 100 which has a slotted outer end and by which the fixture 357 enables to tightly engage with the threaded lower end 333 of the actuator shaft 33 . fig3 c indicates a concentrical relationship between the tubular body 350 , the linear piston 352 , the tubular fixture 357 and the lower end 333 of the actuator shaft 33 . the upper and lower covers 351 of the linear hydraulic cylinder 35 further have a seal ring 3513 secured to the inward circumference of their circular central holes 3511 ( as shown in fig3 and 5 ) to prevent the oil from leaking out of the tubular body 350 . accordingly , if the hydraulic fluid enters into the upper hydraulic chamber 354 via conduit 356a , the oil existed inside the lower hydraulic chamber 355 will be pressed to flow out via conduit 356b so that the linear piston 352 is forced to move downward relative to the tubular body 350 so as the actuator shaft 33 together with the lower specimen grip 50 &# 39 ; that are actuated to slide downward either . contrarily , if the hydraulic fluid enters into the lower hydraulic chamber 355 , both the linear piston 352 and the actuator shaft 33 are forced to shift upward . it is clear that the arrangement of the elements inside the lower crosshead system 30 enables the lower specimen grip to rotate alternately and to shift vertically . inside the outer housing 36 and between the rotatable hydraulic cylinder 32 and the linear hydraulic cylinder , further includes a rotation displacement detector ( rvdt ) 80 attached to the lower end of the rotatable hydraulic cylinder 32 and a linear displacement detector ( lvdt ) 70 connected between the rotatable hydraulic cylinder 32 and the linear hydraulic cylinder 35 which can precisely indicate the vectors of both the linear and rotation displacements inside the cylinders 32 and 35 . the foundation 37 is disposed at a lowermost position of the test machine and juxtaposed with the bases 61 of the hydraulic jacks 60 and includes a pair of circular holes 371 vertically formed spaced apart in proximity of the lateral ends for fixedly securing the lower ends of the upright columns 40 and a pair of the threaded screw holes 372 vertically formed spaced apart in a central upper surface for securing the outer housing 36 by screws 373 ( as shown in fig1 ). based on aforediscussed structure , all the movable elements of the present invention are stably arranged that ensures a precise operation . referring to fig1 , 6 and 7 , in operation , supposedly a non - linear specimen is going to test , first , fix the lower end of the specimen into the lower specimen grip 50 &# 39 ; and adjust the height of the upper crosshead system 20 by operating the pair of hydraulic jakes 60 up and down in the manner as described the above until that the upper specimen grip 50 can reach the specimen and grip it , then apply the hydraulic fluid into the chamber 256a of the two hydraulic brakes 25 simultaneously to force the clamp locks 254 moving forward to firmly clamp the upright columns in order to fix the upper crosshead system 20 from any movement , and then apply hydraulic fluid into the chambers 248a of the three hydraulic buckle members 22 simultaneously to fix the ball bearing 21 from rotation after it gets aligned with the specimen and the lower specimen grip 50 &# 39 ; so that the test can begin . if carrying out a torsion or rotation test , operate the rotatable hydraulic cylinder 32 by applying hydraulic fluid into chambers 327a and 327b via conduits 328a and 328b to force the piston 323 rotating clockwise or contrarily , applying the hydraulic fluid into chambers 327c and 327d via conduits 328c and 328d to force the piston 323 rotating counterclockwise . meanwhile the rotation displacement detector ( rvdt ) 80 simultaemously send the vector of rotation displacement to an external computer ( not shown ) in which the torsion test result is readable . if carry out a tension - compression test , operate the linear hydraulic cylinder 35 by applying the hydraulic fluid into chamber 354 or 355 via conduit 356a or 356b so that the linear piston 352 is forced to move up or down to actuate the lower specimen grip 50 &# 39 ; moving vertically to carry out the tension - compression test and the linear displacement detector ( lvdt ) 70 simultaneously send the result of the displacement vector to an external computer , too . during the above tests , the stress sensors 23 of the hydraulic buckle members 22 will automatically send the information to an external computer and simultaneously release buckle members if any of the three hydraulic buckle members 22 is stressed unevenly scattered . when the stress state is equivalently even the hydraulic buckle members 22 will clamp and fix the specimen . this may obviate the presence of shear stress subjected to the uneven tensioning of the ball bearing 21 and keep two - axis centering balance within the whole system in order to ensure a high standard test accuracy . besides , the distance between the grips 50 and 50 &# 39 ; is adjustable by operating the hydraulic jacks 60 , the test machine 10 of the present invention is capable of testing non - linear specimen and accommodating the size of the specimen which is not necessary in a standard length . note that the specification relating to the above embodiment should be construed as exemplary rather than as limitative of the present invention , with many variations and modifications being readily attainable by a person of average skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents . | 6 |
fig1 illustrates a guide wire 10 embodying features of the invention that is adapted to be inserted into a patient &# 39 ; s body lumen , such as an artery or vein . the guide wire 10 comprises an elongated , relatively high strength proximal core section 11 , and a relatively short flexible distal core section 12 . the distal core portion 12 has at least one tapered section 21 which becomes smaller in the distal direction . a helical coil 22 is disposed about the distal core section 12 and is secured by its distal end to the distal end of shaping ribbon 23 by a mass of solder which forms rounded plug 24 when it solidifies . the proximal end of the helical coil 22 is secured to the distal core section 12 at a proximal location 25 and at intermediate location 26 by a suitable solder . the proximal end of the shaping ribbon 23 is secured to the distal core portion 12 at the same intermediate location 26 by the solder . preferably , the most distal section 27 of the helical coil 22 is made of radiopaque metal , such as platinum or platinum - nickel alloy , to facilitate the fluoroscopic observation thereof while it is disposed within a patient &# 39 ; s body . the most distal section 27 of the coil 22 should be stretched about 10 to about 30 % in length to provide increased flexibility . the most distal part 28 of the distal core section 12 is flattened into a rectangular cross - section and is preferably provided with a rounded tip 29 , e . g ., solder , to prevent the passage of the most distal part through the spacing between the stretched distal section 27 of the helical coil 22 . the exposed portion of the elongated proximal core section 11 should be provided with a coating 30 of lubricous material such as polytetrafluoroethylene ( sold under the trademark teflon ® by du pont , de nemours & amp ; co .) or other suitable lubricous coatings such as other fluoropolymers , hydrophilic coatings and polysiloxane coatings . the elongated proximal core section 11 of the guide wire 10 is generally about 130 to about 140 cm in length with an outer diameter of about 0 . 006 to 0 . 018 inch ( 0 . 15 - 0 . 45 mm ) for coronary use . larger diameter guide wires , e . g . up to 0 . 035 inch ( 0 . 89 mm ) or more may be employed in peripheral arteries and other body lumens . the lengths of the smaller diameter and tapered sections can range from about 1 to about 20 cm , depending upon the stiffness or flexibility desired in the final product . the helical coil 22 may be about 3 to about 45 cm in length , preferably about 5 to about 20 cm , has an outer diameter about the same size as the outer diameter of the elongated proximal core section 11 , and is made from wire about 0 . 001 to about 0 . 003 inch ( 0 . 025 - 0 . 08 mm ) in diameter typically about 0 . 002 inch ( 0 . 05 mm ). the shaping ribbon 23 and the flattened distal section 28 of distal core section 12 have generally rectangularly shaped transverse cross - sections which usually have dimensions of about 0 . 0005 to about 0 . 006 inch ( 0 . 013 - 0 . 152 mm ), preferably about 0 . 001 by 0 . 003 inch ( 0 . 025 - 0 . 076 mm ). the distal core section 12 is preferably made of nitinol , which is a psuedoelastic alloy material preferably consisting essentially of about 30 to about 52 % titanium and the balance nickel and optionally up to 10 % of one or more other alloying elements . the other alloying elements may be selected from the group consisting of iron , cobalt , vanadium , platinum , palladium and copper . the alloy can contain up to about 10 % copper and vanadium and up to 3 % of the other alloying elements . the addition of nickel above the equiatomic amounts with titanium and the other identified alloying elements increases the stress levels at which the stress induced austenite - to - martensite transformation occurs and ensures that the temperature at which the martensitic phase thermally transforms to the austenitic phase is well below human body temperature ( 37 degrees c .) so that austenite is the only temperature stable phase at body temperature . the excess nickel and additional alloying elements also help to provide an expanded strain range at very high stresses when the stress induced transformation of the austenitic phase to the martensitic phase occurs . moreover , it is known that heating nitinol excessively can change the pseudoelastic behavior , the martensite transitions temperatures , and even the shape memory . therefore , heat input into the nitinol should be carefully controlled . a presently preferred method for making the pseudoelastic distal core section is to cold work , preferably by drawing , a rod having a composition according to the relative proportions described above and then heat treating the cold worked product while it is under stress to impart a shape memory thereto . typical initial transverse dimensions of the rod are about 0 . 045 inch to about 0 . 25 inch . before drawing the solid rod , it is preferably annealed at a temperature of about 500 to about 750 degrees c ., typically about 650 degrees c ., for about 30 minutes in a protective atmosphere such as argon to relieve essentially all internal stresses . in this manner all of the specimens start the subsequent thermomechanical processing in essentially the same metallurgical condition so that products with consistent final properties are obtained . such treatment also provides the requisite ductility for effective cold working . the stress - relieved stock is cold worked by drawing in order to effect a reduction in the cross sectional area thereof of about 30 to about 70 %. the metal is drawn through one or more dies of appropriate inner diameter with a reduction per pass of about 10 % to 50 %. other forms of cold working can be employed such as swaging . following cold work , the drawn wire product is heat treated at a temperature between about 350 degrees c . and about 600 degrees c . for about 0 . 5 to about 60 minutes . preferably , the drawn wire product is simultaneously subjected to a longitudinal stress between about 5 % and about 50 %, preferably about 10 % to about 30 % of the tensile strength of the material ( as measured at room temperature ) in order to impart a straight “ memory ” to the metal and to ensure that any residual stresses therein are uniform . this memory imparting heat treatment also fixes the austenite - martensite transformation temperature for the cold worked metal . by developing a straight “ memory ” and maintaining uniform residual stresses in the pseudoelastic material , there is little or no tendency for a guide wire made of this material to whip when it is torqued within a patient &# 39 ; s blood vessel . the term “ whip ” refers to the sudden rotation of the distal tip of a guide wire when the proximal end of the guide wire is subjected to torque . an alternative method for imparting a straight memory to the cold worked material includes mechanically straightening the wire and then subjecting the straightened wire to a memory imparting heat treatment at a temperature of about 300 degrees to about 450 degrees c ., preferably about 330 degrees c . to about 400 degrees c . the latter treatment provides substantially improved tensile properties , but it is not very effective on materials which have been cold worked above 55 %, particularly above 60 %. materials produced in this manner exhibit stress - induced austenite to martensite phase transformation at very high levels of stress but the stress during the phase transformation is not nearly as constant as the previously discussed method . conventional mechanical straightening means can be used such as subjecting the material to sufficient longitudinal stress to straighten it . because of the extended strain range under stress - induced phase transformation which is characteristic of the pseudoelastic material described herein , a guide wire having a distal portion made at least in substantial part of such material can be readily advanced through tortuous arterial passageways . when the distal end of the guide wire engages the wall of a body lumen such as a blood vessel , it will pseudoelastically deform as the austenite transforms to martensite . upon the disengagement of the distal end of the guide wire from the vessel wall , the stress is reduced or eliminated from within the pseudoelastic portion of the guide wire and it recovers to its original shape , i . e ., the shape “ remembered ” which is preferably straight . the straight “ memory ” in conjunction with little or no nonuniform residual longitudinal stresses within the guide wire prevent whipping of the guide wire &# 39 ; s distal end when the guide wire is torqued from the proximal end thereof . moreover , due to the very high level of stress needed to transform the austenite phase to the martensite phase , there is little chance for permanent deformation of the guide wire or the guiding member when it is advanced through a patient &# 39 ; s artery . the present invention provides a guide wire which exhibits , at the distal portion , pseudoelastic characteristics to facilitate the advancement thereof in a body lumen . the distal guiding portion exhibits extensive , recoverable strain resulting from reversible , stress induced phase transformation of austenite to martensite at exceptionally high stress levels which greatly minimizes the risk of damage to arteries during the advancement therein . the high strength proximal portion of the guide wire generally is significantly stronger , i . e ., higher ultimate tensile strength , than the pseudoelastic distal portion . suitable high strength materials include 304 stainless steel which is a conventional material in guide wire construction . other high strength materials include nickel - cobalt - molybdenum - chromium alloys such as commercially available mp35n alloy . turning now to the connection between the stainless steel proximal portion 11 and the nitinol distal portion 12 of the guide wire , it has been found that connecting these two portions together by welding each to opposite ends of an intermediate transition piece formed from nickel achieves the desired connection without causing deficiencies in the strength and behavioral properties of the distal nitinol portion . while effectively unalloyed nickel is preferred for the transition piece , alloying the nickel with , for example , titanium , cobalt , copper or iron , to a degree which does not alter its ability to continuously form an essentially crack - free welded bond with the stainless steel proximal portion and nitinol distal portion , is permissible under alternative embodiments . in a preferred embodiment , exemplified in fig1 and 2 , a butt weld may be used at each end of the transition piece 30 which may be cylindrically shaped . the transition piece 30 advantageously may have an aspect ratio ( i . e ., ratio of length to diameter ) of between 0 . 5 and 3 , preferably greater than 1 . 0 . furthermore , as seen in fig2 b and 2c , the transition piece 30 may have a conical or a dome shaped end that is convex or concave . likewise , the interface surface of the proximal or distal portion 11 , 12 has a complementary mating shape . welding may be achieved by known methods of microwelding , such as friction welding , laser welding , electron beam welding , and plasma arc welding . examples of known welding methods are described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 729 , 526 ( friction welding ), u . s . pat . no . 4 , 358 , 658 ( laser welding ), and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 951 , 886 ( electron beam welding ), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . in one preferred embodiment , friction welding is preferred as providing a high degree of precision and control . in another preferred embodiment , laser welding may be preferred as also providing a high degree of precision and control . in an alternative embodiment , exemplified in fig3 and 4 , transition piece 30 ′ may be shaped to contact the outer metal portions 11 , 12 at an angle oblique to the longitudinal guide wire axis between about 30 degrees and 60 degrees , preferably 45 degrees , to provide a larger area of contact for opposing welded surfaces . it will be appreciated that friction welding may not be possible under these conditions , but laser welding will be a preferred method , giving rise to a connection with greater surface contact between the welded parts than the previous embodiment , and thus greater tensile , compressive , and torsional resistance characteristics . in a further alternative embodiment , exemplified in fig5 and 6 , the transition piece 30 ″ may be shaped to fit between the outer metal portions 11 , 12 which are shaped to provide a connection substantially between a horizontal surface 32 of the proximal portion and an opposing horizontal surface 34 of the distal portion . this configuration may be adapted to have the advantage of providing an even larger area of contact between the juxtaposed parts than that of the embodiment of fig3 and 4 . a profile view of the transition piece 30 ″ gives the appearance of a zigzag shape . in yet a further alternative embodiment , exemplified in fig7 and 8 ( with similar advantages of the embodiment of fig5 and 6 ), the transition piece 30 ′″ may be shaped to connect the outer metal portions 11 , 12 which have in turn been shaped to provide a connection between a horizontal surface 36 of the proximal portion 11 and an adjacent non - opposing horizontal surface 38 of the distal portion 12 . a profile view of the transition piece 30 ′″ gives the appearance of a “ t ” shape . it will be appreciated that a combination of the various features of transition piece 30 , 30 ′, 30 ″ and 30 ′″ may be used . after the proximal and distal portions are thus connected , the guide wire may be cleaned in the vicinity of the connection by known means such as electropolishing , brushing , or grinding to remove any slag or minor rough spots . an advantageous characteristic arising from forming the transition piece 30 of nickel , or a mild alloy of nickel , is that , compared with vanadium which is known to be a successful transition piece for welding stainless steel to nitinol generally , nickel has a lower melting point than vanadium . thus , the microwelding process would tend to impart less heat to the distal portion of the guide wire than vanadium would require , and is therefore more suitable for microwelding as it is less likely to alter the beneficial characteristics of the nitinol alloy ( such as the amount of pseudo - elasticity and the phase transition temperatures ) in the process of welding . another advantageous feature of nickel is that it has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than vanadium , and thus is better matched with the higher coefficient of thermal expansion of the stainless steel proximal portion , and of the distal nitinol portion . accordingly , during heating or cooling of the weld in this case , less volumetric expansion or contraction differential may occur at the boundaries between the transition piece and the proximal and distal portions , and consequently , there is less tendency for cracking or locked - in stresses to form at the boundaries . the resulting guide wire presents a uniform outer profile , allowing free movement of catheter elements along the guide wire during operation . in the context of microwelding workpieces as small as those of an intraluminal guide wire ( i . e ., less than 0 . 040 inches ), the solution of interposing a welded transition piece formed essentially of nickel between a stainless steel portion and a nitinol portion achieves adequate strength and flexibility . while a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described , it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is not intended that the invention be limited except by the appended claims . | 0 |
modern audio reproduction media may have more space for storing the data that is indicative of the audio . for example , the so - called dvd may have 100 times the storage capability of a standard cd , also known as a “ redbook ” format cd . various enhanced cd formats have also been suggested which provide more data on the media and that can be used to store more information . in addition , modern compression formats , such as the mp3 format , allows reducing the size that is occupied by information placed on the media . again , this has the effect of allowing the media to store more information . broadband channels are also available . for example , satellite radio channels are proposed . broadband internet channels have been used . in addition , audio content may also be produced over a cable and the like . the present system will be described with reference to information being stored on the audio medium . a plurality of tracks are provided on the medium . the tracks each include information about a different aspect of the audio stream that is recorded on the medium . the audio medium is shown here as being a disk , but it could be understood that any different kind of audio containing medium could be used with the system of the present invention . each track may represent a specified kind of information . in one aspect , each track includes information about the same kind of instruments . the instruments included on a single track may be of the same time , e . g . all violins , or may have the same spectral characteristics , that is all string instruments , or all producing output within a specified spectral region , or primarily within a specified spectral region . sounds may be grouped based on spectral characteristics , e . g ., by using a fast fourier transform on recorded sound from the instrument . each instrument may be characterized on the spectrum , e . g . by forming a histogram indicating that amount of energy in each spectral bucket . alternatively , instruments or sounds which may effectively compress may be grouped together . the instruments which are sufficiently similar may be grouped together as a track . this has a number of advantages in the context of the present system . first of all , it makes the information on the track more compressible by certain compression systems such as mp3 , since each instrument on the track has similar characteristics . in addition , on readout , the track can be accurately reproduced by the same kind of reproduction equipment . multiple tracks are placed on the medium for different purposes . for example , a single medium may include movie style tracks such as left , right , center , left surround and right surround , and also a subwoofer setting . the left and right tracks on the medium represent the stereo information . the remaining information in the tracks may represent information from different individual instruments or instrument types . this information may include separate tracks for each of voices , strings , winds , guitar , percussion , bass strings , and bass winds , with the understanding that a each different instrument may also be broken up based on its characteristics e . g . bass or treble . the above has described 13 tracks for each stored item of information . it should be understood , however , that there may be fewer or more tracks , e . g . up to 20 tracks . since each track may represent information of the specified instrument type , the information in the track may be highly compressible . as can be seen from the above , the medium will typically include more information that is necessary to actually playback the audio on any system . for example , the medium may include stereo left and stereo right channels . however , on some systems , 10 speakers may be provided for different instrument types , and this information includes parts of the information that is also within the left and right stereo . if the separated channels are used , the audio left and audio right information might not be used . therefore , the audio medium may include redundant information . adaptive decisions are made during playback indicating which speakers and or which music reproduction equipment gets which content . an embodiment is shown in fig1 . a disk 100 includes a plurality of tracks of information . for example , if the tracks above are used , the stream , shown as 110 , may include 13 different channels . the medium may also include control track 105 which may be a data track including information about which tracks on the medium include which information . the medium is read out by a player . the contents of the medium is interpreted by the adaptive element that is either in the player , or in a controller or amplifier associated with the player . the adaptive element is shown herein as 150 , and as being part of the amplifier . the amplifier is connected to a plurality of different speakers or different amplified speakers . each speaker system , such as 155 , has specified spectral and / or other sound producing characteristics . in an embodiment , each speaker may also be active , in the sense that it includes an electronic module associated with the speaker . that electronic module allows communication with the speaker , and may include information about the speaker &# 39 ; s characteristics . in another embodiment , characteristics of the speakers may be obtained in a different way . the characteristics of the speaker may be communicated to the memory 165 over the speaker wire using serial formats such as universal serial bus , or rs 232 for example . alternatively , the amplifier 150 may include a medium reading capability shown as 170 . this reading capability may read a storage medium , such as a floppy disk , memory stick , cd , or mini cd which is inserted therein . the medium includes information about the speakers , which is then read from the medium , and stored in the memory . another way of communicating information is to obtain characteristics from a public network such as the internet . in another aspect , each speaker that is purchased is provided with an audio medium such as a cd or dvd . that audio medium is intended to be played in the cd player associated with the stereo . the contents of the cd are played as normal cd audio . however , electronic information about the speakers is encoded in the cd audio . thus , this includes a specified code that can be read by the amplifier 150 , and indicates that speaker information follows . the following information includes speaker information . the main amplifier 150 includes also a processor 170 which makes adaptive decisions about which speakers will be selected to play each track or channel on the medium . this adaptive decision will be based on the specific characteristics of the speakers , and the specific characteristics of the audio . the decision is based on , of course , the specific hardware which is present in the system . more hardware , actually more speakers , in the system , will enable better sound . when fewer speakers are present , tracks will need to be combined . in the minimum configuration , only two speakers are present , and the standard stereo is played . each time a speaker is added , it receives multiple tracks assigned to be played to it , based on its spectral characteristics . this enables the user to make purchases based on their preferences . the user who likes the sound of strings , for example , may purchase a speaker that is tuned to strings . when this speaker is added to the amplifier system 150 , its characteristics are stored in memory 165 . playing of media will thereafter assign information from the media 100 to those speakers , based on the speakers characteristics . conversely , other speakers for horns , and other instruments may also be purchased . each speaker is adaptively associated with the content for those speakers . each extra speaker is assigned with sound , and that sound is hence not played by the other speakers . therefore , more speakers allow better reproduction of the sound . different ways of getting the information into the memory are also considered . fig2 illustrates up plug and play type operation of doing this . in fig2 , the amplifier 250 is connected via a standard line connection to the speaker 260 . the speaker 260 includes an electronics module therein 265 . the module 265 communicates with a corresponding module in the amplifier , using any serial protocol but preferably ethernet , usb , or rs 232 . any protocol that may communicate over a 2 wire line may be used . in this embodiment , the amplifier may poll the speaker using a low voltage level signal . since the signal is at a low voltage level , it will produce little if any sound out of the speaker . however , the electronics module 265 within the speaker may still recognize this as control signals . the speaker responds with information indicative of its individual spectral characteristics . this information is then stored in the memory 165 within the amplifier . the information may also be used in the playback mode , to determine channel allocations for the information from the media . a wireless alternative is shown in fig3 . this may use wireless formats such as bluetooth , wireless lan , or some other wireless format . fig3 shows a bluetooth module 310 in the speaker 300 . the amplifier 350 also includes a bluetooth module shown as 355 . again , this system may operate by polling . the speaker may respond to a poll with information indicative of the speaker &# 39 ; s individual characteristics . this information is then stored in the memory 165 . in any of these embodiments , the user can purchase more speakers at any time . settings for the music are automatically determined by the characteristics of the speaker . the above - described operations may operate according to the flowchart of fig4 , which may run in the processor 170 . at 400 , the system polls all speakers . this may be carried out at each time of power on , or may be carried out only once for example on initial connection . the speakers may also include the capability of determining room acoustics , in which case it may be desirable to poll the speakers at each power up , or at time intervals . at 405 , the system determines settings based on the polling . these settings may optionally be displayed at 410 . at 415 , the content of the tracks is adaptively associated with the user &# 39 ; s individual stereo setup . the above has described the information stored on the medium . this “ enhanced ” information may be stored on the media in a number of different ways . fig5 a shows the medium being a disk with a first portion that has normal cd stereo 500 , that can be read by any cd player , and reproduced through normal stereo equipment . a second , enhanced portion of the disk 505 includes multitrack enhanced information . since the first portion is then typical cd form , this setup will require that the medium have additional space available . an advantage of this system is that the medium can be read on any standard cd player . fig5 b shows another system in which the entire medium is stored in multitrack format . in this system , the standard stereo information is interleaved with other tracks of additional information . standard cd format includes headers that are specified by the standard . these headers include information such as p and q parts . these headers include signals that instruct a standard cd player to ignore certain parts of the data stream that is stored on the disk ; those parts being reproduced only by enhanced players . for example , cds may include capability of quad reproduction , and the enhanced information tracks could be labeled as quad , so that a standard player ignores this information . fig5 c shows another alternative in which a dual cited disk has a first side 520 representing normal information and a second side 525 which is an enhanced disk . while the above has described the information being present on the disk , it should be understood that other forms of reproduction and obtaining of information are possible . all such forms are intended to be encompassed . | 7 |
referring to fig1 , a water faucet 10 adapted with an object detection system 12 according to the present invention is illustrated . although the object detection system 12 is shown and described in terms of a water faucet 10 , it should be understood that other plumbing devices , including but not limited to toilets and showers , may employ the configuration disclosed herein . the water faucet 10 defines a spout section 11 and a base section 14 . the base section 14 includes a housing 16 for housing the object detection system 12 of the present invention . a pipe 17 communicates a liquid , such as water , through the base section 14 to the spout section 11 where the water exits the water faucet 10 . referring to fig2 , the configuration of the object detection system 12 within the housing 16 of the water faucet 10 is illustrated . the housing 16 houses an ir emitter 18 ( on the top as shown in fig2 ), an ir emitter 20 ( on the bottom ), and an ir receiver 22 ( in the center ) as shown . each ir emitter 18 and 20 is oriented so its region of sensitivity is limited by a mask ( 26 and 28 , respectively ). these masks limit the zones of sensitivity of the ir emitter 18 and the ir emitter 20 to a first region of sensitivity 30 and a second region of sensitivity 32 , respectively . an overlap of the first region of sensitivity 30 and the second region of sensitivity 32 defines a sensitivity volume 34 having a starting point 33 and an endpoint 35 . as shown in fig2 , the ir emitters 18 , 20 are oriented towards each other such that the first region of sensitivity 30 and the second region of sensitivity 32 intersect at the starting point 33 and diverge at the endpoint 35 . more particularly , the first region of sensitivity 30 includes an inner boundary 30 a and a diverging outer boundary 30 b , while the second region of sensitivity 32 includes an inner boundary 32 a and a diverging outer boundary 32 b . the intersection of the inner boundaries 30 a and 32 a define the starting point 33 of the sensitivity volume 34 . likewise , the intersection of the outer boundaries 30 b and 32 b define the endpoint 35 of the sensitivity volume 34 . as shown in fig2 , a first portion of the sensitivity volume 34 is defined by the inner boundaries 30 a and 32 a , while a second portion of the sensitivity volume 34 is defined by the outer boundaries 30 b and 32 b . the sensitivity volume 34 is the region on which objects will be detected as described below . it can be seen from fig2 that the location , shape , and size of the sensitivity volume 34 can be modified by manipulating the location and orientation of the ir emitters 18 and 20 , the ir receiver 22 , and the masks 26 and 28 , as would occur to one skilled in the art . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the ir emitters 18 , 20 in this example are disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane . referring to fig3 , using logic to apply a method that will be described below , a controller 36 communicates with a memory 38 that contains instructions executable by the controller 36 to perform the control process . the controller 36 may be of any suitable microcontroller , microprocessor , computer or the like that would occur to one skilled in the art . the memory 38 may include a hard drive , cd - rom , dvd , ram , rom or other optically readable storage , magnetic storage , or integrated circuit . the controller 36 selectively and periodically activates the ir emitter 18 and the ir emitter 20 to cause returns to be received at the ir receiver 22 . the levels of these returns vary depending on whether an object is present within the sensitivity volume 34 . a filter / amplifier 40 conditions the signal from the ir receiver 22 and provides it to a comparator 42 . the comparator 42 compares the filtered and amplified signal from the filter / amplifier 40 to a threshold provided by the controller 36 to provide a comparison output to controller 36 . the controller 36 applies the logic and method described below to actuate a solenoid control 44 , which turns the associated plumbing device on and off when appropriate . power to the controller 36 , such as by one or more dry cells ( not shown ), is monitored by a voltage regulator / low battery detector 46 . if the voltage regulator / low battery detector 46 indicates a power problem , or if another error condition is indicated , the controller 36 activates a status alert 48 to notify a user or maintenance worker of the problem . referring to fig4 , with continuing reference to fig1 , 2 and 3 , the operation of the object detection system 12 will now be discussed . procedure 100 begins at start point 101 when power is applied to the system . the controller 36 waits at block 110 while power is established and stabilized . the system initializes at block 120 by forcing the solenoid control 44 to an “ off ” position and calibrating the ir emitters 18 and 20 , the ir receiver 22 , the filter / amplifier 40 , and the threshold value provided by the controller 36 to the comparator 42 , as would be understood by those skilled in the art . the system determines at decision block 130 whether a faucet valve is in an “ on ” position . if so , a watchdog timer ( implemented using the controller 36 or other means as would occur to one skilled in the art ) is updated at block 133 . if the updated watchdog timer reflects that the faucet valve has been on more than a predetermined amount of time ( thirty seconds , for example ), as determined at decision block 135 , the microcontroller 36 closes the faucet valve using the solenoid control 44 and sets the watch dog timer (“ wdt ”) flag , these steps being combined at block 137 . then , or following a negative result at block 135 , or upon a negative result of block 130 , the system proceeds to decision block 140 . at decision block 140 , the controller 36 checks its input from the voltage regulator / low battery detector 46 to determine whether the power supply is low . if so , the controller 36 executes a power monitor and status routine at block 145 and returns to decision block 130 . this routine determines whether to initiate low - power - consumption measures ; set an audio , visual , or other alarm ; and / or take other action as would occur to one skilled in the art . upon a negative result at decision block 140 , the controller 36 refreshes the sensor reference voltage at block 150 using one or more techniques that would occur to one skilled in the art . the controller 36 then runs a detection test at block 160 . in doing so , the elements of system 100 cooperate to “ ping ” the faucet environment using the ir emitter 18 and receive the result using the ir receiver 22 . the controller 36 then pauses to allow the system to settle and verify that the ir return being received has returned to a nominal level . the system then emits a ping using the ir emitter 20 and reads the return using the ir receiver 22 , then pauses to allow the system to settle again and verify once more that the ir return has dropped to a nominal level . then , at decision block 170 , the system evaluates whether an object has been detected in the sensitivity volume 34 by comparing the returns received at the ir receiver 22 during the detection test at decision block 160 to a threshold value provided by the controller 36 . the threshold value is a stored return level value representing what the return level value would be ( plus or minus a range of error ) in the event an object , such as a hand , is within the sensitivity volume 34 . the threshold value must be detected during the first ping and the second ping of the detection test at decision block 160 before the controller 36 recognizes an object within the sensitivity volume 34 . if an object has been detected at decision block 170 , the system determines at decision block 172 whether the wdt flag is set . after a negative result at decision block 172 , the system returns to decision block 130 . if the result of decision block 172 is positive ( i . e ., the wdt flag is reset ), the system determines ( using the solenoid control 44 or an internal copy of its state ) whether the faucet valve is in an “ on ” position . if so , the “ off delay timer ” is reset at block 176 , and the system returns to decision block 130 . if , however , the result of decision block 174 is negative ( i . e ., the faucet valve is off ), the system turns on the faucet valve and sets the on flag at block 178 . the system then returns to decision block 130 . if there is a negative result at decision block 170 ( i . e ., one or both pings at decision block 160 produced negative results ), the wdt flag is reset at block 180 . the system then tests the on flag to determine at block 190 whether the faucet valve is on . if not , the system returns to decision block 130 . if the faucet valve is on ( i . e ., there is a positive result at decision block 190 ), the off delay timer is updated at block 192 . the off delay timer is tested at decision block 194 to determine whether it reflects a period greater than a predetermined length of time ( e . g ., two seconds ). if the time is less than the predetermined amount ( negative result at block 194 ), the system returns to decision block 130 . otherwise ( positive result at block 194 ) the faucet valve is turned off and the flags are reset at block 196 , then the system returns to decision block 130 . an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig5 . here , the ir emitter 18 , the ir emitter 20 , and the ir receiver 22 are positioned and oriented in much the same way as in the embodiment shown in fig2 . in this alternative embodiment , however , no masks are used to shape the emissions from the ir emitters 18 and 20 . instead , the positioning and orientation of those components are more precisely tailored to yield a first region of sensitivity 50 and a second region of sensitivity 52 . the overlap of the first region of sensitivity 50 and the second region of sensitivity 52 defines a sensitivity volume 54 . the same logic and method can be used to control this embodiment as was described in relation to fig3 and 4 . while ir emitters have been disclosed , other emitters capable of creating a deflected signal may be utilized within this invention . that the foregoing description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense is thus made apparent . a worker of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention . for that reason , the following claim should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention . | 4 |
fig1 a shows an embodiment 100 of a drinking straw device disclosed herein , referred to as an “ air - liquid ” device . device 100 includes an inner tube 102 having a first ( top ) end 104 through which a user can apply a sucking ( sipping ) motion with his / her mouth , and a second ( bottom ) end 106 which is dipped into a liquid ( drink ). device 100 further includes an outer tube 108 which surrounds inner tube 102 in a generally concentric way for part of the tube 102 length between ends 104 and 106 . this structure defines a “ chamber ” or “ airway ” 110 around inner tube 102 . outer tube 108 has a first ( top ) end 112 open to the atmosphere and a second ( bottom ) end 114 connecting outer tube 108 with inner tube 102 in such a way that the liquid in which the straw is placed cannot enter chamber 110 . inner tube 102 has in its wall one or more optional lower holes 116 positioned between bottom inner tube end 106 and bottom outer tube end 114 , and one or more upper holes 118 positioned between outer tube end 112 and bottom outer tube end 114 , preferably close to end 114 . fig1 b shows device 100 inserted into an enclosure ( e . g . can , glass or bottle ) 130 filled partially with a liquid 132 . enclosure 130 has an inner bottom surface 134 . lower holes 116 can be positioned very close to inner tube bottom end 106 , thus allowing suction of the liquid even when bottom end 106 is plugged ( by touching surface 134 ) and even when the liquid is almost exhausted . the position of holes 116 close to bottom end 106 also prevents suction of air instead of liquid ( in the case where bottom end 106 is blocked by touching surface 134 ). upper holes 118 are dimensioned to enable introduction of air from the atmosphere , through chamber 110 into the liquid passing through inner tube 102 , yet prevent exit of the liquid into chamber 110 . advantageously , since upper holes 118 are positioned close to the bottom end of the outer and inner tubes , the mixing length of the device is increased without an increase in its length through spherical or helical portions . the flow rate through the inner tube is enhanced . moreover , airway 110 cannot be accidentally plugged ( e . g . by fingers holding the straw ) due to its cylindrical shape . holes 118 are also protected from accidental plugging , being submerged into the liquid and additionally protected from touch by outer tube 108 . the inner and outer tubes may be made by any material useful for drinking straws , for example plastics , glasses or metals . the materials may be flexible , to enable bending . fig2 a shows another embodiment 200 of a drinking straw device disclosed herein , which allows mixing of the consumed liquid with a pre - filled ( stored ) liquid or gel . this is referred to as a simple “ liquid - liquid ” device . device 200 is substantially similar to device 100 , except that an outer tube 108 a has a top end 112 a initially closed to the atmosphere ( see below ). this allows extended storage of a second liquid 242 in a chamber 110 a formed between tubes 102 and 108 a . second liquid 242 is to be mixed with liquid 132 flowing through inner tube 102 . liquid 242 may exemplarily include alcoholic substances , medications / drugs , vitamins , flavors , etc . top end 112 a has a removable cover 224 over at least part of top end 112 a . cover 224 may be for example an adhesive - removable cover that will keep liquid 242 from evaporating . cover 224 must be removed before use to allow air to enter chamber 110 a as the liquid or gel leaves it into the inner tube . upper holes 118 are dimensioned to allow seepage of second liquid 242 into the inner tube under a sucking action and to prevent or restrict flow between chamber 110 a and inner tube 102 when no active action is performed by a user ( consumer ). optionally , as shown in fig2 b , a device 100 or 200 further includes a third tube 206 slideably inserted inside inner tube 102 , and more holes 118 spread along the length of inner tube 102 . third tube 206 serves as an added liquid or air flow control mechanism . the number of exposed holes 118 changes when tube 206 slides along inner tube 102 , thereby changing the amount of liquid or air introduced into liquid 132 flowing through it . tube 206 must be shorter than the length between ends 104 and 118 . fig3 shows yet another embodiment 300 of a drinking straw device disclosed herein , which allows storage and insertion of a solid material into the drink during the drinking action . this is referred to as a “ solid - liquid ” device . device 300 includes a tube 302 having a top end 304 , a bottom end 306 , and a section 326 filled with a soluble substance 328 which is dissolved and incorporated in the liquid passing therethrough . section 326 is bound by membranes 310 and 312 which allow liquid to flow therethrough while holding substance 328 in place . substance 328 may include for example a vitamin , a drug , or a flavor . advantageously , this provides easy storage and longer shelf life . fig4 shows yet another embodiment 400 of a drinking straw device disclosed herein . device 400 combines features of device 100 and device 300 , i . e . includes an outer tube 408 with a top end 412 and a bottom end 414 which surrounds an inner tube 402 in a generally concentric way for part of the tube 402 length which extends between two ends 404 and 406 . inner tube 402 has in its wall one or more lower holes 416 positioned between bottom inner tube end 406 and a bottom outer tube end 414 , and one or more upper holes 418 positioned between top inner tube end 404 and bottom outer tube end 414 , preferably close to end 414 . inner tube 402 includes a section 426 filled with a soluble substance 428 which is dissolved and incorporated in a liquid passing therethrough . this structure thus combines the capabilities and advantages of devices 100 and 300 . fig5 shows yet another embodiment 500 of a drinking straw device disclosed herein . device 500 combines features of device 200 and device 300 allowing storage and mixing of a second liquid into the flow stream of the first liquid through the inner tube . it combines an inner tube 302 with an outer tube 208 , allowing both extended storage of a second liquid 242 as in device 200 and of a soluble substance 328 as in device 300 . this structure thus combines the capabilities and advantages of devices 100 and 300 . fig6 shows yet another embodiment 600 of a drinking straw device disclosed herein , referred to as a “ single side pressurized gas - liquid ” device . device 600 is designed to actively introduce a gas ( e . g . oxygen , co 2 etc .) into a liquid flowing through a tube 602 which extends between a top end 604 and a bottom end 606 . in addition to tube 602 , device 600 comprises an actuator 610 similar to a cigarette gas lighter , which , when actuated , introduces the gas through at least one hole 618 into tube 602 . in an embodiment , actuator 610 includes a chamber 630 filled with a gas source 632 and a gas introduction mechanism 634 for introducing gas from gas source 632 through hole 618 into the liquid flowing through tube 602 . mechanism 634 may include for example a flexible wall section 636 coupled mechanically to a plunger 638 which in a “ closed ” state seals the chamber and in an “ open ” state allows flow of gas from the chamber to hole 618 . actuator 610 further comprises an opening 640 for filling or refilling chamber 630 with gas . the opening is sealed after the filling and / or refilling . fig7 a shows yet another embodiment 700 a of a drinking straw device disclosed herein , referred to as a “ concentric chamber pressurized gas - liquid ” device . device 700 is similar to device 600 in that it is designed to actively introduce a pressurized gas ( e . g . oxygen ) into a liquid flowing through an inner tube 702 which extends between a top end 704 and a bottom end 706 . in contrast with device 600 and similar to device 200 , device 700 comprises an outer tube 708 surrounding inner tube 702 . outer tube 708 is sealed at its top and bottom ends ( respectively 712 and 714 ), thus defining a chamber 730 around inner tube 702 . chamber 730 is filled with a gas source 732 , from which gas can be introduced into a liquid flowing through inner tube 702 through an assembly 717 of a hollow needle 718 and a “ septum ” 720 . as used herein , “ septum ” refers to a wall section which can be penetrated by the hollow needle and which returns to a sealed state after the needle is retracted . the needle has at least one hole 722 on its side and can be pressed for penetrating the septum at an end 724 . in an un - pressed position , view ( a ), the needle is retracted from the septum by a retracting mechanism ( e . g . a spring ) 742 such that septum 720 blocks access of the gas from source 732 to the liquid flowing in tube 702 . in a pressed position , view ( b ), needle 718 penetrates through septum 720 , therefore creating a path for insertion of the gas into the flowing liquid . end 724 may be indicated by a visual ( i . e . color ) or touch ( i . e . a bump ) indicator 740 on outer tube 708 . outer tube 708 further comprises an opening 744 for introducing the gas into chamber 730 . the opening is sealed after the gas is introduced into the chamber . fig7 b shows yet another embodiment 700 b of a drinking straw device disclosed herein . device 700 b is similar to 700 a except that is has two needle and septum assemblies 717 positioned diametrically opposite each other , such that they allow a “ pinching ” action to insert the gas into the liquid . views ( a ) and ( b ) show respectively un - pressed and pressed needle positions . fig8 shows yet another embodiment 800 of a drinking straw device disclosed herein , referred to as a “ manually operated liquid - liquid ” device . in common with previous devices , it includes an inner tube 802 surrounded by an outer tube 808 which is sealed at its top and bottom ends ( respectively ( 812 and 814 ), thus defining a chamber 830 around inner tube 802 . chamber 830 is filled with a second liquid or gel 842 ( similar to 242 above ) to a level 832 . device 800 further includes a first one way valve 850 a installed in top end 812 and a second one way valve 850 b installed inside chamber 830 near bottom end 814 . inner tube 802 has at least one hole 818 similar to holes 118 or 418 . chamber 830 may be pressed at an elastic pressure point 854 to reduce its volume . the volume reduction forces the second liquid or gel in the chamber to pass through second valve 850 b and hole 818 into a liquid flowing through inner tube 802 . a retracting mechanism ( e . g . a spring ) 852 then returns the chamber to its initial volume , creating an atmospheric under - pressure above the second liquid or gel . first one way valve 850 a then allows air to enter the chamber . the action is similar to that of a water gun . in summary , straw device embodiments disclosed herein provide a number of advantageous features : a ) elegant and easy introduction of another substance into a consumed liquid stream ; b ) mixing of atmospheric air with the consumed liquid to create a “ sipping straw ” for a drinking experience similar to the sipping of tea or other beverages ; c ) mixing of an external liquid or gel with a consumed liquid , enabling the seamless introduction of alcohol , vitamins , painkillers , flavors etc into a consumed liquid ; d ) introduction of solubles including salts , vitamins , flavors , nutritional supplements , etc . into the consumed stream ; e ) enabling a user to introduce any easily stored gas , as bubbles , into a consumed liquid ; f ) ensuring the mixing of air with a consumed liquid , thus minimizing the chance of consuming air alone . an external peripheral straw ensures an always open airway which cannot be blocked by holding the straw in a wrong way . while this disclosure describes a limited number of embodiments , it will be appreciated that many variations , modifications and other applications of such embodiments may be made . the disclosure is to be understood as not limited by the specific embodiments described herein , but only by the scope of the appended claims . in addition , citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to this disclosure . | 0 |
the following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention . various modifications , however , will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art , since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a step attachment . the present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of fig1 . fig1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the step attachment 10 of the present invention . as with the prior art previously discussed , the attachment 10 of the present invention is design to attach to , and extend from a piece of dimensional lumber 12 , an example of which is a “ stud .” unlike some of the prior devices , however , the attachment 10 of the present invention can be simply slipped over the side of the stud 12 , without the need for slipping it onto one end of the board or the other . also , the height position of the attachment 10 along the board 12 is infinitely adjustable by simply lifting up on the attachment 10 and then sliding it either up or down , as desired . in order to understand additional detail regarding the invention , we shall now turn to fig2 . [ 0018 ] fig2 is a top view of the attachment 10 of fig1 . the attachment comprises two main components : the rung member 16 and the bracket member 14 . the bracket 14 is a u - shaped element having a first leg 18 and a second leg 20 in generally parallel aligment . the bracket is preferably manufactured from a flat piece of steel that is bent into the u - shape shown . the bent bracket 14 can thereafter be hardened if desired in order to provide a secure and durable tool . this design lends itself to rapid and low - cost manufacturing . the first and second legs 18 and 20 are attached to one another by a connecting leg 22 . in this embodiment , there are curved portions 24 a and 24 b at the point of intersection between the legs 18 and 20 and the connecting leg 22 . these curved portions 24 are provided for two reasons — to simplify the manufacturing process ( i . e . by forming the bracket 14 by bending ). second , the curved portions act as an anti - jam mechanism to prevent the bracket 14 from getting jammed against the wood stud after prolonged use and / or after substantial weight has been supported by the attachment 10 , thereby increasing the safety of the unit . it should also be readily apparent that the first leg 18 is somewhat longer in length than the second leg 20 . the extra length serves to provide additional stability , while the shorter length of the second leg 20 makes the attachment 10 easier to attach and detach from a wood stud . the rung member 16 is an elongate cylinder in shape , and is defined by a plurality of ridges 26 along its length , each separated from those adjacent by circumferential grooves therebetween . the ridges 26 provide extremely favorable grip stability for footwear , while the grooves 28 contribute additional grip by providing an area for debris to be scraped off of one &# 39 ; s feet prior to and during use . as will be discussed more fully below , it is pointed out that the rung member 16 defines a rung axis 32 at the geometric center of its cross - section . although not visible from this top view , it is a feature of this embodiment that the attachment 10 be substantially symetrical above and below the axis 32 . this will be more clearly depicted below in the front view of fig3 . this embodiment 10 is made from a combination of steel and aluminum parts ; specifically , the rung member 16 is preferably machined from a solid piece of aluminum bar stock . the bracket member 14 is bent from a piece of flat steel stock , and the nipple 30 is preferably a piece of threaded steel for interconnecting the rung 16 and the bracket 14 , as well as possibly to interact with the stud ( not shown ). in other embodiments and / or for other applications , other materials may be used . now turning to fig3 we can further explore the features of the present invention . [ 0024 ] fig3 is a front view of the attachment 10 of fig1 and 2 . as shown here , the first leg 18 and second leg 20 are facing the reader . in this front view ( and in a back view also ), it can be seen that the step attachment 10 is symmetrical around the plane that is parallel to the rung axis 32 . simply stated , the step attachment is flat in this orientation . this design feature is important because it results in the attachment being extremely compact as compared to any of the prior devices . because this attachment 10 is very flat , it is easily stored in a toolbox and carried around a job site . furthermore , and as depicted previously in fig2 the small overall size and shape of the attachment further adds to the packability of the device . as will be clear from fig4 the cross - section of the rung member 16 is circular , providing a consistent profile around its entire circumference for the user to step and stand upon . [ 0025 ] fig4 is a side view of the attachment 10 of fig1 - 3 . in this view , the rung axis 32 is projecting straight out of the page . it shows that the profile of the rung member 16 is substantially circular . this circular profile means that the ridges and grooves ( see fig1 or fig5 ) are continuously presented all the way around the rung 16 , not only on a single ( usually the top ) surface . furthermore , the attachment 10 can be installed from the right or the left side , such that either “ top ” side can be stepped upon . fig5 provides additional detail regarding the rung member 16 . [ 0026 ] fig5 is a partial cutaway side view of the rung member 16 of the attachment of fig1 - 4 . as shown in this embodiment , the ridges 26 have a roughened , knurled surface ; this provides an abrasive surface for secure footing . in contrast , the grooves 28 have a smooth surface 38 that easily captures debris and then allows it to drop away from the user &# 39 ; s footwear . in this embodiment , a diamond - shaped pattern is provided , although other patterns may be used as well . we will now turn to fig6 to take one final look at this novel device . [ 0027 ] fig6 is a perspective view of the attachment 10 of fig1 - 5 . as should be apparent , when installed , the nipple 30 will likely protrude into the surface of the wood stud to which it is attached . this protrusion aids in preventing the device 10 from slipping down the stud . in this embodiment , the nipple 30 is a threaded steel stem ; the threads being in engagement with a threaded bore in the rung member 16 and a threaded aperture formed in the bracket member 14 . this design provides substantial ease in assembly ; the rung 16 , nipple 30 and bracket 14 need simply be manufactured separately and then assembled by screwing them into one another . the configuration of the legs 18 and 20 , the separation provided by the connecting leg 22 , and the height of the legs 18 , 20 and 22 all cooperate such that the bracket 14 cantilevers off of the stud and pinches the stud between the legs 18 and 20 to also prevent the attachment from slipping down the stud . as discussed above , it should be even clearer here that the top surface 40 of the bracket 14 could also be oriented such that it is facing down when installed on the stud . in either orientation , the rung 16 will provide the same surface upon which the user can stand . for the purpose of later reference , the inner surface 42 of the bracket member 14 is depicted here as well . it is this inner surface 42 that is in contact with the stud when the attachment is installed thereon . those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just - described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . therefore , it is to be understood that , within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein . | 0 |
referring now to the drawings , fig1 shows a waste receptacle 100 typical of the type provided by waste disposal companies . the waste receptacle 100 has a molded body 102 with an integral hinged lid 104 , bottom 106 , and a plurality of wheels 108 . the hinged lid 104 incorporates a handle portion 110 allowing the user to tilt the waste receptacle 100 off of its bottom 106 and onto its wheels 108 and thereby maneuver the waste receptacle 100 to a desired location . in an embodiment shown in fig2 - 4 , a waste receptacle transport device 112 comprises a vehicle attachment device 114 and a waste receptacle attachment device 116 . vehicle attachment device 114 and waste receptacle attachment device 116 are operably connected at opposing ends of an offset linkage bar 118 . waste receptacle attachment device 116 comprises a pair of arms 120 a , 120 b and at least one handle attachment device 122 . arms 120 a , 120 b are arranged generally perpendicular to offset linkage bar 118 to form an overall t - shape . preferably , offset linkage bar 118 and arms 120 a , 120 b are an integral plastic piece , such as high - density polyethylene or other suitable polymers , formed by an appropriate molding process such as injection molding . alternatively , the offset linkage bar 118 and arms 120 a , 120 b can comprise separate , connectable components fabricated from aluminum or other suitable materials . in an alternative embodiment , arms 120 a , 120 b can be angled with respect to offset linkage bar 118 to form an overall y - shape . preferably , arms 120 a , 120 b each contain at least one aperture 124 . alternatively , arms 120 a , 120 b can share a common aperture 124 . aperture 124 allows handle attachment device 122 to wrap about the handle portion 110 of waste receptacle 100 . the handle attachment device 122 can comprise flexible elastomeric straps 126 , as shown in fig2 - 4 , cloth - like material including hook and loop fasteners as shown in fig6 - 8 , a bungee cord or a metal chain . handle attachment device 122 can provide flexibility to the waste receptacle transport device 112 during towing of the waste receptacle 100 to the desired location . alternatively , the handle attachment device 122 can consist of a clip that operably engages with the handle portion 110 . in an alternative embodiment , the handle attachment device 122 is an integral part of arms 120 a , 120 b such that aperture 124 is not required . vehicle attachment device 114 is attached to the offset linkage bar 118 at a bracket 128 . in one embodiment , the vehicle attachment device 114 and bracket 128 are fastened together with a suitable fastener such as a screw or a nut and bolt . alternatively , the bracket 128 and vehicle attachment device 114 can comprise a single , integral part . offset linkage bar 118 is connected to bracket 128 by way of a hinged fastener 130 . the hinged fastener 130 allows the offset linkage bar 118 and vehicle attachment device 114 to be arranged with respect to each other in various orientations . the orientation can be based on characteristics such as a tow vehicle orientation and type as well as the shape and size of waste receptacle 100 . for example , when waste receptacle transport device 112 is attached to a vehicle 132 in the form of a traditional sedan as shown in fig6 , an interface surface 134 of vehicle attachment device 114 will engage with a body surface 136 that is generally horizontal , for example the trunk or spoiler of vehicle 132 . therefore , the interface surface 134 will lie in a generally horizontal plane , as illustrated in fig2 and 4 , and thereby generally be in a parallel plane to the plane of arms 120 a , 120 b . however , if the vehicle 132 is instead in the form of a suv ( sport utility vehicle ), truck , or van , interface surface 134 will most likely engage with the body surface 136 in a generally vertical plane , such as a hatch - back door , back - door , or tailgate as depicted in fig7 . therefore , interface surface 134 will lie in a vertical plane as illustrated in fig3 , and thereby generally be in a perpendicular arrangement with respect to the plane defined by arms 120 a , 120 b . still further , if the vehicle has a sloped or arcuate body surface 136 , such as those found on vehicles traditionally manufactured by volkswagen ag of wolfsburg , germany , interface surface 134 will be in a position that is neither perpendicular or parallel to the plane of arms 120 a , 120 b . while it is envisioned that the waste receptacle transport device 112 will be used most frequently with an automobile , other motorized vehicles could be employed as well including lawn tractors , four - wheelers , golf carts or even snowmobiles . as illustrated in fig2 and 5 , the bracket 128 preferably contains two side plates 138 a , 138 b . side plates 138 a , 138 b contain a plurality of pin receiving apertures 140 to receive pin 142 . similarly , offset linkage bar 118 contains a pin - receiving aperture that is positioned between side plates 138 a , 138 b . therefore , when the offset linkage bar 118 is positioned with respect to the vehicle attachment device 114 , pin 142 is inserted into the respective pin - receiving aperture 140 of side - plate 138 a . pin 142 is advanced into the pin - receiving aperture of offset linkage bar 118 and through pin - receiving aperture 140 of side - plate 138 b thereby locking the offset linkage bar 118 into the desired orientation with respect to vehicle attachment device 114 . alternatively , the pin 142 can be replaced with a variety of locking means , such as a spring lever integral with the offset linkage bar 118 . the spring lever may be such that the ends of the lever protrude out through apertures 140 to hold the offset linkage bar 118 in the preferred orientation with respect to the vehicle attachment device 114 . in such an example , the user would push the protruding ends toward each other ( into the offset linkage bar 118 body ) in order to change the orientation of the offset linkage bar 118 with respect to the vehicle attachment device 114 . in still another alternative embodiment , the offset linkage bar 118 may be positioned between two pins rather than the pin penetrating through the body of the offset linkage bar 118 . preferably , vehicle attachment device 114 consists of a suction cup 144 , as illustrated in fig1 - 9 . alternatively , vehicle attachment device 114 can comprise a magnet . interface surface 134 of suction cup 144 forms an airtight seal with respect to the body surface 136 of the vehicle 132 , and may be used without damaging the paint of the vehicle 132 . additionally , suction cup 144 can be used when the vehicle 132 is dirty , wet , cold , hot , or clean . suction cup 144 preferably contains a fixed handle 146 and a moveable handle 148 , which has an open position , illustrated in fig3 , and a closed position as illustrated fig2 and 5 . suction cup 144 transitions from the open position ( unengaged with respect to the body surface 136 ) to the closed position ( engaged with respect to the body surface 136 ) by squeezing the handles such that the moveable handle 148 is positioned adjacent to fixed handle 146 . as suction cup 144 is moved from the unengaged position to the engaged position , the suction cup 144 sealing engages the respective body surface 136 of the vehicle 132 . the body surface 136 of the vehicle 132 preferably contains at least a four - inch generally flat or smooth engagement surface . when moveable handle 148 is in the closed ( or engaged ) position , moveable handle 148 may be held in the closed position by way of a lock 150 . lock 150 is preferably attached to bracket 128 and slides from a locked position to an unlocked position , and vice versa . lock 150 may alternatively snap from a locked position to an unlocked position , and vice versa . in the locked position , lock 150 prevents moveable handle 148 from moving from the engaged position to the unengaged position . when lock 150 is in the unlocked position , moveable handle 148 is free to move between the engaged and unengaged positions . in an alternative embodiment , illustrated in fig6 and 7 , the vehicle attachment device 114 and the waste receptacle attachment device 116 are connected by a plurality of offset linkage bars 152 a , 152 b . further , side - plates 138 a , 138 b of bracket 128 contain dual pin receiving apertures 140 to receive pin 142 . therefore , offset linkage bars 152 a , 152 b and vehicle attachment device 114 can be arranged in two different orientations . for example , one orientation may be such that the interface surface 134 is in a vertical position and thereby generally in a perpendicular plane with respect to the plane of arms 120 a , 120 b . another orientation is such that the interface surface 134 is in a horizontal position and thereby generally in a parallel plane with respect to the plane of arms 120 a , 120 b . in another alternative embodiment , the vehicle attachment device 114 and the waste receptacle attachment device 116 can be connected by at least one straight linkage bar . as illustrated in fig8 and 9 , the straight linkage bar may consist of a pair of straight linkage bars 154 a , 154 b . further , bracket 128 does not lock straight linkage bars 154 a , 154 b into a desired angular position with respect to vehicle attachment device 114 . instead , straight linkage bars 154 a , 154 b are free to pivot on the axis of hinged fastener 130 in various orientations during the transportation of waste receptacle 100 . alternatively , the vehicle attachment device 114 and the waste receptacle attachment device 116 can be operably connected by offset linkage bar 118 or a plurality of offset linkage bars that are similarly free to pivot on the axis of hinged fastener 130 in various orientations during the transportation of waste receptacle 100 . in another alternative embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the vehicle attachment device 114 and the waste receptacle attachment device 116 are connected by at least one flexible linkage member 156 . flexible linkage member 156 provides for variable height adjustments based on the size and shape of the waster receptacle 100 as well as the vehicle 132 . flexible linkage member 156 can comprise any suitable flexible material , for example hollow or solid metallic members , suitable polymers , and polymeric or rubber encapsulated metallic rods . in operation , waste receptacle 100 is generally positioned at the rear of vehicle 132 . when waste receptacle 100 is positioned on its bottom 106 , the preferred orientation for engaging the waste receptacle transport device 112 to the body surface 136 of vehicle 132 can be determined such that the waste receptacle 100 is lifted off of bottom 106 and onto wheels 108 . the preferred body surface 136 will be such that the waste receptacle transport device 112 does not bear the weight of waste receptacle 100 and its contents , but instead wheels 108 of waste receptacle 100 bear the weight such that the waste receptacle transport device 112 merely tows the waste receptacle 100 as opposed to carrying the waste receptacle 100 . after determining the body surface 136 for engaging the waste receptacle transport device 112 to vehicle 132 , the preferred angular orientation of suction cup 144 and offset linkage bar 118 can be determined . interface surface 134 of suction cup 144 is positioned on the body surface 136 of the vehicle 132 and moveable handle 148 is moved from the unengaged position to the engaged position . lock 150 is moved from the unlocked position to the locked position to retain moveable handle 148 . waste receptacle 100 is then tilted off of its bottom 106 and onto its wheels 108 and elastomeric straps 126 are secured around handle portion 110 of waste receptacle 100 . the ends of elastomeric straps 126 are secured to arms 120 a , 120 b by way of apertures 41 . once the waste receptacle 100 is attached to the waste receptacle transport device 112 , the waste receptacle 100 is then towed behind vehicle 132 to the desired location . for safety reasons , vehicle 132 is preferably driven so as to not exceed 10 miles per hour . once at the desired location , the moveable handle 148 is moved from the engaged position to the unengaged position such that suction cup 144 disengages from the body surface 136 of the vehicle 132 such that the waste receptacle transport device 112 is no longer connected to vehicle 132 . at this point , the waste receptacle 100 can be unsecured from the handle attachment device 122 by removing the elastomeric straps 126 or alternatively , the waste receptacle transport device 112 may be left attached to the waste receptacle 100 . if the elastomeric straps 126 are removed from the handle 20 , the waste receptacle transport device 112 can be stored . it is important to notice that there are numerous different ways of utilizing the waste receptacle transport device 112 . for example , the offset linkage bar 118 can be formed integrally with the handle portion 110 of the hinged lid 104 to form a tow - ready waste receptacle 158 as shown in fig1 . the tow - ready waste receptacle 158 would only require attachment of the vehicle attachment device 114 to the vehicle 132 prior to use . in a similar embodiment , waste receptacle transport device 112 could be manufactured such that the arms 120 a , 120 b on waste receptacle attachment device 116 include a throughbore for permanently attaching the waste receptacle transport device 112 to the handle portion 110 of the waste receptacle 100 to form another version of a tow - ready waste receptacle . in some instances , the waste receptacle transport device 112 can be used in conjunction with a securement strap 160 as depicted in fig1 and 13 . securement strap 160 comprises a length adjustable strap 162 with a first clip 164 and a second clip 166 . first clip 164 can engage the vehicle attachment device 114 for example the moveable handle 148 , fixed handle 146 or lock 150 while the second clip 166 engages a suitable location on the vehicle 132 . securement strap 160 assists in maintaining the position of suction cup 144 in abnormal towing conditions such as heavy loading of waste receptacle 100 or when the body surface 136 is moist or slick . in another alternative embodiment depicted in fig1 and 15 , a side - mount waste receptacle transport device 168 can be constructed and used when the vehicle 132 does not have a suitable rear surface . side - mount waste receptacle transport device 168 comprises a rigid linkage bar 170 . rigid linkage bar 170 includes suction cup 144 on one end , a plurality of apertures 172 and flexible , elastomeric straps 126 . rigid linkage bar 170 must have enough strength and rigidity to continually position the waste receptacle 100 away from vehicle 132 during towing . although a variety of embodiments of a waste receptacle transport device have been shown and described with respect to specific details of certain embodiments thereof , it is not intended that such details limit the scope of the invention , taking into consideration reasonable equivalents thereof . | 1 |
fig1 shows a block diagram of a portable telephone apparatus 100 as an example of portable terminal apparatus having a contactless ic card function , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . it has to be noted that the portable telephone apparatus 100 is not limited to a portable telephone , but should include for example a pda ( personal digital assistant ) and the like . the portable telephone apparatus 100 includes a control section 5 and a digital signal processing section 3 , a display section 6 , an operation section 7 , an external i / f section 8 , and a contactless ic card section 20 being connected to the control section 5 . the control section 5 is a main section for realizing the functions of the portable telephone apparatus , and it may include a cpu , an eeprom , a flash rom , an sram and the like ( not shown in the figures ). the control section 5 in the present embodiment includes a card interface module 51 that transmits and / or receives commands and / or data between the section 5 and the contactless ic card section 20 . the digital signal processing section 3 includes exclusive circuits for convolution coding , slot interleave , delay detection , convolution decoding and the like , mainly using a dsp ( digital signal processor ). the digital signal processing section 3 is connected to an audio input section 1 , an audio output section 2 , an rf input / output section 4 , and the control section 5 . the audio input section 1 has a microphone amplifier , a filter , an a / d ( analog / digital ) converter and the like . the audio output section 2 has a d / a ( digital / analog ) converter , a filter , a speaker amplifier and the like . the rf input / output section 4 is constituted by a quadrature modulator , a gain amplifier , a power amplifier , a diversity unit , a mixer , an if demodulator and the like . an analogue audio signal from a microphone 15 is converted to digital signal and encoded by the audio input section 1 . the encoded signal is converted from a base band signal to an rf signal and transmitted by way of an antenna 12 . a signal received by way of the antenna 12 is converted to a base band signal by the rf input / output section 4 , supplied to the digital signal processing section 3 by the section 4 , and decoded by the digital signal processing section 3 . the decoded signal is converted to an analogue audio signal by the audio output section 2 . the analogue audio signal is supplied to a speaker 16 by the audio output section 2 . the display section 6 , which displays information to a user , includes an lcd driver , an lcd display device and the like . the operation section 7 is constituted by a keyboard , a jog dial , a joystick or the like , and is used for inputting operating information into the portable telephone apparatus 100 . the external i / f section 8 , which serves as interface between the device 100 and each of any of external devices , may include a communication interface circuit , a 16 - pin connector and the like . power supply section 9 , which generates and supplies from the battery electric power necessary for each of the shown blocks in fig1 may include a power supply circuit , a charging circuit used for battery supply , a protecting circuit for protection over - current and over - voltage ,. the contactless ic card section 20 ( as a contactless card is typically realized in form of an integrated circuit , the description hereinafter refers to the card as “ ic card ”) is provided with an exclusive cpu 21 , a flash rom ( referred to as “ mem ” in fig1 ) that includes a data - retaining nonvolatile memory , a program and the like , a reader / writer ( r / w ) module 23 , an interfaces ( not shown ) and so on . the contactless ic card section 20 is connected to the card interface module 51 that , in the present embodiment , is located in the control section 5 . the contactless ic card section 20 transmits and receives data between the section 20 and an external terminal 30 ( or an ic card of similar type ) capable of performing radio communication with the contactless ic card section 20 by way of an antenna 11 . the card interface module 51 is embedded as a part of the control section 5 and includes a software module that serves both as a user interface between the user and the contactless ic card section 20 . reader / writer ( labeled “ r / w ” in fig1 ) module 31 of the external terminal 30 has a function of transmitting and receiving commands , data , etc . between the terminal 30 and the contactless ic card section 20 . the external terminal 30 may include for example an automatic ticket gate such as railway or bus tickets , commuter tickets and the like , a shopping terminal ( for stores , shopping malls , etc . ), a vending machine , or the like . the terminal has an antenna unit to which the contactless ic card section 20 can be approached . typically , the external terminal 30 is connected to a service providers ( servers ), not shown . a first feature of the present invention lies in that the portable terminal apparatus according to the present invention has a function of user authentication ( recognition of authorized user ) and a locking function of stopping the ic card function , a locking function for interrupting the functions of the ic card , such lock function being associated with the user authentication . according to this preferred embodiment , there is provided a means for registering and verifying the password as a means for authenticating the user . the user registers the user password in the contactless ic card section 20 before using the ic card function . the user may register a different password for each service such as commuter pass , electronic money , tickets or the like . in this case , whenever an application relating to a new service is added to the portable terminal apparatus , a corresponding new password can be registered . fig3 shows an example of password table 300 for storing a password corresponding to each service id . the password table 300 is stored in the memory 22 ( mem in fig1 ) of the contactless ic card section 20 . it is assumed that herein , when any four - digit number other than a default number ( e . g . “ 0000 ”) is registered , the ic card function will be set to lock mode . thereafter , if the user does not input the registered password , the user cannot use the ic card function ( and any associated service ). it has to be noted that it is not necessary that such a password can be set for over all the services . also , depending on a kind of service , there may be a case in which no password can be set at the user side . for example , as such kind of service , there are services used with high frequency and with limited application , like a commuter pass and the like . the lock mode according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is for inputting a correctly registered password just before using the ic card section 20 in a lock status , i . e ., a status in which the ic card is not available under normal utilization , so that the lock is released by changing the current lock status into a temporal lock release status in which the card is under available status . the password input operation is performed upon activating a password setting mode performed with a user interface function using the control section 5 , the display section 6 , and the operation section 7 . the password number setting mode can be selected and activated by way of a menu to be displayed using the display section 6 . however , it has to be noted that the preset invention is not limited to this preferred embodiment . a second feature of the present invention lies in that there is a timer function for providing retaining duration of the temporal lock release status , and when the ic card 20 is not used within the retaining time duration , then the current status is automatically turned back to the lock status with a time - out processing . the timer function is available when terminating utilization of the card or when utilization of the ic card 20 is abandoned , after the lock is released by inputting a password . the timer function may be controlled through using the ic card 20 in place of the control section 5 . alternatively , this function may be also realized through using both of them . further , when the ic card is utilized within the designated time duration ( based on a timer set value ) after the lock release , in other words , when processing is performed between the ic card 20 and the r / w module 31 in the external terminal 30 , etc ., the control section 5 receives information of the normal card utilization ( status ), resulting in releasing the timer processing and returning the present status back to the previous lock status . in such a case , the retaining duration corresponding to the temporal lock release status is a time duration that is set beforehand for each of the services . a third feature of the present invention lies in that there is a user setting function that can be customized by the user , in which selection of a lock mode and an unlock mode can be set with regard to the ic card function and setting of the temporal lock release duration e . g . using a timer when the lock mode is selected , using a password at the user &# 39 ; s choice . here , the unlock status denotes a status where the ic card is constantly available without using the lock function . thereby , the user may select user friendliness instead of the burden of inputting a password before using the ic card and also giving precedence over concerns on possibility of damage owing to loss , theft , or the like . the lock / unlock setting function may be set by the user , using a whole ic card unit or by each of services provided using the ic card . for example , the lock setting can be performed beforehand and with respect to the entire ic card unit . on the other hand , the unlock setting can be performed with regard to only frequently used service ( s ) provided through using the ic card such as a commuter pass service . here , picking up the above - mentioned example of the password table 300 , the performance of the unlock setting corresponds to returning the current status back to a default password “ 0000 ”. fig4 shows an example of a temporal release duration table 400 in which there is provided a correspondence relationship between the temporal release duration ( in seconds , for example ) and a service id , is retained when permitting the user setting the temporal lock release duration . the temporal release duration table 400 is stored into the control section 3 when the control section 5 performs the timer control , and stored into the ic card 20 when the ic card section 20 performs the timer control . the temporal lock release duration is inputted by activating a mode ( hereinafter , called lock release duration setting mode ) performed by using a user interface ( ui ) by the control section 5 , the display section 6 , and the operation section 7 . typically , the above - mentioned inputting operation is selected and activated by way of a menu displayed on the display section 6 . however , it has to be noted that such an inputting operation is not limited to the present preferred embodiment . a fourth feature of the present invention lies in that a function is provided in which the user can estimate and have visibility of the remaining duration of time in which the ic card can be used after the lock is released , upon displaying the temporal release duration set by the user in a countdown manner using for example a timer . the control section 5 and the display section 6 perform the display in a countdown display . a fifth feature of the present invention lies in that inherent information of service that is unlocked and provided through using the ic card is displayed in combination with the above - mentioned countdown display or independently thereof . for example , when receiving service regarding electronic money after releasing the lock , the presently outstanding amount and the outstanding amount after receiving the service are displayed on the lcd screen of the display section 6 . thereby , it is very convenient for the user to previously confirm whether or not there is a sufficient outstanding amount regarding as amount of money to be paid , and confirm an outstanding amount after electronic money is paid . in addition , when using a commuter pass as electronic money , a valid area , a valid period and the like and , when using a ticket as electronic money , name of exhibition , artist name , date and place of exhibition , seat number and the like can be displayed . display of countdown of the temporal lock release duration and display of valid data for each service available in the card is realized through data communication between the control section 5 and the contactless ic card section 20 , as well as display performed by the display section 6 . fig2 shows an example of sequence of the lock mode . reference numerals in fig2 are the same as those in fig2 with regard to the same sections . a sequence flow of the present preferred embodiment of sequence is described as follows . at step s 1 , the user 35 instructs the present sequence activation . the activation is for selecting ic cards , in other words , services to be used . for example , items “ card ” and “ card ( service ) to be used ” are selected from items displayed on the menu display . alternatively , an exclusive card button is provided so that a card function selection and / or a setting menu may be directly activated by pressing the button . at step s 2 , when determining selection of the card ( service ) at step s 1 , then the card interface module 51 issues a command to the ic card section 20 for confirming whether or not the determined designated service is under the lock status . the contactless ic card section 20 returns a code representing the present status ( lock or unlock ) status as the response back to the card interface module 51 . in fig2 an initial status is a lock status 70 . if the response at the step s 4 is unlock , then it is not necessary to input the password , thus advancing to step s 9 described below . on the other hand , if the response at the step s 4 is lock , then input of the password is required , resulting in advancing to step s 5 described below . the card interface module 51 makes displaying of a menu for requesting the user to input the user password and the password designated in a predetermined form , e . g . a four - digit numeral form , is acquired from the input from the user . the card interface module 51 regards the password inputted by using an input key for the portable telephone at step 5 as an argument and issues a command for requesting the temporal release of lock of the contactless ic card section 20 . the contactless ic card section 20 verifies the augment ( password ) against a previously registered password . if they match , then a response “ ok ” is retuned to the card interface module 51 . on the other hand , if they do not match , then a response “ ng ” is returned back thereto . if the response at the step s 7 is “ ok ”, then the card interface module 51 advances to following step s 9 . on the other hand , if that at the step s 7 is “ ng ”, then the module 51 returns to the step s 5 and requests the user to input the user password again . at step s 9 , first , a temporal lock release status 72 is established for the first time and , for example , in case of a commuter pass , display may be performed for the section and the expiration or validity date ; in case of electronic money , display may be performed for the outstanding amount ; and in case of a ticket , display may be performed the date of the performance , the place , the seat number , and the like . if the present flow jumps from step s 4 to the step s 9 , the countdown information is not displayed because such information is not necessary . the user 35 can utilize the contactless ic card function under the lock release status . in other words , the antenna 11 of the portable telephone 100 is directed to the external r / w module 31 , thereby mutual authentication can be established between the telephone 100 and the r / w module 31 . in the above - mentioned mutual authentication , confirmation may be performed whether both the telephone 100 and the r / w module 31 have the ic card function regarded as authentic . depending on the service to be utilized , additionally a processing of authentication for the user , himself or herself may be performed , e . g ., by inputting of id and a password related to the service . if the processing at steps s 1 to s 9 is normally completed , then the contactless ic card section 20 returns back a result of the normal completion to the card interface module 51 at step s 12 . thus , the card interface module advances to subsequent step s 14 . at the step s 9 , in a case where the user has not utilized the ic card ( the user has not had the ic card directed to the external r / w module 31 ) during a predetermined lapse of time after the ic card function ( service ) is made to be available for utilization , the expiration of the designated duration , i . e . “ time out ” becomes a trigger for changing the current status to the lock status 74 . when the timer function is controlled by the control section 5 , the card interface module 51 requests the lock setting for the contactless ic card section 20 at following step s 15 . when the timer function is controlled by the contactless ic card section 20 , the contactless ic card section 20 returns to the lock status 74 upon time - out . at step s 14 , the contents display and countdown display that have been activated are completed . thereafter , the current display status returns back to a normal receiving status , standby status or the like . although the invention having been described hereinabove in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity , other changes , variations , combinations and sub - combinations are possible therein . it is therefore to be understood that any modifications will be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention . for example , the number of digits as well as numerical values of the password and value of the temporal release duration are merely examples for explanatory purposes . thus , the present invention is not limit to such figures presented herein . the password is not required to be limited to a numeric value , so that the password may include characters and / or symbols . also , it has been described that the sequence of fig2 is activated using a command from the user . in case of communicating with an external terminal , when the lock status is detected , the contactless ic card section 20 may request input of a password against the card interface module 51 . | 6 |
reference is made firstly to fig1 which illustrates an exemplary catheter designated generally by the numeral 20 and consisting of a main body 22 which extends from a proximal end designated by the numeral 24 to a distal end designated by the numeral 26 . proximal end structure 28 is provided to make attachment to the main body 22 and is of conventional form . at the other end , a tip section 30 is provided and connected to the main body 22 by a transitional portion 32 . the material of the tip section defines a smaller cross - sectional area than the material of the cross - section of the main body , and the transitional portion 32 blends smoothly both internally and externally from the main body to the tip section . as will become evident , the external cross - sectional shape of the tip section 30 is constant although post - forming to taper the tip section , at least partially , is of course possible according to accepted practice in the art . reference is next made to fig2 which illustrates apparatus designated generally by the numeral 34 and consisting essentially of a bed plate 36 to which is attached a die assembly 38 which can be heated for forming the tip section as will be described , and a carriage 40 which can be driven along the bed plate 36 by a transport mechanism 42 operated by a drive 44 . as will be described in more detail , the carriage 40 contains a catheter blank 46 of thermoplastic synthetic plastics material and within that is a heat resistant mandrel 48 preferably of stainless steel . the mandrel has a cylindrical main portion 49 which tapers forwardly to a small diameter extension 53 . the blank has a cross - section and wall thickness corresponding with those dimensions required in - the finished main body 22 ( fig1 ). the die assembly 38 receives the blank which can be progressed into and through the die by the drive 44 operating the transport mechanism 42 . the bed plate 36 defines a central slot 50 shaped to contain a tongue 52 attached to the underside of the carriage 40 and forming part of the carriage . the slot 50 contains parts of the transport mechanism 42 and in particular a square threaded shaft 54 contained at one end in a bushing 56 which is located by a set screw 58 in the plate 36 . the set screw has a plain end engaged in a groove 60 in the shaft 54 . at its other end , the shaft is mounted in a plain bushing 62 also located in the plate , and is driven through a slipping clutch 64 by a mechanism 66 forming part of the drive 44 . this can be any conventional drive operable to rotate the shaft 54 in both directions as required . the transport mechanism 42 is completed by a threaded sleeve 68 which is engaged in a bore 70 of the tongue 52 . the sleeve has a head for engaging and tightening the sleeve with a lock washer 72 to maintain the assembly . it will be evident that the arrangement of the transport mechanism 42 and drive 44 is such that when the mechanism 66 is operated , drive through the clutch rotates the shaft 54 which , because it is located in the plate , transmits longitudinal motion to the tongue 52 and hence to the whole carriage 40 . the arrangement is therefore such that the carriage can be made to move longitudinally in the directions indicated by arrow 74 , i . e . towards and away from the die assembly 38 . the die assembly 38 is mounted by set screws 76 ( one of which is seen in fig2 ) and located on the bed plate 36 for alignment with the carriage 40 as will be described . the die has a housing 78 containing a cylindrically wound heating element 80 which is positioned between the housing 78 and a die 82 . an end flange 84 on the die 82 is proportioned so that bolts 86 can be used to assemble the die to the housing 78 . the die defines an axially extending opening designated generally by the numeral 88 and consisting of a cylindrical entry portion 90 extending from an entrance 92 to a convergent intermediate portion 94 which extends smoothly from the entry portion 90 and terminates at a short exit portion 96 which is cylindrical and which defines the cross - section of the tip to be made as will be described with reference to fig3 . the carriage 40 defines a cylindrical opening 98 proportioned to receive the catheter blank 46 and the opening 98 is axially aligned with the opening 88 in the die 82 . at the entry end of the opening 98 in the carriage , a swing door 100 is provided rotatable about bolt 102 for engagement with a bolt 104 which sits in a slot in the door 100 in conventional fashion . when the door is opened it is generally in the position shown in ghost outline having been moved through the direction of the arrow 106 . this permits entry of the blank 46 which is engaged while containing the mandrel 48 . the mandrel has a main part 107 having the same cross - section as the internal cross - section of the main body 22 , a converging part 109 blending into the part 107 , and a leading part 111 also blends into the converging part 109 and has an external cross - section corresponding to the desired internal shape of the tip section 30 . it should be noted that this part of the mandrel should preferably have a length sufficient to accommodate the increase in length of the catheter blank which will take place during the forming process . this will ensure support for the full length of the tip section after forming through the die . the parts of the mandrel blend into one another to give a smooth internal surface to the finished catheter . the mandrel and blank are pushed into position until the door can be closed and the leading end of the blank 46 will be in the position shown in fig2 with the mandrel extending beyond the blank . with the assembly shown and the die heated , the drive 44 is actuated to move the carriage 40 to the left ( as drawn ) which will drive the blank 46 into the intermediate portion 94 of the opening 88 and thence to the exit portion 96 before material from the blank leaves through an exit 108 . this will continue until the position illustrated in fig3 is reached where the mandrel has been driven to the point where it complements the shape of the opening 88 . this is because the converging part 109 of the mandrel has a shape corresponding to the required internal shape which matches generally the shape of the intermediate portion 94 ( fig2 ) of the opening 88 in the die so that when the position shown in fig3 is reached , the resistance to further movement of the carriage is such that the clutch 64 will slip and the operator is aware that the movement has been completed . after suitable cooling , the molded catheter can be removed and it will have the shape illustrated in cross - section in fig3 . in general , and as seen in fig3 an outer wall of the catheter blank 112 is supported by the mandrel and carriage to minimize the risk of buckling during the forming process . also , where thin walled blanks are used , it will be desirable to arrange the proportions of the die and mandrel so that the tip section 30 has a wall 114 of thicker cross - section than the wall 112 . there will be a transition between these two walls defined by the mandrel and the opening at the intermediate portion 94 ( fig2 ). also , it may well be that the proportions of the blank and the distance travelled etc . are such that a full mandrel of the type shown in fig2 is not necessary to support the wall . nevertheless , it is desirable that the mandrel be arranged to give proper support at the transition portion and to ensure proper shaping of the catheter at this point . it is also convenient from the standpoint of increasing the resistance to motion so that the clutch 64 will operate only when the complete forming has taken place . the same result could be achieved however by a measuring procedure with a mandrel that is of constant diameter such as the end portion 110 . again , this would depend upon the plastics being used , the rate at which the forming is being done , the side wall , etc . the amount of material per unit of length will be less in the tip section 30 than in the main body 22 due to the reduction in cross - sectional area of the material during the forming procedure . this will result in a catheter which is larger than the catheter blank 46 . also , because a compressive forming technique is being used , the density of the material in the tip section 30 will tend to be greater than the density of the material in the main body . these factors must be taken into consideration in designing the flexibility of the tip section relative to that of the main body . also , it is noteworthy that the process used distinguishes the resulting product due to the change in density achieved while maintaining the integrity of the original catheter blank . this obviates the need for a separate bonded tip to achieve similar results and consequently the catheter is simpler to make and has no likelihood of failure by separation of parts , as is the case when the catheter is made from several pieces . such improvements in the art flow from the present invention . it is also within the scope of the invention to accommodate different cross - sections of catheter and , with variations , it is possible to shape in this way catheters that have multiple lumens . each of the lumens would be supported by mandrels such as mandrel 48 and the mandrels would extend as far as it is required that the lumen extend . it is conventional in multi - lumen structures for one of the lumens to extend to the end of the catheter and consequently one of the mandrels would do this while the others would fall short of the end . some cutting of the blank in the region where the tip is to be formed may be beneficial to minimize the amount of plastic flow required , but the process nevertheless would follow the same characteristics as that described with reference to the exemplary embodiment shown in fig1 to 3 . as mentioned previously , a catheter made according to this invention can be post - formed to create a tapered tip at the end of the tip section . other such changes include adding side openings , bending the catheter and generally creating variations from the basic catheter described here . it is also within the scope of the invention to tailor the flexibility of the tip section relative to the stiffness of the main body in a selected ratio by forming the wall thickness of the tip portion appropriately . some trial and error may of course be used to develop experience with a particular die , catheter form , etc . these and other catheters and methods of manufacture are within the scope of the invention as claimed . | 1 |
methods , systems , user interfaces , and other aspects of the invention are described . reference will be made to certain embodiments of the invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . while the invention will be described in conjunction with the embodiments , it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to these particular embodiments alone . on the contrary , the invention is intended to cover alternatives , modifications and equivalents that are within the spirit and scope of the invention . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . moreover , in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these particular details . in other instances , methods , procedures , components , and networks that are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art are not described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present invention . according to certain embodiments of the invention , a computing system provides listings of multimedia events , including scheduled time of broadcast to a user . non - limiting examples of multimedia events include television shows , radio shows , video shows , sporting events and motion pictures ( e . g ., sporting events and motion pictures that are broadcast by tv , cable , satellite , video - on - demand , etc .). multimedia events may include user created content , and / or content produced or created by content broadcasting and publishing companies , and / or content from a variety of other content providers . other examples of multimedia events include events referenced by metadata site summaries , and multimedia messaging services . examples of multimedia events referenced by metadata site summaries are podcasts , espn real time sports feeds , etc . metadata site summaries provide information such as summaries of a multimedia show , original airtime , re - broadcast airtime , genre , show ratings , actor lists , images of actors , links to the referenced multimedia show , links to one or more trailers of the referenced multimedia show , etc . multimedia messaging services provide information such as title , description , authorship , airtime , links to the referenced multimedia show , links to one or more trailers of the referenced multimedia show , etc . for example , the user can specify a headend ( name of content provider ) and / or a zip code ( or other geographic location identifier ) and enter one or more search strings . in response , the system performs a search , using the entered search strings , on the listings of multimedia events corresponding to the specified headend and / or zip code . according to one feature of certain embodiments , the search results are presented to the user as an ordered list based on the scheduled time of broadcast . the user , if so desired , can select all or some of the listings to create a virtual channel of the selected listings . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary distributed computer system 100 , according to certain embodiments of the invention . in fig1 , system 100 may include one or more client computers 102 , communication network ( s ) 104 and a multimedia events server 106 . client computers 102 can be any of a number of computing devices ( e . g ., internet kiosk , personal digital assistant , cell phone , gaming device , desktop computer , laptop computer , handheld computer , or combinations thereof ) used to enable the activities described below . client computer ( s ) 102 is also referred to herein as client ( s ) or client device ( s ). client 102 includes webpage ( s ) 114 and a client application 112 that permits the user to view web pages 114 or other documents of information . further , client application 112 may permit the user to interact with client 102 and / or network resources to perform one or more tasks . for example , client application 112 may be a web browser ( e . g ., firefox , internet explorer , etc .) or other type of application that permits the user to search for , browse , and / or use resources , such as web pages 114 , on client 102 and / or accessible via communication network 104 . one embodiment of client 102 is described in greater detail herein with reference to fig5 . client 102 is connected to multimedia events server 106 via communication network ( s ) 104 . multimedia events server 106 includes a network interface 108 and a multimedia events database 110 . in some embodiments , multimedia events server 106 is an internet server . alternatively , if multimedia events server 106 is used within an intranet , it may be an intranet server . in some embodiments , fewer and / or additional modules , functions or databases are included in multimedia events server 106 . one embodiment of multimedia events server 106 is described in greater detail herein with reference to fig6 . the communication network 104 may be the internet , but may also be any local area network ( lan ), a metropolitan area network , a wide area network ( wan ), such as an intranet , an extranet , or the internet , or any combination of such networks . it is sufficient that the communication network 104 provides communication capability between the clients 102 and the multimedia events server 106 . in some embodiments , the communication network 104 uses hypertext transport protocol ( http ) to transport information using the transmission control protocol / internet protocol ( tcp / ip ). the http permits client computers to access various resources available via the communication network 104 . the various embodiments of the invention , however , are not limited to the use of any particular protocol . the term “ resource ” as used throughout this specification refers to any document , object , information item , set of information , or service that is accessible via a uniform resource locator ( url ) and can be , for example , a web page , a text or word processing document , an email message , a transcribed voice message , a database , an image , a computational object , or other type of file . network interface 108 facilitates communication between multimedia events server 106 and communication network 104 . network interface 108 allows for the transfer of information from multimedia events server 106 to the communication network 104 to be presented by client application 112 of client 102 . multimedia events database 110 stores information on multimedia events . notwithstanding the discrete blocks in fig1 , the figure is intended to be a functional description of some embodiments of the invention rather than a structural description of functional elements in the embodiments . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that an actual implementation might have the functional elements grouped or split among various components . moreover , one or more of the blocks in fig1 may be implemented on one or more servers designed to provide the described functionality . although the description herein refers to certain features implemented in client 102 and certain features implemented in multimedia events server 106 , the embodiments of the invention are not limited to such distinctions . for example , features described herein as being part of multimedia events server 106 could be implemented in whole or in part in client 102 , and vice versa . fig2 is a high - level flowchart of a process 200 for creating virtual channels , according to certain embodiments . process 200 may comprise operations that occur simultaneously . for purposes of explanation , assume that a user initiates a search for multimedia events by entering a search query using client application 112 of client 102 . the user may specify a headend , zip code and / or a time period within which the scheduled broadcast of the multimedia content is to occur . a set of time - bounded multimedia events from one or more multimedia events databases is identified based on the specified headend , zip code and / or time period ( 202 ). if the search query does not specify a headend , a set of time - bounded multimedia events may be identified based on : one or more headends associated with the zip code specified by the user , a zip code previously used by the user or a zip code associated with the user &# 39 ; s account ; a randomly selected headend , all headends , or a majority of headends . similarly , if the search query does not specify a zip code ( or other geographic designation ), a set of time - bounded multimedia events may be identified based on : a zip code previously provided by the user , a zip code that is associated with the user &# 39 ; s account , or a randomly selected zip code . in addition , if the search query does not specify a time period , a set of time - bounded multimedia events may be identified based on a pre - selected default value for the time period ( e . g ., the time period between “ now ” and the period ending 7 days from now ). a search is performed on the identified set of time - bounded multimedia events based on the search query currently entered by the user ( 204 ). the search results are presented to the user ordered by relevance , according to certain embodiments ( 206 ). for example , the search results may be presented as a list . alternately , or in addition , the search results may be presented on a relevance bar , as described in greater detail herein with reference to fig3 a - 3e , and fig4 a - 4d , respectively . a new virtual channel is created for the user if the user initiates an operation to create a new channel based on time - bounded multimedia events selected by the user from the search results ( 208 ). further , searches are performed on the identified set of time - bounded multimedia events based on the user &# 39 ; s respective saved queries associated with the user &# 39 ; s existing virtual channels , if any ( 210 ). in other words , the user may have previously created one or more virtual channels . the information associated with the virtual channels are updated by performing searches on the identified set of time - bounded multimedia events using the saved queries associated with the virtual channels . it may be necessary to identify other sets of time - bounded multimedia events from the multimedia events database before performing searches based on the user &# 39 ; s respective saved queries associated with the user &# 39 ; s existing virtual channels . for example , a new set of time - bounded multimedia events is identified for a given saved query of the user if the associated headend , and / or zip code , and / or time period is different than that which is currently specified by the user as described with reference to ( 202 ). the user &# 39 ; s virtual channels including the newly created virtual channel are presented to the user ( 212 ). the virtual channels presented to the user correspond to a user selected day and time of scheduled broadcast for the multimedia events . the user may select the day and time using gui selector as described in greater detail herein with reference to fig4 a - 4c . if the user wishes to view virtual channel information corresponding to a new time period , such channel information is retrieved and presented to the user . if the user initiates a new search query ( 214 ), a new search is performed ( 204 ). if along with the new search query , the user initiates changes to the headend , and / or zip code , it may be necessary to identify additional sets of time - bounded multimedia events ( 202 ) before performing the new search . process 200 ends if the user does not initiate any changes or a new search ( 216 ). fig3 a is a schematic screenshot of the graphical user interface ( gui ) 300 of a web browser , presenting a web page 302 that displays information on virtual channels , according to certain embodiments of the invention . web page 302 may also be referred to as a channel search page . web browser can be any type of browser that enables a user to display and interact with web pages or other documents or information . the gui 300 of web browser includes a url field 304 for entering the url of any web page that a user wishes to display , as well as for displaying the url of the web page currently being displayed . as illustrated in this figure , the web browser &# 39 ; s gui 300 displays an exemplary web page 302 . web page 302 comprises a search field 306 a with : 1 ) a corresponding search button 307 for initiating a search for information corresponding to the search query entered in the search field 306 a , 2 ) a zip code indicator 306 b for showing the zip code for which the search is performed , and 3 ) a “ change location ” link 306 c for enabling the user to specify a different zip code for performing the search . according to some embodiments , “ change location ” link 306 c may also allow a user to specify a headend in addition to specifying the zip code . as an example and for purposes of explanation , the user may specify zip code 94086 using link 306 c , and may enter the search query , “ simpsons ,” in search field 306 a . web page 302 further comprises broadcast schedule 308 for the user &# 39 ; s existing virtual channels , a results panel 310 , a calendar 312 , and a relevance bar 316 . continuing with the above example , assume that the search for scheduled multimedia events using search query “ simpsons ” produces search results as illustrated in results panel 310 . results panel 310 shows a subset of the results of the search query . the user can see more results by selecting the next button 310 b . the user can return to the previous results by selecting the prev button 310 a . the search results may be displayed in a different manner , according to certain embodiments . for example , relevance bar 316 displays the days of the week and displays the set of search results as rectangular bars 316 b on the relevance bar , according to certain embodiments . according to certain embodiments , relevance bar 316 includes a slider 316 a for selecting a date for which the events are shown in broadcast schedule 308 . the relevance bar is described in greater detail herein in reference to fig4 a , 4b , 4c and 4d . the broadcast schedule 308 for the user &# 39 ; s existing virtual channels may be a grid representing scheduled multimedia events being broadcast on a particular day . according to certain embodiments , the search queries corresponding to the user &# 39 ; s existing virtual channels are re - executed in order to identify the relevant time - bounded multimedia events for rendering on broadcast schedule 308 . as illustrated in fig3 a , broadcast schedule 308 for the user &# 39 ; s existing virtual channels is a grid having rows for displaying multimedia events scheduled for broadcast on virtual channels 308 a , 308 b , 308 c , and broadcast channels ( from third party sources ) 311 a , 311 b and 311 c . the displayed virtual channels 308 may be conveniently deleted by clicking on the delete button 309 next to the virtual channel title . further , the user can manage the user &# 39 ; s current collection of virtual channels and broadcast channels ( also herein called television channels ) by selecting link 322 . for example , the user may delete one or more of the user &# 39 ; s virtual channels , rename the user &# 39 ; s virtual channels , and / or rearrange the order of appearance of the virtual channels and broadcast channels . for example , the virtual channels ( or the virtual channels and broadcast channels ) can be arranged alphabetically , in user specified order , based on genre , or based on relevance to a search query ( e . g ., channels are listed in accordance with a score based on the number and quality of matching results ). according to certain embodiments , the user may select one or more virtual channels from the user &# 39 ; s current collection of virtual channels for publication using link 322 . published virtual channels are described in greater detail herein with reference to fig3 e . according to certain embodiments , the user may automate the recording of multimedia events in a given virtual channel using link 322 . for example , relevant recording instructions may be sent to a recording device ( e . g ., a digital video recorder , or other storage device ) associated with client 102 . in fig3 a , the information shown in broadcast schedule 308 , results panel 310 and relevance bar 316 includes basic information ( also referred to as “ low resolution data ”) associated with the multimedia events . for example , the low resolution data associated with broadcast schedule 308 can include channel names and the number of shows or episodes scheduled for broadcast in a given time period ( for a particular channel or virtual channel ). a calendar 312 displays a grid representing a range of dates . the date of the time - bounded multimedia events shown in broadcast schedule 308 is indicated by a highlighted date 314 in the calendar 312 . the date of the events shown in broadcast schedule 308 for the user &# 39 ; s existing virtual channels is indicated by a highlighted date 314 in the calendar 312 . the date 314 may be highlighted by surrounding it with a box , as shown in fig3 a , or the text of the date may be displayed in a different color than the other dates , or the “ whitespace ” around the date may be a different color than the whitespace around the other dates in the calendar 312 . in other embodiments , the calendar may also be represented in a different manner . for example , the calendar may be represented by a horizontal bar . if the user wishes to add the current search results as a new virtual channel in the user &# 39 ; s collection of virtual channels , the user may initiate such an action by selecting option 318 as shown in fig3 a . according to certain embodiments , the user may use a portion of the current search results by selecting multimedia events from the current search results for constructing a new virtual channel . the user may also provide a name for the newly created virtual channel , according to certain embodiments . for purposes of explanation , assume that the user adds the search results corresponding to the search query “ simpsons ” as a new virtual channel to the user &# 39 ; s collection of virtual channels . fig3 b shows that “ the simpsons ” is added to broadcast schedule 308 as a new virtual channel 308 g . if more than one multimedia event is broadcast at the same time , broadcast schedule 308 indicates the number of multimedia events that are scheduled for broadcast in a given time slot , according to certain embodiments . for example , fig3 b shows that “ the simpsons ” virtual channel 308 g has two multimedia events that are scheduled for broadcast at 9 : 00 p . m . according to certain embodiments , the user may obtain additional information ( e . g ., show or episode names ) on the multimedia events that are scheduled for broadcast in a given time slot by hovering the user &# 39 ; s cursor over the time slot on broadcast schedule 308 . such additional information may be referred to as “ medium resolution data .” for example , fig3 c shows an iframe 322 that provides some medium resolution information ( e . g ., show names and episode names ) on the multimedia events that are scheduled for broadcast in the time slot over which the user &# 39 ; s cursor is hovering ( cursor not shown in fig3 c ). if , for example , the number of multimedia events is too numerous to be displayed all at once in iframe 342 ( also called an inline frame ), the user may obtain a longer list of the multimedia events by selecting the “ more ” option 342 a as shown in fig3 c . according to certain embodiments , the user may obtain more detailed information on any one of the multimedia events displayed in iframe 342 by selecting a link 342 b associated with the particular multimedia event as shown in fig3 c . in some embodiments , the iframe 342 is closed and the display of the information in the iframe ceases when the user closes the iframe 342 ( e . g ., by clicking on a close frame icon ) or when the user clicks on the landing page or search results page that is partially obscured by the iframe . according to certain embodiments , when the user selects a link in results panel 310 or in an iframe on broadcast schedule 308 , more detailed information ( also referred to as “ high resolution data ”) on the multimedia event is displayed . for example , fig3 d shows detailed information displayed in an iframe 326 when the user selects the link 342 b ( shown in fig3 c ) associated with the particular multimedia event . for purposes of explanation , assume that the user wishes to obtain more information on the multimedia event , “ ktvu - 002 the simpsons : marge on the lam ” as shown in fig3 c and selects link 342 a . according to certain embodiments , by selecting link 342 b for “ marge on the lam ”, the user is presented with more detailed information as shown in sample iframe 326 of fig3 d . as an example , the detailed information can include a description of the particular episode , information on the stars , director , writer , etc ., associated with the multimedia event . a database structure for storing the low resolution data , medium resolution data and the high resolution data associated with multimedia events is described below with reference to fig8 , according to certain embodiments . if the user wishes to add virtual channels that are published by other users / sources , the user can select link 320 ( see bottom of fig3 c ) to access a web page that publishes virtual channels , according to certain embodiments . published virtual channels are described in greater detail herein with reference to fig3 e . according to certain embodiments , the user can create multimedia shows for broadcast . for example , the user may be associated with a media broadcast company . the user can create a multimedia show that is scheduled for broadcast at specific periods of time . for example , the user can create multimedia shows for broadcast through links provided in rss feeds or through podcasts . thus , such a user may choose to publish a channel comprising multimedia shows created by the user . as another example , the user may send information to a channel - publishing service . as an example , the user may use the manage channels feature , as previously described with reference to fig3 a , for publishing the user &# 39 ; s virtual channels . in addition to enabling a user to create virtual channels as described above , the user is provided the option of adding virtual channels that have been created by other users / sources . fig3 e is a schematic screenshot of a web browser gui 300 presenting a web page 362 that displays published virtual channels , according to certain embodiments of the invention . web browser gui 300 comprises a url field 364 for entering the url of any web page that a user wishes to display , as well as for displaying the url of the web page currently being displayed . as illustrated in this figure , the web browser gui 300 displays an exemplary web page 362 for enabling the user to view and / or select virtual channels that have been created by other users and / or sources as well as broadcast channels from third party sources . web page 362 comprises a search field 366 with a corresponding search button 367 for initiating a search for virtual channels ( or a search for virtual channels and broadcast channels ) corresponding to the search query entered in the search field 366 . web page 362 further comprises a panel of published channels 374 from which the user may select , if so desired , one or more channels for adding to the user &# 39 ; s collection of virtual channels . a published channel ( which may be a virtual channel or a broadcast channel ) may optionally be associated with an icon 376 . more published channels , if any , may be displayed by selecting the “ more ” button 364 . web page 362 also shows the user &# 39 ; s current collection 372 of virtual channels , and a “ manage channel ” action element 368 for enabling the user to manage the user &# 39 ; s collection of virtual channels . the user can select a channel from panel 374 for adding to the user &# 39 ; s collection of virtual channels by initiating an “ add channel ” action element such as the “ add channels to your channel search page ” element 369 . one embodiment of a channel search page is previously described herein with reference to fig3 a ( see web page or channel search page 302 of fig3 a ). fig4 a illustrates a relevance bar 400 , according to certain embodiments of the invention . as previously explained , when a user &# 39 ; s enters a search query for multimedia events , the search results can be presented to the user as a list ( e . g ., results panel 310 of fig3 a ) and / or presented on a relevance bar ( e . g ., relevance bar 316 of fig3 a ). such a relevance bar is described in greater detail with reference to fig4 a . relevance bar 400 of fig4 a displays the days of the week along a horizontal axis 406 and displays the set of search results of multimedia events as objects 402 , according to certain embodiments . as an example , objects 402 may be rectangular bars . the objects 402 may have display attributes , such as shape , color , size , etc ., which indicate the relevance of the objects ( i . e ., the relevance of the scheduled multimedia events represented by the objects 402 ) to the search query . according to certain embodiments , multiple time - bounded multimedia events that are associated with a similar date and time can be depicted , for example , as stacked rectangular bars as shown in fig4 a . as another non - limiting example , multiple time - bounded multimedia events that are associated with a similar date and time can be depicted as a rectangular bar that is relatively taller than other rectangular bars that represent a fewer number of time - bounded multimedia events . as yet another non - limiting example , multiple multimedia events may be depicted using an object of a shape that is different from one representing a single multimedia event . according to certain other embodiments , the vertical axis of the relevance bar may represent a measure of importance or relevance of a particular multimedia event . for example , the height of a rectangular bar may be proportional to the importance or relevance of the particular multimedia event that the rectangular bar represents . as another example , the physical attributes of the objects representing a respective multimedia event may be associated with varying levels of importance or relevance . for example , on object representing a multimedia event of relatively high importance may light - up , flash or blink to attract the user &# 39 ; s attention . as yet another example , multimedia events that are related to the multimedia events of the search results are represented as objects of a shape and / or color that is different from ones representing multimedia events of the search results ( i . e ., multimedia events that match or satisfy a search query ). examples of related multimedia events include multimedia events that have content that is similar to the content of multimedia events from the search results . according to certain embodiments , search results of multimedia events may be scored based on any combination of various factors such as the user &# 39 ; s profile , results from a co - citation analysis , or anchor text analysis ( e . g ., analysis of text in or near links to the multimedia events ) to determine related multimedia events . the user &# 39 ; s profile may be based on user specified preferences . alternately , the user &# 39 ; s profile may be generated by the system based on the user &# 39 ; s online behavior . as another example , a group profile may be used as the user &# 39 ; s profile . a group profile is a general profile for a group of users of which the user is a member . further , relevance bar 400 may include a slider 404 that slides along the time axis . the position of the slider on the time axis is associated with a date and time 408 . according to certain embodiments , when the user moves the slider to a new position along the time axis , the broadcast schedule 308 ( see fig3 a , for example ) is re - rendered to present new broadcast information corresponding to the date and time associated with the new position of the slider along the time axis of the relevance bar . alternately , instead of slider 404 , the relevance bar 400 may be responsive to the hovering of a mouse or other pointer over a portion of the relevance bar , and / or may be responsive to mouse clicks or other select signals on a user selected portion of the relevance bar . according to certain embodiments , when the user &# 39 ; s mouse brushes over an object 402 ( in the relevance bar 400 ) representing a respective multimedia event , an iframe 410 is presented to the user as shown on relevance bar 420 of fig4 b . according to certain embodiments , if the user selects a link ( e . g ., by clicking on the link ) that is associated with a respective multimedia event in the iframe 410 , the user is presented with another iframe that provides more detailed information on the selected multimedia event . for example , assume that the user clicks on the link for the tv show , “ simpsons — marge on the lam ” shown in iframe 410 as shown in fig4 b . as a result , iframe 412 on relevance bar 420 as shown in fig4 c is presented to the user . as a non - limiting example , iframe 412 shows detailed information on the tv show , “ simpsons — marge on the lam ” that is scheduled to broadcast at 9 p . m ., monday july 14 . according to some embodiments , the horizontal axis of the relevance bar may represent units of relevance . for example , fig4 d shows that the horizontal axis 416 of the relevance bar 460 represents units of relevance . the objects 418 on relevance bar 460 are ordered by relevance on the horizontal axis . fig5 is a block diagram illustrating client 102 , according to certain embodiments of the invention . client 102 includes one or more processing units ( cpus ) 502 , one or more network or other communication interfaces 504 , memory 506 , and one or more communication buses 508 for interconnecting these components . the communication buses 508 may include circuitry ( sometimes called a chipset ) that interconnects and controls communications between system components . client 102 may include a user interface 510 , for instance a display 512 and a keyboard 514 . memory 506 includes high - speed random access memory , such as dram , sram , ddr ram or other random access solid state memory devices , and may include non - volatile memory , such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices , optical disk storage devices , flash memory devices , or other non - volatile solid state storage devices . memory 506 may optionally include one or more storage devices remotely located from the cpu ( s ) 502 . in some embodiments , memory 506 stores the following programs , modules and data structures , or a subset thereof : an operating system 516 that includes procedures for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks ; a network communication module 518 that is used for connecting the client 102 to other computers or devices , such as recording device 538 , via the one or more communication or network interfaces 504 and one or more communication networks , such as the internet , other wide area networks , local area networks , metropolitan area networks , and so on ; a client application 112 ( e . g ., a browser application ) that permits a user to interact with the client 102 as described above ; one or more web pages 114 that may be displayed by the client application 112 ; a local database 520 for storing information , such as multimedia information and virtual channel data ; and a browser extension 524 for managing and displaying the information in the local database . in some embodiments , browser extension 524 for displaying multimedia information includes a database manager 526 , a display module 528 and a search module 530 . database manager 526 handles information stored on local database 520 . search module 530 is for conveying a search query entered by a user to a search engine or other online service , such as the server 106 described elsewhere in this document . the display module 528 facilitates the display of multimedia information , as described above with reference to fig3 a - 3e , for example . in some embodiments , the display module includes a results panel display module 532 , a virtual channel display module 534 , and a relevance bar display module 536 . the virtual channel display module 534 determines how the virtual channels are displayed on the web page . the results panel display module 532 and the relevance bar display module 536 display the results of a search query associated with multimedia events . fig6 is a block diagram of an exemplary server 106 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention . the server 106 typically includes one or more processing units ( cpus ) 602 , one or more network or other communication interfaces 604 , memory 606 , and one or more communication buses 608 for interconnecting these components . the communication buses 608 may include circuitry ( sometimes called a chipset ) that interconnects and controls communications between system components . the server 106 optionally may include a user interface ( not shown ). memory 606 includes high - speed random access memory , such as dram , sram , ddr ram or other random access solid state storage devices , and may include non - volatile memory , such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices , optical disk storage devices , flash memory devices , or other non - volatile solid state storage devices . memory 606 may optionally include one or more storage devices remotely located from the cpu ( s ) 602 . in some embodiments , memory 606 stores the following programs , modules , and data structures , or a subset thereof : an operating system 610 that includes procedures for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks ; a network communication module 612 that is used for connecting the server 106 to other computers via the one or more communication or network interfaces 604 and one or more communication networks , such as the internet , other wide are networks , local area networks , metropolitan area networks , and so on ; a network interface 108 ; a multimedia events database 110 ; a search module 614 ; and an optional query server interface 616 . as described above , the network interface 108 facilitates communication between the server 106 and the communication network 104 and allows for the transfer of information from the server 106 to the communication network 104 to be displayed on a client application 112 of a client 102 . the multimedia events database 110 stores information associated with multimedia events . the server 106 may also comprise a search module 614 for conducting searches of the multimedia events database 110 . in some embodiments , memory 606 includes a query server interface 616 . the query server interface 616 receives queries from another server , such as a query server , and returns search results to that other server . for instance , a query server may direct a search query from a user to multiple databases , including the multimedia events database 110 , and then send search results from one or more of those databases to the user . each of the above identified computer software elements in fig5 and 6 may be stored in one or more of the previously mentioned memory devices , and corresponds to a set of instructions for performing a function described above . the above - identified modules or programs ( i . e ., sets of instructions ) need not be implemented as separate software programs , procedures or modules , and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments . in some embodiments , memory 506 and 606 may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified herein . furthermore memory 506 and 606 may store additional modules and data structures not described herein . although fig5 and 6 show , respectively , a client 102 and a server 106 , the figures are intended more as functional descriptions of the various features which may be present in a client and set of servers than as a structural schematic of the embodiments therein . in practice , and as recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art , items shown separately could be combined and come items could be separated . for example , some items shown separately in fig6 could be implemented on a single server and single items could be implemented by one or more servers . the actual number of server used to implement a server 106 and how features are allocated among them will vary from one implementation to another , and may depend in part on the amount of data traffic that the system must handle during peak usage periods as well as during average usage periods . fig7 is a block diagram of a database structure 700 for storing information on virtual channels , according to certain embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments , database structure 700 applies to the multimedia events database 110 of the server 106 . however , in some other embodiments , database structure 700 may also apply to the local database 520 of a respective client 102 . one or more functions associated with managing and / or displaying multimedia events information may be called upon to acquire information from database structure 700 . database structure 700 includes storage of information for channel ( s ) 702 . channel 702 may include information for a given virtual channel such as name 704 of the virtual channel , id 706 , creation date 708 , the search parameters 710 that produced search results of multimedia events for creating the virtual channel , zip code 712 , headend 713 and icon 714 . zip code 712 is the zip code previously specified by the user . headend 713 is the headend previously specified by the user . as described with reference to fig2 and fig3 a , the user can specify a zip code before the user enters search parameters 710 that produce search results of multimedia events for creating a given virtual channel . icon information 714 may be associated with a given virtual channel as described herein with reference to icon 376 of fig3 e . each of these types of information may be accessed by the server 106 for sending to a client 102 in response to a client request for information of that type . fig8 is a block diagram of a database structure 800 according to certain embodiments of the present invention . as a non - limiting example , database structure 800 may be used in either the server 106 , or a respective client 102 , or both . in one embodiment , multimedia events database 110 or local database 520 contains a set of virtual channel records 806 . the data representing a virtual channel may be found in the database by the use of one or more display functions 804 . for example , a respective display function may display a virtual channel by mapping channel identifier 706 to a channel record 806 in the database . a respective channel record comprises information on a set of multimedia events 808 . a respective multimedia event in the set of multimedia events has corresponding low resolution event information 814 , medium resolution event information 816 , and high resolution event information 818 , according to certain embodiments of the invention . as previously described , an example of low resolution information is the low resolution data associated with broadcast schedule 308 of fig3 a , which can include channel names and the number of shows or episodes for a given time of broadcast . an example of medium resolution information is the additional information ( e . g ., show or episode name ) on the multimedia events that can be obtained by hovering the user &# 39 ; s cursor over the time slot on broadcast schedule 308 as shown in fig3 a . an example of high resolution information is illustrated by fig3 d that shows detailed information associated with high resolution data in an iframe 326 when the user selects the link 342 b ( shown in fig3 c ) associated with the particular multimedia event . while some events in the database may have all three sets of information , it is possible that other events in the database will be devoid of high resolution information 818 , or even medium resolution information 816 . the fetching and pre - fetching of low , medium and high resolution information is discussed in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 618 , 640 , filed dec . 29 , 2006 , “ system and method for displaying multimedia events scheduling information ,” which is hereby incorporated by reference . in the foregoing specification , embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation . | 7 |
the meanings of element ( or component ) reference numbers used in the drawings of the present invention are as follows : ratchet wheel mechanism 100 : ratchet wheel 100 , ratchet teeth 111 , pawl devices 120 , transversal pawl arms 121 and pawls 122 ; ratchet wheel mechanism 200 : camshaft mechanism 201 , executive mechanism 202 , circular ring 205 for assembling knob , executive circular disc 206 , circular prominence 207 , driving cam 208 , sector shape groove 211 , positioning slot 212 , interior spring 213 , camshaft 215 , camshaft circular disc 220 ( its function is equivalent to aforesaid ratchet wheel 110 co - axial with camshaft ), sector shape groove 222 , empty chamber 231 , angular shape teeth 235 , upper pawl device 250 , exterior spring 251 , pawl arm 252 , pins 253 and 254 , upper pawl 255 , lower pawl device 260 , exterior spring 261 , pawl arm 262 , pins 263 and 264 , lower pawl 265 ; turning switch 300 : housing 301 , switch contact sheets 302 , upper housing 311 , lower housing 312 , grooves 321 and 322 , electricity - conductive plates 341 and 342 , electricity - conductive contactors 343 and 344 , electricity - conductive bridge 345 , springs 346 and 347 , electricity - conductive plates 351 and 352 , electricity - conductive contactors 353 and 354 , electricity - conductive bridge 355 , springs 356 and 357 . associating with the drawings below is carried out a further description of the present invention . fig2 a is a perspective view of components : camshaft mechanism 201 and executive mechanism 202 of step type ratchet wheel mechanism 200 of the present invention . as shown in fig2 a , step type camshaft mechanism 200 of the present invention comprises : camshaft mechanism 201 and executive mechanism 202 . the components of camshaft mechanism 200 in fig2 a are viewed from rear end of camshaft mechanism 201 ( or viewed from fore end of executive mechanism 202 ), i . e . viewed along direction indicated as arrowhead e . camshaft mechanism 201 comprises camshaft 215 , on and along which are disposed a plurality of cams ( 12 cams shown in the figure ) used to control the connection and disconnection mechanism of a plurality of switch contact sheets 302 ( 12 groups of switch contact sheets , see fig3 a ). camshaft mechanism 201 has a camshaft circular disc 220 ( driven disc ) with thickness we . on the rim of camshaft circular disc are evenly distributed 3 positioning slots ( positioning slots 212 . a , 212 . b and 212 . c , taking 120 ° as angular spacing ). camshaft 215 ( driven shaft ) is connected with the rear surface of camshaft circular disc 220 . as shown in fig2 a , executive mechanism 202 comprises : an executive circular disc 206 ( driving disc ), on the rear surface of executive circular disc 206 is jointed a circular ring 205 used for assembling the knob of turning switch ( not shown in the figure ). on the fore surface of executive circular disc 206 exists a circular prominence 207 ; on circular prominence 207 exists a protruded driving cam 208 ( with thickness w 2 ). the radius of inner root circle of driving cam 208 is r 1 ; the radius of outer top circle of driving cam 208 is r 2 . on the rim of inner root circle are evenly distributed 3 angular shape teeth ( angular shape teeth 235 . a , 235 . b and 235 . c taking 120 ° as angular spacing ). on driving cam 208 are symmetrically arranged two sector shape grooves having a semicircular section . these two symmetrical sector shape grooves are used respectively to contain a resilient element . the resilient element preferably is spring , it may be called as interior spring 213 . in diametrical direction , half of interior spring 213 is just put into sector shape groove 222 , another half of interior spring 213 is just put into sector shape groove 221 arranged on camshaft circular disc 220 ( see fig2 b ). sector shape groove 222 and sector shape groove 221 are gathered together to form an empty chamber used to contain entire interior spring 213 ( see fig2 g ). fig2 b is an assembly perspective view of components : camshaft mechanism 201 , executive mechanism 202 and pawl devices ( 250 and 260 ) of step type ratchet wheel mechanism 200 of the present invention . as shown in fig2 b , the components of ratchet wheel mechanism 200 are viewed along a direction from fore end of camshaft mechanism 201 ( or from rear end of executive mechanism 202 ) ( along direction indicated as arrowhead f ). as shown in fig2 b , on the fore - end surface of camshaft circular disc 220 are symmetrically arranged two sector shape grooves 211 with semicircular section . these two symmetrical sector shape grooves 211 are respectively used to contain the interior springs 213 . in diametrical direction , half of interior spring 213 is just put into sector shape groove 211 ; another half of interior spring 213 is just put into sector shape groove 222 arranged on driving cam 208 ( see fig2 a ). sector shape groove 222 and sector shape groove 221 are gathered together to form an empty chamber used to contain entire interior spring 213 ( see fig2 g ). in fig2 b , ratchet mechanism 200 further comprises : two pawl devices , i . e . upper pawl device 250 and lower pawl device 260 . upper pawl device 250 includes : exterior spring 251 , pawl arm 252 , pins 253 and 254 ; lower pawl device 260 includes : exterior spring 261 , pawl arm 262 , pins 263 and 264 . the bent downward portions at the fore ends of pawl arms 252 and 262 respectively are pawl 255 and pawl 265 ( see fig2 d ); the thickness of pawl 255 and pawl 265 is suitable for inserting the pawl into positioning slot 212 of camshaft circular disc 220 . the width w of pawls 255 and 265 is larger than the thickness w 1 of camshaft circular disc 220 , so that in width direction of pawl 255 or 265 still exists residual portion after pawl 255 or 265 falls into positioning slot 212 , this residual portion will rest on the rim of driving cam 208 . namely , when camshaft circular disc 220 and driving cam 208 are assembled together face to face , pawl 255 ( or pawl 265 ) may rest on the rim of camshaft circular disc 220 ( or fall into positioning slot of camshaft circular disc 220 ) and simultaneously rest on the rim of driving cam 208 . in fig2 b , in circular ring 205 for assembling knob exists an assembling hole 270 and a fixed key 271 , assembling hole 270 and fixed key 271 are used to assemble knob of turning switch ( not shown in figure ). fig2 c is an assembly perspective view of camshaft 201 , executive mechanism 202 and pawl devices ( 250 and 260 ) in step type ratchet wheel mechanism 200 . as shown in fig2 c , camshaft mechanism 201 , executive mechanism 202 and pawl devices ( 250 and 260 ) already were assembled together . in this time , camshaft circular disc 220 of camshaft mechanism 201 and driving cam 208 of executive mechanism 202 are assembled together face to face , and to cause two sector shape grooves 211 on the end surface of camshaft circular disc 220 and two sector shape grooves 222 on the end surface of driving cam 208 able to be correspondingly gathered together to form two empty chambers 231 for containing their respective interior spring 213 ( as shown in state 1 of fig2 g ). furthermore , for the width w of pawl 255 and pawl 265 is approximately equal to the sum of thickness w 1 of camshaft circular disc 220 and thickness w 2 of driving cam 208 , thus pawl ( 255 or 265 ) may rest on the rim of camshaft circular disc 220 ( or fall into positioning slot 212 of camshaft circular disc 220 ) and simultaneously rest on the rim of driving cam 208 . fig2 d is a schematic diagram of pawl arm of the present invention . the bent downward portions at the fore ends of pawl arms 252 and 262 respectively form pawl 255 and pawl 265 . the width of pawls 255 and 265 is w . fig2 e is an elevation of executive mechanism 202 viewed along a direction indicated as arrowhead e . fig2 f is an elevation of camshaft circular disc 220 viewed along a direction indicated as arrowhead f . as shown in fig2 e , the radius of inner root circle of driving cam 208 is denoted as r 1 , radius of outer top circle of driving cam 208 as r 2 , and the top points of 3 angular shape teeth 235 . a , 235 . b and 235 . c inscribe in the outer top circle of driving cam 208 . as shown in fig2 f , the distance from the bottom of positioning slot 212 of camshaft circular disc 220 to the center of camshaft circular disc 220 is denoted as r 3 , the radius of camshaft circular disc 220 as r 4 . following relation exists among r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 : the radius r 1 of inner root circle of driving cam 208 is equal ( or approximately equal ) to the distance r 3 from the bottom of positioning slot 212 of camshaft circular disc 220 to the center of camshaft circular disc 220 ; the radius r 2 of outer top circle of driving cam 208 is equal to ( or slightly larger than ) radius r 4 of camshaft circular disc 220 . obviously , radius r 2 of outer top circle of driving cam 208 is larger than radius r 1 of inner root circle of driving cam 208 ; radius r 4 of camshaft circular disc 220 is larger than the distance r 3 from the bottom of positioning slot 212 of camshaft circular disc 220 to the center of camshaft circular disc 220 ; radius r 4 of camshaft circular disc 220 is larger than radius r 1 of inner root circle of driving cam 208 . as shown in fig2 e , the symmetrical axis of two sector shape groves 222 on driving cam 208 is denoted as l 1 , the angle included between l 1 and line passing through the top point of angular shape tooth 235 . b and the center of camshaft is 60 °. as shown in fig2 f , the symmetrical axis of two sector shape groves 211 on camshaft circular disc 220 is denoted as l 2 , l 2 also is the symmetrical axis of positioning slot 212 . a . thus when sector shape groove 222 coincides with sector shape groove 211 , namely l 1 coincides with l 2 , the angle included between angular shape tooth 235 . a and positioning slot 212 . a is about 60 ° ( step angle is 60 °). fig2 g is a partial sectional view of camshaft circular disc 220 and driving cam 208 of the present invention , which are assembled together . when executive mechanism 202 and camshaft mechanism 201 are assembled together ( see fig2 c ), sector shape groove 211 on camshaft circular disc 220 and sector shape groove 222 on driving cam 208 are gathered together to form empty chamber 231 for containing interior spring 213 ( as shown in state 1 ). in sate 1 , interior spring is in free state , i . e . not compressed ; or for working reliably , interior spring 213 may be somewhat pre - compressed . in state 2 , driving cam 208 is turned counterclockwise , but camshaft circular disc 220 keeps in still state ( because pawl 255 or 265 is inserted in positioning slot 212 on camshaft circular disc 220 ), thus sector shape groove 211 and sector shape groove 222 are staggered each other resulted in that interior spring 213 is compressed and resilient potential energy is stored in interior spring . in this time , the force acted by interior spring 213 ( as shown in figure its direction is to the left ) will form a counterclockwise moment for camshaft circular disc 220 . in state 3 , when driving cam 208 is turned to 60 ° counterclockwise , pawl 255 ( or pawl 265 ) is pushed out from positioning slot 212 on camshaft circular disc 220 , then the resilient potential energy stored in interior spring 213 is released to cause camshaft circular disc being turned 60 ° counterclockwise resulted in that sector shape groove 211 on camshaft circular disc 220 and sector shape groove 222 on driving cam 208 are gathered together over again , then to form an entire empty chamber 231 as shown in state 1 ( the detailed operational process , see the description about fig4 a and fig4 d ). fig3 a is a perspective view of turning switch 300 of the present invention . turning switch 300 has a housing 301 composed of upper housing 311 and lower housing 312 . ratchet wheel mechanism 200 shown in fig2 c ( comprising camshaft mechanism 201 , executive mechanism 202 , and pawl devices 250 and 260 ) is assembled between upper housing 311 and lower housing 312 . on upper housing 311 and on lower housing 312 are respectively disposed 6 groups ( 12 pieces ) of switch contact sheets 302 , ( i . e . in a total of 12 groups , 24 pieces of switch contact sheets ). under the control of a relevant cam , each group of switch contact sheets may be electrically connected or disconnected , for example , switch contact sheets 302 . a and 302 . a form one group , switch contact sheets 302 . g and 302 . g form another one group . fig3 b is a sectional view of turning switch of the present invention along line a - a in fig3 a . as shown in fig3 b , ratchet mechanism 200 ( comprising camshaft mechanism 201 , executive mechanism 202 , and pawl devices 250 and 260 ) is assembled and installed between upper housing 311 and lower housing 312 of turning switch . when assembling and installing , camshaft mechanism 201 , executive mechanism 202 , and pawl devices 250 and 260 are firstly assembled together ( see fig2 c ), then upper housing 311 and lower housing 312 are gathered together , thus camshaft mechanism 201 , executive mechanism 202 , and pawl devices 250 and 260 may be installed and fixed in the housing 301 of turning switch . executive mechanism 202 is assembled in the fore portion of housing 301 of turning switch ; camshaft mechanism 201 passes through the middle and the rear portion of housing 301 of turning switch . on upper housing 311 and on lower housing 312 respectively exists semicircular groove 321 and semicircular groove 322 . when semicircular groove 321 and semicircular groove 322 are gathered together , a space will be formed just to contain executive circular disc 206 on executive mechanism 202 ; groove wall 313 and circular prominence 207 are arranged face to face . the fit clearance between housing 301 ( i . e . upper housing 311 and lower housing 312 ) and camshaft mechanism 201 and the fit clearance between housing 301 ( i . e . upper housing 311 and lower housing 312 ) and executive mechanism 202 have to meet the requirement allowing camshaft mechanism 201 and executive mechanism 202 able to turn successfully in housing 301 . when camshaft 215 is turned , the cams disposed on the camshaft may control the connection and disconnection mechanism of said 12 groups of switch contact sheets 302 . when executive mechanism 202 is turned , camshaft mechanism 201 may be driven to turn by the resilient force of interior spring 213 . because the width w of upper pawl 255 and lower pawl 265 is equal or approximately equal to the sum of thickness w 1 of camshaft circular disc 220 and thickness w 2 of driving cam 208 , so that upper pawl 255 and lower pawl 265 may rest on the rim of driving cam 208 and simultaneously rest on the rim of camshaft circular disc 220 ( or fall into positioning slot 212 of camshaft circular disc 220 ). fig3 c are two sectional views of turning switch of the present invention along lines d - d and f - f in fig3 a , used to show the control mechanism of switch contact sheets . through taking these two sectional views as examples , the working principle about how to control the connection and disconnection of two corresponding groups of switch contact sheets by two cams on camshaft is described . for other cams to control the connection and disconnection of other corresponding groups of switch contact sheets , the working principle just described above also is valid . as shown in fig3 c , in control mechanism of switch contact sheets is disposed an electricity - conductive bridge 345 ( 355 ), on which exists a bow - shape protruded portion , so that in a period during a cam is turned 360 °, a portion of the cam may push the bow - shape protruded portion of electricity - conductive bridge 345 ( 355 ) in a certain angular range , and other portion of the cam may depart from the bow - shape protruded portion of electricity - conductive bridge 345 ( 355 ) in other angular range . two electricity - conduct contactors 343 and 344 ( 353 and 354 ) are respectively disposed at one end of electricity - conductive bridge 345 ( 355 ), two springs 346 and 347 ( 356 and 357 ) are disposed respectively at the back of each electricity - conduct contactors and installed on housing . two electricity - conductive plates 341 and 342 ( 351 and 352 ), which are connected respectively with two pieces ( a group ) of switch contact sheets , are respectively disposed beneath one of electricity - conduct contactors 343 and 344 ( 353 and 354 ). therefore , when the cam does not contact the bow - shape protruded portion of electricity - conductive bridge 345 ( 355 ), the resilient force of springs 346 and 347 ( 356 and 357 ) will press electricity - conductive contactors 343 and 344 ( 353 and 354 ) tightly against electricity - conductive plates 341 and 342 ( 351 and 352 ), so that an open circuit of electric appliance , which is across said electricity - conductive contactors , will be electrically connected to become a closed circuit . when the cam pushes the bow - shape protruded portion of electricity - conductive bridge 345 ( 355 ), the thrust of the cam may conquer the resilient force of springs 346 and 347 ( 356 and 357 ) to cause electricity - conductive contactors 343 and 344 ( 353 and 354 ) departing respectively from electricity - conductive plates 341 and 342 ( 351 and 352 ), so that a closed circuit of electric appliance , which is across said electricity - conductive contactors , will be electrically disconnected to become an opened circuit . here , the housing and the cams are insulators ; electricity - conducive plates , electricity - conductive contactors and electricity - conductive bridges all are conductors . as shown in f - f section , switch contact sheets 302 . k and 302 . k in lower housing are in electricity - connection state . the current flows in turn through switch contact sheet 302 . k , electricity - conducive plate 351 , electricity - conductive contactor 353 , electricity - conductive bridge 355 , electricity - conductive contactor 354 , electricity - conducive plate 352 , and finally to switch contact sheet 302 . k . in this time , from f - f section it may be seen that a cam on camshaft 215 does not contact with electricity - conductive bridge 355 , between them exists a gap . through electricity - conductive contactors 353 and 354 , springs 356 and 357 may press two ends of electricity - conductive bridge 355 respectively tightly against electricity - conductive plates 351 and 352 , so that an electric connection is set up between contact sheets 302 . k and 302 . k . as shown in d - d section , switch contact sheets 302 . b and 302 . b in upper housing are in electric - disconnection state . because in uplifting process of electricity - conductive bridge 345 due to a cam on camshaft 215 pushing electricity - conductive bridge 345 upward , springs 346 and 347 are compressed . in this time , electricity - conductive contactors 343 and 344 will depart respectively from electricity - conductive plates 341 and 342 to cause electric - disconnection being set up between switch contact sheets 302 . b and 302 . b . fig4 a , 4 b , 4 c and 4 d are some sectional views used to concretely introduce the working principle about turning switch to be turned from a control - position to next control - position . at different control - position , the groups of switch contact sheets will set up different electrically connected circuit as a closed loop for electric appliance . although in fact , the switchover work is implemented by the interaction from camshaft mechanism 201 and executive mechanism 202 , which are coupled together , for more distinctly to introduce the working principle , in fig3 b yet are provided two sectional views along lines b - b and c - c to show the change of relative position of camshaft circular disc 220 and driving cam 208 in practical work . from b - b section the change of relative position of driving cam 208 may be distinctly observed ; from c - c section the change of relative position of camshaft circular disc 220 may be distinctly observed fig4 a shows the circumstance of relative position of camshaft circular disc 220 and driving cam 208 when turning switch is at initial position . as shown in c - c section of fig4 a ( i . e . sectional view along line c - c in fig3 a ), upper pawl device 250 include upper pawl arm 252 , upper pawl 255 , which is at fore end of upper pawl arm 252 ; through pin 253 upper pawl arm 252 may be rotatablely assembled on upper housing 311 . one end of exterior spring 251 clasps upper pawl arm 252 , another end clasps pin 254 , pin 254 is fixed on upper housing 311 . similarly , lower pawl arm 262 may be rotatablely assembled on lower housing 312 by pin 263 , one end of exterior spring 261 clasps lower pawl arm 262 , another end clasps pin 264 , pin 264 is fixed on lower housing 312 . exterior springs 251 and 261 apply pre - tensile force ( or offset force ) respectively to pawl arm 252 and to pawl arm 262 resulted in that pawls 255 and 265 respectively have a tendency to move toward the center of camshaft . therefore , once a positioning slot 212 rotates to a position where pawl 255 or 265 exists , pawl 255 or 265 will speedily fall into positioning slot 212 . as shown in c - c section of fig4 a ( i . e . sectional view along line c - c in fig3 a ), when turning switch is at initial position , pawl 255 on upper pawl device 250 falls into positioning slot 212 a to lock camshaft mechanism 201 unable to rotate ; pawl 265 on lower pawl device 260 is at an intermediate position between positioning slots 212 . b and 212 . c . it should be noted that : in width direction only a portion of pawl 255 falls into positioning slot 212 , the residual portion of pawl 255 will rest on the rim of driving cam 208 ( see pawl 255 in b - b section ). as shown in b - b section fig4 a ( i . e . sectional view along line b - b in fig3 a ), when turning switch is at initial position , in width direction a portion of upper pawl 255 rests on the rim of driving cam 208 and at an intermediate position between angular shape teeth 235 . a and 235 . b ; in width direction a portion of lower pawl 265 rests on the top of angular shape tooth 235 . c of driving cam 208 . when turning switch is at initial position as shown in fig4 a , sector shape groove 211 on camshaft circular disc 220 and sector shape groove 222 on driving cam 208 are fully gathered together to form an empty chamber , in this case that the interior spring 213 contained in the empty chamber is not compressed and in free state , as shown in state 1 of fig2 g pawl arm also may be a resilient metal sheet made from shape memory alloy . in this case , the resilient metal sheet is directly fixed on housing , thus exterior spring may be omitted , but the pawl at the fore end of pawl arm is preset into positioning slot 212 . fig4 b shows the circumstance of relative position of camshaft circular disc 220 and driving cam 208 after driving cam 208 is turned an angle counterclockwise . as shown in c - c section of fig4 b ( i . e . sectional view along line c - c in fig3 a ), for pawl 255 falls into positioning slot 212 a to cause camshaft mechanism 201 being locked , so camshaft circular disc 220 keeps at its position not varying . as shown in b - b section of fig4 b ( i . e . sectional view along line b - b in fig3 a ), when driving cam 208 is turned about 30 ° counterclockwise , because camshaft circular disc 220 keeps at its position not varying , sector shape groove 211 and sector shape groove 222 are staggered each other , interior spring 213 starts to be compressed and to store a certain quantity of potential energy as shown in state 2 of fig2 g . when driving cam 208 is being turned counterclockwise , angular shape tooth 235 . a will be gradually close to pawl 255 , then pawl 255 , which already fell in positioning slot 212 . a , also gradually approaches the going - up slant surface on driving cam 208 ( for radius r 2 of outer top circle of driving cam 208 is larger than radius r 1 of inner root circle of driving cam 208 ). then pawl 255 , which formerly fell in positioning slot 212 . a , will be gradually pushed out from positioning slot 212 . a by the going - up slant surface . in b - b section of fig4 b , pawl 265 rests on the rim of camshaft circular disc 220 , for radius r 4 of camshaft circular disc 200 is larger than radius r 1 of inner root circle of driving cam 208 , thus between pawl 265 and driving cam 208 remains a gap , therefore no roadblock will interfere the turning of driving cam 208 . fig4 c shows the circumstance of relative position of camshaft circular disc 220 and driving cam 208 after driving cam 208 is continuously turned an angle counterclockwise . as shown in b - b section of fig4 c ( i . e . sectional view along line b - b in fig3 a ), after driving cam is turned about 55 ° counterclockwise , pawl 255 in positioning slot 212 . a gradually approaches the top point of the going - up slant surface of driving cam 208 ( i . e . the top of angular shape tooth 212 . a ), in this time , going - up slant surface pushes pawl 255 almost but not completely out from positioning slot 212 . a . therefore , camshaft circular disc 220 yet keeps in its original position not varying , sector shape groove 211 and sector shape groove 222 are further staggered each other , and interior spring 213 also is further compressed . fig4 d shows the circumstance of relative position of camshaft circular disc 220 and driving cam 208 , when driving cam 208 is continuously turned to 60 ° counterclockwise . as shown in b - b section of fig4 d ( i . e . sectional view along line b - b in fig3 a ), when driving cam 208 is turned 60 ° ( a step angle ), upper pawl 255 is just at the top of angular shape tooth 235 . a , thus upper pawl 255 , which formerly fell in positioning slot 212 . a , is pushed completely out from positioning slot 212 . a . as shown in c - c section of fig4 d ( i . e . sectional view along line c - c in fig3 b ), camshaft circular disc 220 is turned counterclockwise by the pushing of resilient force of compressed interior spring 213 , as for the circumstance when upper pawl 255 at the top of angular shape tooth 235 . a , see b - b section of fig4 d . when camshaft circular disc 220 is turned 60 ° counterclockwise , under the action of pulling force of exterior spring 261 , lower pawl 265 falls into positioning slot 212 . b and sends out a silvery snap , then the turning of camshaft circular disc 220 is stopped . interior spring 213 comes back to its free state ( or maybe in a state being somewhat pre - compressed ) as shown in state 3 of fig2 g . in this time , in b - b section of fig4 d ( i . e . sectional view along line b - b in fig3 b ), upper pawl 255 is at the top of angular shape tooth 235 . a , lower pawl 265 is at an intermediate position between angular shape teeth 235 . b and 235 . c of driving cam 208 ; in c - c section of fig4 d ( i . e . sectional view along line c - c in fig3 b ), upper pawl 255 is at an intermediate position between positioning slots 212 . a and 212 . c , lower pawl 265 falls into positioning slot 212 . b . if driving cam 208 is again turned 60 ° counterclockwise toward next position , angular shape teeth 235 . b of driving cam 208 will push lower pawl 265 out from positioning slot 212 . b . once lower pawl 265 is pushed out from positioning slot 212 . b , due to driving of the resilient force of interior spring 213 , then camshaft circular disc 220 will be turned 60 ° counterclockwise , upper pawl 255 falls into positioning slot 212 . c , lower pawl 265 is at an intermediate position between angular shape teeth 235 . b and 235 . a . namely , camshaft circular disc 208 is turned 1200 counterclockwise every time , upper pawl 255 and lower pawl 265 in turn will fall into positioning slot 212 ( 212 . a , 212 . b , or 212 . c ) a time . as embodiment to describe the principle of the present invention in detail , the step angle in the present invention is taken as 60 ° ( i . e . six times of step equal to 360 °). even though the step angle is changed , the principle yet will keep correct and able to get same effect of the present invention if the number of positioning slots on camshaft circular disc 220 , the number of angular shape teeth on driving cam 208 , and the angle included between lower pawl 265 and vertical line are changed correspondingly and suitably . fig5 a to 5c shows the positional relation among the positioning slots on camshaft circular disc 220 , angular shape teeth on driving cam 208 and two paws , when step angle is taken as 30 °, 45 ° and 90 ° respectively . as shown in fig5 a , when step angle is taken as 30 ° ( i . e . 12 times of step equal to 360 °), the number of positioning slots on camshaft circular disc 220 is 6 , the number of angular shape teeth on driving cam 208 is 6 , in assembly the angular shape tooth on driving cam 208 and the positioning slot on camshaft circular disc 220 are staggered an angle of 30 °; the angle included between lower pawl 265 and vertical line is 30 °. under such a condition , driving cam 208 is turned 30 ° every time ; there exists one of pawls to fall into positioning slot . as shown in fig5 b , when step angle is taken as 45 ° ( i . e . 8 times of step equal to 360 °), the number of positioning slots on camshaft circular disc 220 is 4 , the number of angular shape teeth on driving cam 208 is 4 , in assembly the angular shape tooth on driving cam 208 and the positioning slot on camshaft circular disc 220 are staggered an angle of 45 °; the angle included between lower pawl 265 and vertical line is 45 °. under such a condition , driving cam 208 is turned 45 ° every time ; there exists one of pawls to fall into positioning slot . as shown in fig5 c , when step angle is taken as 90 ° ( i . e . 4 times of step equal to 360 °), the number of positioning slots on camshaft circular disc 220 is 2 , the number of angular shape teeth on driving cam 208 is 2 , in assembly the angular shape tooth on driving cam 208 and the positioning slot on camshaft circular disc 220 are staggered an angle of 90 °; the angle included between lower pawl 265 and vertical line is 90 °. under such a condition , driving cam 208 is turned 90 ° every time ; there exists one of pawls to fall into positioning slot . additionally , in the embodiment of the present invention , the ratchet mechanism of the present invention is used for turning switch . as known by those skilled in the art , the ratchet mechanism of the present invention also may be widely used for other occasions where the function of non - returning and positioning is needed ( such as used for encoder ). | 7 |
referring now to the drawing , there is shown in fig1 a recreational floatation board , such as a paddle board 11 equipped with a retractable carrying handle assembly 12 . the board has a substantially planar load - bearing top surface 13 and a relatively shallow hull 14 . the board consists essentially of a core made of a slab of buoyant low density ( about one pound per cubic foot ), rigid foam material 15 covered by a durable rigid skin 16 made from composite material such as fiberglass - resin composite sheets . the handle assembly is packaged in a housing 17 ensconced in a cavity cut into a median section of the slab . the housing is approximately 16 . 5 centimeters ( 6 . 5 inches ) long , 7 . 5 centimeters ( 3 inches ) wide and 6 centimeters ( 2 . 4 inches ) deep . the handle assembly can be completely pushed into the housing which has an opening substantially flush with the top surface of the board . as illustrated in fig7 , the handle assembly comprises an oblong member 18 of approximately 12 . 5 centimeters ( 5 inches ) in length shaped and dimensioned to be comfortably grasped by a hand ( partially shown in dashed lines ). a shaft 19 extends radially from each opposite end of the member about 6 . 5 centimeters ( 2 . 5 inches ) into a well 20 of a 2 centimeters ( 0 . 75 inch ) diameter formed in the housing where its extremity is moveably secured to it by tabs 21 having rounded top edges 41 slidingly riding into a pair of slotted , closed - ended channels 22 more specifically shown in fig4 - 6 . accordingly , the graspable member 18 of the handle assembly may be pulled out of the housing roughly up to the height of the shaft until the tabs 21 reach the rounded top ends 41 of the channels 22 . the commensurately rounded top edges of the tabs and top ends of the channels cause the handle assembly to be self - centered and more firmly held in place in the fully extended position . the housing 17 includes a quadrangular peripheral wall 23 , a roof 24 , and a bottom plate 25 . the roof has an oblong aperture 26 through which the oblong member can be extracted . the manual extraction is facilitated by a finger - inserting notch 27 in the periphery of the aperture . a bulging bead 28 is formed on the rim of the aperture and notch . the bead extends to a height h commensurate with the thickness of the skin 16 . during the manufacture of the board , the housing is buried into a commensurately shaped cavity in the slab to the top of the roof , and the skin section covering the top surface is extended over the roof to the edge of the bead as illustrated in fig9 . the cavity can be molded into the slab or cut from a pre - molded slab . the top surface of the roof is preferably etched to facilitate adhesion with the skin . a skin bond avoidance mask having a peripheral shape commensurate with the peripheral shape of the bead can be adhered to the top roof surface during manufacture so that the skin can be conveniently formed over the bead . thereafter , the skin over the bead can be removed along with the mask . the bottom plate 25 is bonded or snap - fitted , sonic welded or otherwise secured to the lower edge 29 of the wall 23 after the handle assembly has been inserted through the base of the housing . it is important to note that the handle assembly can be made symmetrically so that it can be inserted in a first orientation or rotated 180 degrees about a central axis parallel with an elongation axis of a shaft 19 and inserted . such universality can reduce assembly costs . the wall tapers inwardly toward the bottom plate at dwell angle a of approximately 0 . 25 to 1 degree , and more preferably about 0 . 5 degree in order to facilitate extraction of the housing from its mold during manufacture . the bottom plate extends peripherally beyond the lower edge of the wall into a narrow ledge 30 which can carry an amount of adhesive for bonding the housing to the slab and can oppose extraction of the housing from the cavity . the edge 31 of the bottom plate can taper inwardly from the ledge to enhance penetration movement but resist extraction movement of the housing with respect to the slab . as illustrated in fig8 , a sleeve 32 made of a resiliently compressible material such as high density foam ( about 6 to 8 pounds per cubic foot ) or rubber and having an inside space 33 commensurate with the housing has its inner surface 34 bonded to the wall 23 and its outer surface 35 bonded to a cavity wall 65 of the board slab 15 . a rim groove 36 at the top of the sleeve is dimensioned to receive the outer edge of the housing roof . the sleeve has walls about 2 . 5 centimeters ( 1 inch ) thick , and is intended to absorb torsional deformations of the whole carrying structure during rough handling and to accommodate thermal expansions without affecting the bonding with the foam slab . two radial nibs 37 , 43 positioned at opposite ends of each shaft project into a small track 38 in the well 20 and frictionally contact an upper shelf 42 when the grasping member is either extracted completely from of pushed down into its well , and acts as immobilizing detents . the former action can also be achieved by slightly tapering the channels downwardly and outwardly to cause some friction against the wells and releasably immobilize the handle assembly in the extracted position . the roof 24 is pierced with a series of bores 39 to facilitate evacuation of water , sand and debris that may accumulate inside the housing . in order to generate turbulence and maximize the expulsion of sand and debris when the handle assembly is pushed back into the housing , the shafts are preferably tubular and have a notched portion 40 at their base . during retraction of the handle , ambient water can be forced through notched portions to form a water jet to agitate the ambient water and thus suspend the sand and debris for evacuation . the notches in both shafts are oriented to oppose one another in order to maximize turbulence where the jets meet one another . in addition , the wells 20 are structurally reinforced within the housing by a plural number of spaced apart gussets 60 connecting the wells to the peripheral wall 23 of the housing 17 to form a number of adjacent chambers 63 surrounding the area of the aperture 26 . the gussets 60 can terminate a distance d 1 above the bottom plate 25 , and the wells 20 can terminate a distance d 2 above the bottom plate to create an expensive open space extending fully across the inner top surface 61 of the bottom plate to the inner surfaces of the peripheral wall 23 . the distance d 2 can be smaller than d 1 to provide a bearing surface to the shafts during their entire range of motion between the extended and retracted positions . in this way , agitation can spread across the entire inner top surface 61 of the bottom plate to maintain suspension of debris until drained out . repeated extension and retraction of the handle shafts 19 along the wells 20 cause a self - cleansing action for the interior of the housing . it &# 39 ; s important to note that the gussets 60 can extend vertically to attach to the underside 62 of the roof 24 for added strength and stability , and to avoid interior voids which can be more costly to manufacture . at least one of the bores 39 is provided for fluid communication therethrough between each chamber 63 and the top of the roof 24 to facilitate drainage and air intake for each chamber . fig1 shows an alternate embodiment for the handle assembly 50 having a housing 51 shaped to have a front wall 52 having a central salient 53 around the finger notch 54 . the top roof 55 has a similar geometry having a front salient 56 so that its periphery extends a distance beyond the top edge of the walls to prove a minimum adequate surface for bonding of skin of the board . in addition , and optionally , a portion of the outer surface of the oblong member 57 of the handle can be covered with a layer 58 of durable , resiliently compressible material such as a synthetic rubber - type material . the layer can be secondarily molded upon the member after the rigid part of the handle has been molded . the layer terminates at angled edges 59 so as not to cover the outer surface of the shafts 60 , 61 extending orthogonally downward from the opposite ends of the oblong member . this also allows the radial locking nibs 63 to remain unimpeded and thus free to detentedly engage the shelf in the housing track . the resilient material layer 58 allows for more comfortable extended duration grasping by a user while not interfering with the other functions of the retractable handle device . the instant invention thus provides a convenient implement for holding and carrying a recreational or utilitarian floatation structure such as a canoe , kayak , surfboard , sailboard or paddle board . it can also be used for conveniently and securely fastening the structure to an automobile rack using straps , or bicycle rack using a cable or chain to avoid theft . the grasping handle is completely contained in the housing buried under the top surface of the structure , leaving no protruding part that could interfere with its normal use or operation . the grasping handle can be released from its secured stowed position and extracted into a stable functional position above the surface of the structure with an easy pull of a finger . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed , modifications may be made and other embodiment may be devised without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims . | 1 |
the present invention proposes to significantly reduce the losses in the series resistances , both in the eap based device and in other high - voltage components . the key in this invention is to optimize the conversion process at the place where the electrical conditions are poor , at the cost of a degraded conversion process at the place where the electrical conditions are ( already ) significantly better . fig2 shows schematically a part of a circuit of a prior art electromechanical energy conversion system 2 with a combined boost / buck converter between power source and eap based device . in this arrangement of the step - up converter and the step - down converter , the inductors of the step - up converter and the step - down converter are combined in a single inductor l 12 . further , buck switching element s 2 is now parallel with the boost diode d 1 , and the boost switching element s 1 is now in parallel with the buck diode d 2 . the forward direction of the boost diode d 1 is towards the positive terminal of the variable capacitor 10 . both the boost switching element s 1 and the buck diode d 2 are connected each with one terminal to a connection node n between inductor 12 and the boost diode d 1 and with the respective other terminal to the line 11 that connects the negative terminal of the power source lv and the negative electrode of the variable capacitor 10 . as in fig1 , the highly resistive eap device ( the variable capacitor 10 ) is on the load side during charging and on the source side during discharging while the power source lv is positioned on the source side of the circuit during charging and on the load side during discharging , yielding relative high losses during operation in a similar way as the circuit shown in fig1 . fig3 shows schematically an example of an average current and effective current for a typical converter discontinuous current waveform as obtained in a prior art electromechanical energy conversion system . the circuit of fig1 or fig2 produces a typical discontinuous current waveform at the side of the eap based device , emphasizing the difference between the average current i avg and the effective current irms . for this particular waveform , the effective current i rms is 60 % higher than the average current i avg , resulting in 156 % more losses compared to a dc waveform . fig4 shows schematically a part of a circuit of an electromechanical energy conversion system with parallel boost converter and buck converter between power source and eap based device according to an embodiment of the invention . the circuit 5 of the electromechanical conversion system comprises a high - voltage ( ub & gt ; uvc ) power source hv and a variable capacitor 10 based on an elastically deformable body of an eap material . the power source hv and the variable capacitor 10 are coupled to each other by a parallel arrangement of a step - up converter ( boost converter ) l 1 , s 1 , d 1 and an step - down converter ( buck converter ) l 2 , s 2 , d 2 . the step - up converter l 1 , s 1 , d 1 comprises a boost inductor l 1 , a boost switching element s 1 and a boost diode d 1 , wherein the boost inductor l 1 and the boost diode d 1 are arranged in series between the positive terminal of the power source hv and the positive electrode ( plate ) of the variable capacitor 10 . the boost inductor l 1 is connected at one terminal to the positive electrode of the variable capacitor 10 and at the other terminal to the anode (−) of the boost diode d 1 . the cathode (+) of the boost diode d 1 is connected to the positive terminal of the power source hv . note that the forward direction of the boost converter is thus directed from the variable capacitor 10 to the power source hv . the negative terminal of the power source hv and the negative electrode of the variable capacitor 10 are directly coupled by a line 11 . the boost switching element s 1 is arranged with one terminal of the switch connected between the boost inductor l 1 and the boost diode d 1 and the other terminal of the switch connected to the line 11 . the step - down converter l 2 , s 2 , d 2 comprises a buck inductor l 2 , a buck switching element s 2 and a buck diode d 2 , wherein the buck inductor l 2 and the buck switching element s 2 ( typically a transistor ) are arranged in series between the positive terminal of the power source hv and the positive electrode ( plate ) of the variable capacitor 10 . the buck switching element s 2 is connected with one terminal to the positive terminal of the power source hv and with the other terminal of the switch to one terminal of the buck inductor l 2 . the other terminal of the buck inductor l 2 is connected to the positive electrode of the variable capacitor 10 . the negative terminal of the power source hv and the negative electrode of the variable capacitor 10 are directly coupled by a second line 12 . the buck diode d 2 is arranged with one terminal connected between the buck switch s 2 and the buck inductor l 2 and the other terminal of the diode d 2 connected to the second line 12 . note that in this circuit the highly resistive eap device ( the variable capacitor 10 ) is on the load side during charging and on the source side during discharging . as a result the current from the variable capacitor during the discharging operation is now uninterrupted by the switching element ( s ), given that the converter is operated in continuous conduction mode ( ccm ). additionally it is noted that due to the arrangement of the step - up converter the requirement is fulfilled that the voltage ub of the power source hv is higher than the voltage uvc over the electrodes of the variable capacitor 10 . in the circuit of fig4 , the charging of the variable capacitor is now performed by the step - down converter and the discharging of the variable capacitor is performed by the step - up converter . furthermore , in the circuit of fig4 , the power source is arranged as a dc source with a voltage ( ub ) larger than the voltage ( uvc ) between the first and second electrodes of the variable capacitor 10 . fig5 shows schematically a part of a circuit of an electromechanical energy conversion system with a combined boost / buck converter between power source and eap based device according to an embodiment of the invention . the circuit of fig5 is similar to that shown in fig2 , except the power source hv is now positioned with its positive terminal coupled to the cathode of the boost diode d 1 and the buck switching element s 2 , while the variable capacitor 10 is now positioned on the side of the inductor l 12 . note that the forward direction of the boost and buck diodes d 1 , d 2 is now towards the positive terminal of the power source hv in contrast to the circuit of fig2 where the forward direction of the boost and buck diodes was towards the positive electrode of the variable capacitor 10 . in the circuit of fig5 , the charging of the variable capacitor is now performed by the step - down converter and the discharging of the variable capacitor is performed by the step - up converter . as a result of the charging and discharging by the step - down converter and the step - up converter respectively , in the circuit of fig5 , the power source is arranged as a dc source with a voltage ( ub ) larger than the voltage ( uvc ) between the first and second electrodes of the variable capacitor 10 . fig6 shows schematically an example of an average current and effective current for a typical converter continuous current waveform as obtained in an electromechanical energy conversion system according to an embodiment of the invention . for that purpose , the eap based device with high series resistance is positioned in such a way that only continuous switching currents are applied during charging and discharging , which significantly reduces the ratio between the effective and average current . consequently , the losses in the series resistance are reduced considerably , where a loss reduction of 50 % is to be expected when the i rms / i avg ratio is reduced by 30 %. the losses in the series resistance of the power source dc bus , from which the eap based device is charged and discharged , are increased with the same ratio , but since the series resistance of the power source dc bus is typically orders of magnitude lower than the eap device series resistance , the increase of effective current can easily be accumulated in this part . the present invention also provides a method for electromechanical energy conversion in an electromechanical energy conversion system as described above , wherein the method comprises electronically charging the variable capacitor 10 from the power source hv at substantially a state of the variable capacitor 10 when the gap distance is substantially minimal and the area of the elastically body substantially maximal , and electronically discharging the variable capacitor 10 to the power source hv at substantially a state of the variable capacitor when the gap distance is substantially maximal and the area of the elastically body substantially minimal , and wherein the electronically charging of the variable capacitor is performed by a step - down converter l 2 , s 2 , d 2 ; l 12 , s 2 , d 2 , and the electronically discharging of the variable capacitor is performed by a step - up converter l 1 , s 1 , d 1 ; l 12 , s 1 , d 1 , under the condition that the power source is a dc source with a voltage ( ub ) larger than a voltage ( uvc ) between the electrodes of the variable capacitor 10 ; the step - down converter and the step - up converter being arranged in parallel between the power source and the variable capacitor electrodes . it is noted that the invention is not limited to buck / boost converter configurations such as shown in fig4 and 5 . according to the invention , the circuits shown in fig4 and 5 can be replaced by other buck / boost converter topologies , such as multi - level and interleaved buck / boost - converters wherein the charging of the variable capacitor is performed by the step - down converter charging the variable capacitor by the step - down converter and the discharging of the variable capacitor is performed by the step - up converter . the present invention provides various advantages and benefits over prior art systems . significant reduction of losses in the high series resistance of the eap material , and therefore a higher efficiency in the eap electromechanical conversion process . size and cost reduction of the main power components , including but not limited to cabling , cooling systems and electrode material . reduced high frequency content in the current waveform , which is likely to reduce fatigue phenomena in the material . parasitic inductance in the eap device can be used effectively as the primary inductor , whereas the parasitic capacitance of the bus can be used effectively to buffer the voltage . the eap based variable capacitor 10 is typically a elastically deformable body that comprises an arrangement of eap stretchable synthetic material and electrode layers being arranged as a variable capacitor . the capacitance of the capacitor structure varies as the deformable body stretches and relaxes . the elastically deformable body may be disposed in ( a layer of ) surface water , for example the sea surface , where waves carrying energy occur . the elastically deformable body is arranged to deform due to exposure to these waves . such deformation is typically cyclical , comprises both stretching to a stretched state and a relaxation to a substantially undeformed or less deformed state by the interaction with the waves . the elastically deformable body may be an elongated tube consisting of a layer of a stretchable synthetic material disposed as a dielectric material between inner electrode layers and outer electrode layers . the distance between the inner and outer electrode layers is determined by the thickness of the layer of the stretchable synthetic material . due to the tube shape a water wave may enter the tube and propagate through the tube while at the same time producing a bulge that deforms the tube wall . as a result , the thickness of the layer of a stretchable synthetic material may vary and change the distance between the inner and outer electrode layers , allowing the inner and outer electrode layers to function as a variable capacitor . the electromechanical energy conversion system of the present invention may be part of an energy harvesting system for harvesting energy from the change of capacitance of an elastically deformable body acting as variable capacitor that occurs during the deformation cycle of the elastically deformable body . the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments . obvious modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description . it is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims . | 8 |
in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , there is provided a combined piezo sensor and piezo actuator device . the piezo sensors utilize a piezo element to generate an electrical signal in response to physical pressure , such as the force exerted by a user &# 39 ; s finger , so as to detect user input . the piezo actuator utilizes a similar piezo element to provide tactile feedback , such as vibration , to a user of the device . preferably , both the piezo sensors and the piezo actuator are fabricated from a single piezo - electric element so as to be both coplanar and electronically isolated from one another . the difference in operation between the piezo sensors and the piezo actuator is achieved through a coupling of the piezo sensors and the piezo actuator to a voltage source and a differential voltage measurement device respectively as described more fully below . with reference to fig1 a - 1 b , there is illustrated an exemplary embodiment of a sensor / actuator device 15 according to the invention . the sensor / actuator device 15 may form , but is not limited to , a display device , touch pads , and keypads . fig1 a is a top view of the sensor / actuator device 15 . sensor / actuator device 15 is formed of a piezo actuator 13 about which is disposed at least one piezo sensor 11 . as the sensor / actuator device 15 will be situated below a display device , such display devices being typically of a generally rectangular construction , the sensor / actuator device 15 is likewise preferred to be of a generally rectangular shape . the sensor / actuator device 15 is preferably formed of a single piece of piezo - electric material forming a single piezo element 23 . preferred piezo - electric materials include , but are not limited to , serial and parallel bimorph piezo - electric materials . to form the piezo - electric material , piezoceramics can be deposited onto a metal sheet functioning as a middle electrode of the bimorph structure using a sintering process . during production , a masking operation can be performed to isolate the piezo sensors 11 from the piezo actuator 13 . the mask can be a mechanical frame covering the areas to be isolated during a sintering process . this isolation results in piezo sensors 11 which are electrically isolated from the piezo actuator 13 while remaining structurally coupled via a ground electrode 19 ′. such an isolation can be achieved through a physical isolation in the form of a gap 21 formed between each of the piezo sensors 11 and the piezo actuator 13 . in addition , post fabrication , but before poling the piezo - electric material , an electrical insulator can be deposited into the gaps 21 to maintain the electrical isolation of the piezo sensors 11 from the piezo actuator 13 . in addition , isolated areas can be produced by depositing a dielectric material over the areas . the dielectric material survives the sintering process . in another exemplary embodiment , the piezo sensors 11 and piezo actuator 13 can be isolated from each other through a process of etching or otherwise mechanically removing the piezo material between them . typically , after performing the poling , procedures requiring high temperatures or mechanical stresses are to be avoided as they can degrade the piezoelectricity of the element . as illustrated , there are four piezo sensors 11 fabricated into the sensor / actuator device 15 . these piezo sensors 11 are generally rectangular in shape and are located about a periphery of , or proximate , the piezo actuator 13 . specifically , the piezo sensors 11 are located in the corners of the generally rectangular sensor / actuator device 15 . the piezo actuator 13 extends in continuous fashion between the piezo sensors 11 covering the remainder of the generally rectangular expanse of sensor / actuator device 15 . the invention , however , is not so limited . rather the invention is drawn to broadly encompass any number of piezo sensors 11 electrically isolated from a piezo actuator 13 and structurally coupled via a ground electrode 19 ′ whereby the piezo sensors 11 and the piezo actuator 13 reside in the same general plane . for example , a single piezo sensor 11 can be entirely surrounded by the piezo actuator 13 and separated by a gap . as noted above , it is preferred that the combination of the piezo actuator 13 and the piezo sensors 11 combine to form a generally rectangular shape as the sensor / actuator device 15 is intended to correspond to the general size and shape of a display . in addition , as will be made clear below , the electrical connections required to operate the sensor / actuator device 15 are most efficiently realized when the piezo sensors 11 are located about the periphery of the sensor / actuator device 15 . with reference to fig1 b , there is illustrated a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the sensor / actuator device 15 of the invention . as is evident , both the piezo actuator 13 and piezo sensors 11 are formed of a single piezo element 23 . in the present example , the piezo element 23 is a parallel bimorph piezo element 23 formed with three electrodes 19 . electrodes 19 , 19 ″ are coupled to opposing outer surfaces of the piezo element 23 , while electrode 19 ′ extends through and divides the piezo element 23 into two pieces and is coupled to ground . there is further illustrated display 17 . display 17 may be any display device capable of presenting visual information in the form of an image upon display 17 and flexible enough to allow a pressure applied to an outer surface of the display 17 to generate an electrical output from the piezo sensors 11 as described more fully below . typical displays 17 include , but are not limited to , liquid crystal displays ( lcds ). as discussed above , the sensor / actuator device 15 is preferably approximately the same size and shape as the display under which it rests . display 17 is therefore illustrated as extending across an expanse , in two dimensions exclusive of a thickness , approximately equal to the expanse over which the sensor / actuator device 15 extends . typical dimensions of thickness for the sensor / actuator device 15 range from approximately 0 . 3 to 0 . 7 mm . a side of display 17 is separated from a side of the sensor / actuator device 15 by a distance d . in operation , and as depicted , the distance d is of a value sufficiently small so as to allow a force f applied to an outer surface of the display 17 to be transmitted to a piezo sensor 11 to an extent great enough to be sensed as described below . conversely , the display 17 provides sufficient flexibility to allow vibrations generated by the piezo actuator 13 to pass through the display 17 to be sensed by a user . display 17 can also reside such that a side of display 17 rests in contact with a side of the sensor / actuator device 15 . in such an instance , the distance d is approximately equal to zero . with reference to fig2 , there is illustrated a wiring diagram of an exemplary embodiment by which the sensor / actuator device 15 of the invention can be operated . it is a property of piezo - electric materials that physical deformation , as occurs when pressure is applied , gives rise to an electrical current . conversely , when an electrical charge is applied to a piezo - electric material , a physical deformation of the piezo - electric material can be induced . as illustrated , the piezo actuator 13 is coupled to a voltage pump 35 for providing a voltage to the piezo actuator 13 . specifically , voltage pump 35 provides a voltage to the external electrodes 19 , 19 ″ of the piezo actuator 13 . when a voltage is applied by the voltage pump 35 to the piezo actuator 13 , the piezo actuator 13 bends in response . repeated stressing of the piezo actuator 13 via the application of a plurality of applications of voltage to the piezo actuator 13 will result in a vibration of the piezo actuator 13 . similarly , a single application and cessation of applied voltage to the piezo actuator 13 can approximate the tactile sensation of a “ click ”. in a preferred embodiment , the piezo actuator 13 operates in a 31 - mode . a 31 - mode actuator 13 produces displacement perpendicular to an electric field applied parallel to the piezo element 23 . typical voltages for application to the piezo actuator 13 operating in a portable electronic device range from approximately 25 volts to approximately 185 volts . similarly , as illustrated , each piezo sensor 11 is coupled to a differential potential measurement device 31 for measuring a differential electrical potential formed across the piezo sensor 11 when physically deformed . when a pressure , such as that resulting from a force f , is applied to a piezo sensor 11 , a sensor signal is generated . in the exemplary embodiment illustrated , this sensor signal is measured by the differential potential measurement device 31 as the difference between the negative signal ( with respect to ground ) from a front surface of the piezo sensor 11 ( the side closest to display 17 ) and a positive signal from an opposing rear surface of the piezo sensor 11 . preferably , each piezo sensor 11 is operated in a 33 - mode . a 33 - mode sensor produces a voltage differential across opposing surfaces when deformed in a direction parallel to the direction of the polarization of the piezo element 23 . there is further illustrated a control device , processor 33 , for controlling the operation of the voltage pump 35 and for receiving an output signal from the differential potential measurement device 31 indicative of the activation of a piezo sensor 11 . in the embodiment shown , an a / d converter is coupled to both the differential potential measurement device 31 and the processor 33 for converting the analog signal of the differential potential measurement device 31 , indicative of the force applied to a piezo sensor 11 , to a digital output signal capable of reception by the processor 33 . while only one differential potential measurement device 31 is illustrated , a separate differential potential measurement device 31 is preferably coupled to each individual piezo sensor 11 , with the output of each differential potential measurement device 31 coupled to one or more a / d converters similarly coupled to the processor 33 . in an exemplary embodiment , each piezo sensor 11 corresponds to an image or to part of an image displayed upon display 17 and intended to be selected . as a result , applying a force to a portion of the display 17 corresponding to a portion of the displayed image to be selected , under which rests a piezo sensor 11 , results in a signal being sent to the processor 33 indicative of an activation of the associated piezo sensor 11 . in the instance that the processor 33 has access to the image data displayed upon display 17 , such as through access to a memory in which the image is stored , the processor 33 can correlate the individual piezo sensor 11 activated to an intended logical selection of an image element , such as a button , by a user . the processor 33 is any device or element capable of receiving an input , performing actions upon the input , and issuing an output in response thereto . in the exemplary embodiment illustrated , the processor 33 receives an input indicative of the activation of a piezo sensor 11 and issues an output to the voltage pump 35 in response thereto . more specifically , the processor 33 receives a digital input signal from a / d converter 35 when a force f is applied to a piezo sensor 11 . the processor 33 can compare the received input signal to a threshold value , either stored internally or in external memory coupled to the processor 33 , for determining if the force f applied to the piezo sensor 11 is of sufficient magnitude to indicate an activation of the piezo sensor 11 . if the input signal is deemed to be of sufficient magnitude ( greater than or equal to the threshold value ), the processor proceeds to instruct the piezo actuator 13 to provide tactile feedback indicative of the activation of a piezo sensor 11 . as described above , the voltage pump 35 may be instructed by the processor 33 to provide an output voltage to the piezo actuator 13 of sufficient form and magnitude to produce a single “ click ” or a vibration of the piezo actuator 13 . in this manner , the processor 33 functions to detect the activation of individual piezo sensors 11 in response to the application of pressure upon one or more piezo sensors 11 and to provide tactile feedback thereto . with reference to fig3 , there is illustrated a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an implementation of the invention in a mobile device or station 300 . in a preferred embodiment , mobile device 300 is a mobile telephone . mobile device 300 is formed of a processor 33 . processor 33 is coupled to the display 17 , the piezo sensors 11 , the piezo actuator 13 , and a memory 39 upon which is stored data required by the processor 33 , such as a threshold value . in general , the various embodiments of the mobile device 300 can include , but are not limited to , cellular telephones , portable electronic devices , personal digital assistants ( pdas ) having wireless communication capabilities , portable computers having wireless communication capabilities , image capture devices such as digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities , gaming devices having wireless communication capabilities , music storage and playback appliances having wireless communication capabilities , internet appliances permitting wireless internet access and browsing , as well as portable units or terminals that incorporate combinations of such functions . the embodiments of this invention involving the determination of an activation of a piezo sensor 11 and the subsequent provision of a tactile response via operation of the piezo actuator 13 may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of the mobile device 300 , such as the processor 33 , or by hardware , or by a combination of software and hardware . the memory 39 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology , such as semiconductor - based memory devices , magnetic memory devices and systems , optical memory devices and systems , fixed memory and removable memory . the data processor 33 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment , and may include one or more of general purpose computers , special purpose computers , microprocessors , digital signal processors ( dsps ) and processors based on a multi - core processor architecture , as non - limiting examples . in general , the various embodiments such as controlling the display 17 , the piezo sensors 11 , and the piezo actuator 13 , may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits , software , logic or any combination thereof . for example , some aspects may be implemented in hardware , while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller , microprocessor or other computing device , although the invention is not limited thereto . while various aspects of the invention may be illustrated and described as block diagrams , or using some other pictorial representation , it is well understood that these blocks , apparatus , systems , techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in , as non - limiting examples , hardware , software , firmware , special purpose circuits or logic , general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices , or some combination thereof . certain embodiments of the inventions may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit modules . the design of integrated circuits is by and large a highly automated process . complex and powerful software tools are available for converting a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate . programs , such as those provided by synopsys , inc . of mountain view , calif . and cadence design , of san jose , calif . automatically route conductors and locate components on a semiconductor chip using well established rules of design as well as libraries of pre - stored design modules . once the design for a semiconductor circuit has been completed , the resultant design , in a standardized electronic format ( e . g ., opus , gdsii , or the like ) may be transmitted to a semiconductor fabrication facility or “ fab ” for fabrication . although described in the context of particular embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a number of modifications and various changes to these teachings may occur . thus , while the invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to one or more exemplary embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain modifications or changes may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth above , or from the scope of the ensuing claims . | 6 |
the present invention is applicable to the manufacture of both types of water - release transfers described above , i . e . the water - slide type and the reverse - fixing type and any means may be used to attach the transfer layer to the receiving surface including mechanical fixing , electrostatic , magnetic , air pressure , suction and adhesives . adhesives include : one preferred class of pressure - sensitive adhesives are described in british pat . no . 1 , 491 , 678 . generally speaking it is convenient to apply the design to a conventional substrate for water release transfers which is usually a water permeable paper coated with a water soluble natural or synthetic polymer such as dextrin . it will be appreciated that other types of flexible substrates and water - release coatings of other kinds may be used as alternatives . the transferable design may comprise one or more clear , or coloured ( which includes white and black ) photopolymerised ink layers . in the case where a plurality of ink layers are superimposed to form a composite design , the inks are applied sequentially and each layer is subjected to a degree of photopolymerising radiation which is at least sufficient to polymerise the layer to the extent necessary to accept overprinting without picking or smudging before application of the succeeding layers . it is not necessary to fully photopolymerise the intermediate layers before applying the subsequent layers . it is not essential that all the ink layers are formed from photopolymerisable inks and inks which dry by other conventional mechanisms such as evaporation or oxidation may be used in conjunction with the photopolymerisable inks to build up a multilayer transfer . multilayer water - slide transfers usually consist of one or more coloured design layers printed onto an overall clear or coloured backing layer or the overall clear layer may be applied over the previously printed design layers . both single - layer and multi - layer water - slide transfers require the overall layer to have sufficient tensile strength , flexibility and resistance to stretching to be transferred without distortion . when a transfer layer is required having such a tensile strength , flexibility and resistance to stretching , it is preferably produced by photopolymerisation . tensile strength , flexibility and resistance to stretching are dependent on layer thickness and on suitable chemical composition of the layer . both of these requirements are readily controlled by photopolymerised inks of the invention . photopolymerisable inks are free from volatile materials or have only a low concentration of these . generally a layer thickness range of 8 - 50 micrometers and more usually 10 - 35 is adequate for transfers of different sizes , designs and for application to different receiving substrates and any value in this thickness range is readily produced by screenprinting . the liquid photopolymerisable inks may be applied by any other printing , coating or painting process such as gravure , litho , letterpress , roller coating , mayer bar coating , brushing and spraying . sufficient dry thickness is built up by applying multiple layers for example four litho ink layers of 2 . 0 micrometers each with intermediate exposure to the radiation between each impression as described to produce a layer thickness of 8 micrometers . each coloured design layer may contain colouring matter which is dissolved or dispersed in the liquid ink or applied as a powder to the surface of the ink while still liquid by the bronzing process . of course those coloured design layers which do not need to possess tensile strength are printed as a single layer at conventional thickness . the following description is given of the manufacture and application of preferred photopolymerisable inks for use in the present invention . for further information regarding these preferred inks reference is made to copending patent application no . 926 , 077 ( reed and lythgoe , filed july 19th , 1978 ), now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 286 , 008 . photopolymerisable inks consist of ethylenically unsaturated materials and , tensile strength , stretch resistance and flexibility are partly controlled by the crosslink density of the photopolymerised ink . the greater the cross - link density , the higher the tensile strength and stretch resistance and the lower the flexibility . crosslink density is mainly determined by the number of photopolymerisable ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule of the materials used in the liquid ink , termed functionality . one ethylenic group per molecule cannot crosslink and gives a soft and very extensible layer . an average of two ethylenic groups per molecule generally gives suitable properties and three ethylenic groups gives high cross - link density values which may lead to brittleness . however stretch and flexibility depend partly on other chemical composition properties of the materials and the effect of functionality is given here only as a general guide . a mixture of materials with one , two and three ethylenic groups is a useful means of achieving a suitable crosslink density which will then be an average value . the mono - ethylenic material can be compared to a plasticiser in conventional inks since it acts as a flexibilizing agent . the di - ethylenic material provides the main component and the tri - ethylenic material is added to increase the stretch resisting properties to precisely the desired value . satisfactory flexiblity requires an elongation at breakpoint of over 0 . 5 % with preferred values of 2 % or higher and an elongation of 15 % may be required for complex designs applied to irregular substrates . elongation properties are achieved by using flexible chemical groups in the photopolymerisable materials such as polyalkyl , polyether and polyester groups , combined with control of the crosslink density . photopolymerisation is produced by exposure to radiation such as ultra - violet radiation or a mixture of ultra violet and visible radiation or accelerated electron beam radiation . ultra violet radiation of high intensity is conveniently produced by medium pressure mercury vapour discharge lamps operated at 80 watts per centimeter or more in fused silica or quartz tubes . other useful sources of intense ultra violet are xenon discharge lamps and xenon flash lamps and swirl flow plasma radiation arcs . such radiation has an infra - red component which causes heating of the water - release transfer support sheet but by selecting extremely fast photopolymerising liquid inks which require very brief exposure to the radiation , curl or shrinkage of the support sheet is avoided . such fast photopolymerising inks are obtained by photoinitiated vinyl addition polymerisation of monomers and prepolymers containing terminal or pendant acryloyl or methacryloyl groups : ch 2 ═ cr -- co -- where r is h or ch 3 -- or other group such as -- cn respectively . the acryloyl group is faster polymerising than the methacryloyl group and reference below to acryloyl groups includes methacryloyl groups . the liquid ink must also possess suitable viscosity and tack values for good printability , and these can be readily achieved together with all the other requirements such as low toxicity and where appropriate weather resistance and ceramic firing properties by controlling the molecular weight and composition of the photopolymerisable materials . conveniently a material of high viscosity is used in admixture with a liquid of lower viscosity to control viscosity , tack values and other properties . low viscosity and liquid photopolymerisable materials are monomers , that is materials which do not contain polymeric groups in the molecule or only very short repeating units and suitable materials are acrylate esters of mono , di , tri and tetrahydric alcohols . monomers are preferred which have very low volatility with low skin and eye irritancy and these properties are generally obtained with monomers of higher molecular weight . acrylate esters of the following alcohols are generally suitable and are given by way of example : monohydric alcohols : 2 phenoxyethanol , 2 phenoxyethoxyethanol and hydrogenated derivatives . dihydric alcohols : tripropylene glycol , bisphenol a , hydrogenated bisphenol a and hydroxethyl ethers and hydroxypolyethoxyethers of bisphenol a and hydrogenated bisphenol a . all hydroxyl groups may be esterfied or one or more groups may be left unesterfied to provide materials with controlled hydrophilic - lyophilic balance for offset litho inks and interfilm adhesion . free hydroxyl groups may be further reacted or partially reacted with isocyanates to produce urethanes . high viscosities are produced by photopolymerisable materials in which there is a polymeric component in the molecule termed herein prepolymers . these materials range from highly viscous liquid to solids and have molecular weight range of about 250 - 5000 . the terminal or pendant acryloyl groups can be incorporated in polymeric molecules such as acrylated urethanes , polyepoxides , polyethers , polyesters , and polyaminoformaldehyde . preferably 2 - 6 acryloyl groups are incorporated in the polymer molecule and this can be carried out for example by reacting acrylic acid or acryloyl chloride with a polymer or polymerisable material containing free hydroxyl groups . alternatively such groups can be incorporated by reaction of a hydroxylalykyl acrylate with a polymer or polymerisable material containing isocyanate , epoxide , carboxylic acid , anhydride or aminoformaldehyde groups . for example an acrylated epoxy prepolymer is prepared by reacting bisphenol a polyglycidyl ether having terminal epoxide groups with acrylic acid which open the oxirane ring and the hydroxyl groups so produced can be further reacted with acryloyl chloride to introduce additional acryloyl groups . acrylated urethane prepolymers are prepared for example by reacting hydroxypropyl acrylate with hexamethylene di - isocyanate or polyisocyanates . alternatively acrylated urethane polyethers and acrylated urethane polyesters are prepared by reacting excess of a di - or polyisocyanate with a polyether or polyester having free hydroxyl groups and then reacting this polymer containing free isocyanate groups with hydroxyalkyl acrylate . preferably the prepolymer is soluble in the monomer . to obtain the correct balance of properties more than one monomer and more than one prepolymer admixture are normally used in the inks . one or more photoinitiators are also dissolved or dispersed in the unsaturated materials at a concentration of 0 . 01 - 30 % and more usually 1 - 10 % based on the weight of unsaturated material to photoinitiate polymerisation when using ultra violet radiation or ultra violet plus visible radiation . photoinitators are not required when high energy accelerated electron beam radiation is used . the following are examples of photoinitiators : ketones and derivatives such as benzophenone , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dimethylaminobenzophenone , acetophenone , 2 , 2 - diethoxyacetophone , halogenated benzophenone , benzil , benzil dimethyl acetal . acryloin and derivatives such as benzoin , benzil dimethylacetate and benzoin isopropyl ether . thio compounds such as thioxanthone , 2 chlorothioxanthane , benzoyl diphenyl sulphide , polynuclear quinones and derivatives such as benzoquinone chloranthraquinone . chlorinated hydrocarbons such as hexachlorethane and diazo compounds including fluoroborate salt of diazonium compounds . the effect of photoinitiators may be accelerated by a tertiary amine such as ethyl dimethylaminobenzoate or an amino acrylate polyer , preferably used in an amount of 0 . 1 to 10 %, especially 0 . 5 to 2 . 5 % by weight . other types of unsaturated monomers and prepolymers can be added to the main photopolymerisable materials listed above to participate in the photopolymersation such as n - vinylpyrrolidone , vinyl acetate , allyl and cinnamyl esters , acrylamide derivatives such as ( n - isobutoxymethyl ) acrylamide and triallylcyanurate . unsaturated polyesters include maleate , fumarate , itaconate and citraconate esters of glycols . non - reactive polymers can also be dissolved or dispersed in the main photopolymerisable materials such as a high acid value polyester derived from mellitic anhydride to give alkali solubility or interfilm adhesion to the photopolymerised layer , or dispersed finely powdered polyvinylchloride or vinyl chloride - acetate copolymer which solvate during photopolymerisation to increase strength and flexibility . it is generally unnecessary to reduce viscosity by the addition of volatile organic solvents although a limited addition can be made , for example up to 20 % of n - butoxyethanol . finally various other additives may be included in the inks such as pigments , fillers , flow agents , waxes which are well known to persons skilled in the art of printing inks . photopolymerisation can be subject to inhibition by atmospheric oxygen which affects mainly the outer surface of the transferable layer . this can lead to a reduction in film strength with thin transferable layers and oxygen inhibition is prevented in the invention by very high intensity focussed radiation using an elliptical reflector and by the use of poly - acryloyl unsaturated materials plus the most efficient photoinitiators and accelerators . if necessary photopolymerisation may also be carried out in a nitrogen atmosphere or by placing a transparent plastic film over the liquid ink during exposure , both of which reduce access by atmospheric oxygen . some water - release transfer sheets transmit long wavelength ultra violet radiation such as 365 mm and photopolymerisation can be carried out by reverse exposure that is by passing the radiation through the transfer sheet . when using inks with a high optical density such as a black ink with a density of 2 . 0 or more it is useful to use both reverse and direct exposure simultaneously or successively . in an embodiment of the invention , oxygen inhibition of the transferable layer is deliberately arranged by selection of suitable acryloyl unsaturated materials , photoinitiators and control of radiation intensity to reduce the rate of photoinitiation to cause adhesiveness and tackiness in the outer surface of the photopolymerised transferable layer by formation of soft or tacky low molecular weight polymer species . by this means an extra adhesive layer is avoided in a reverse - fixing transfer . such surface adhesiveness is particularly easily achieved by reverse exposure , that is by passing radiation through the carrier sheet and release layer rather than by the normal direct exposure . the adhesiveness of a self - adhesive layer is increased when the outer surface is produced so as to have a high gloss since this increases the contact area to receiving substrates . the components of the photopolymerisable composition are blended together to give the correct viscosity and speed of photopolymerisation to the liquid ink and suitable flexibility and film strength to the photopolymerised film . high tensile strength combined with flexibility as measured by elongation at breakpoint of the released film of 1 - 15 % is suitable with an elongation of 0 . 5 - 20 % for less exacting requirement . the viscosity required for the various printing and coating processes is obtained by a suitable adjustment of the proportions of the high viscosity component , e . g . the acrylated polymer , and low viscosity component , e . g . the acrylic monomer . also varying the molecular weight of the acrylated polymer has a marked effect on the viscosity of its solution in the liquid monomers . ink viscosity and rheology are also affected by the incorporation of pigments and extender powders . suitable extenders which improve ink printing properties and do not reduce the rate of photopolymerisation include finely divided silica , talc and barium sulphate . some photoinitiators may exert a mild solvent action and assist in reduction of viscosity for example , benzophenone when used at a concentration of 5 - 10 %. the photopolymerisation of ethylenically unsaturated polymers and monomers by ultra - violet radiation requires initiation of the polymerisation by a photoinitiator . the use of high energy radiation such as electron beam radiation consisting of a curtain of electrons accelerated by a very high voltage of 150 , 000 - 200 , 000 volts , does not require the use of a photoinitiator . other less preferred types of photopolymerisation compositions are described in u . k . pat . nos . 1 , 476 , 536 and 1 , 406 , 467 . certain pigments such as carbon black and titanium dioxide reduce the rate of photopolymerisation so the concentration of these in the inks is limited and extra layers are applied when necessary each with exposure to polymerisation radiation . alternatively pigments are used which have less effect on rate of photopolymerisation for example black iron oxide , finely powdered aluminium and , zinc sulphide , barium sulphate , lithopone and antimony oxide . for decoration and marking of ceramics , vitreous enamels , glass and similar substrates , frits , powdered glazes and inorganic pigments are dispersed in the photopolymerisable liquid ink medium and after printing and photopolymerisation of the colour layers a clear layer is overprinted and photopolymerised to increase film strength required for a water - slide transfer . after transfer and allowing the water to evaporate , the substrate is fired to burn away the organic constituents and fire the colour onto or with the substrate . the following examples are given to illustrate the invention and the manner in which it may be carried into effect . a clear photopolymerisable screen ink having good film strength , stretch - resisting properties and flexibility has the following composition : ______________________________________1 . urethane acrylate prepolymer 57 . 02 . 2 - phenoxyethylacrylate 20 . 03 . trimethylopropane triacrylate 14 . 54 . benzil dimethyl acetal 4 . 55 . benzophenone 3 . 06 . liquid acrylic polymer 1 . 0 100 . 0______________________________________ a small quantity of 2 - butoxyethanol can be added to adjust viscosity to about 15 poises . the prepolymer ( 1 ) containing 3 acryloyl groups per molecule is dissolved in the liquid monomer ( 2 ) and the photoinitiators ( 4 and 5 ) and flow agents ( 6 ) added with high speed stirring . the crosslinking monomer ( 3 ) is added progressively and the optimum film strength , stretch - resisting properties and flexibility is tested by photopolymerisation of a layer . the composition is applied by screenprint onto water - release transfer paper using monofilament polyester mesh with 90 meshes per centimeter to give a layer thickness of 22 micrometers which was photopolymerised by passage at 60 meters per minute under two tubular mercury vapour lamps operated at 80 watts per centimeter in elliptical aluminium reflectors and the sheets then immediately cooled by high velocity air jets . the transfer sheets are stacked after photopolymerisation without curl and without shrinkage . the transfer layer is released by application of water which causes the gum layer to soften so the transfer layer can be slid off onto the receiving surface , pressed down , allowed to dry and acquire adhesion by evaporation of the water between transfer and receiving surface . when the receiving substrate is a ceramic or glass , firing in a kiln after using conventional non - photopolymerisable printing inks including ceramic inks , and drying carried out in the usual manner . preferably photopolymerisable design inks are used and are dried by passage through the same ultra violet radiation equipment at conveyor speeds of 30 - 60 meters per minute . the transfer sheets are obtained free from excessive curl and with good print register . since all the design colours can be printed and dried in quick succession , it is not necessary to work in closely controlled humidity . a solvent - fix adhesive transfer is prepared by printing the clear transfer layer and printing the coloured design layers in reverse . the adhesive may be , for example , a solution of alcohol soluble cellulose nitrate with plasticiser in p - ethoxyethanol solvent . after evaporation of solvent , the dry , non - blocking adhesive layer can be activated when the layer is to be applied by the application , for example of ethanol or p - ethoxyethanol or p - butoxyethanol . after application to the receiving surface and drying in situ the transfer paper is released and removed by applying water . it is possible to simultaneously activate the adhesive and release the transfer from the paper by immersing the transfer sheet in a water - solvent mixture such as 40 % butoxyethanol in water . a heat - fix transfer is prepared by replacing the solvent - fix adhesive described above with , for example , polyvinyl acetate or a polyamide dissolved in solvent which after evaporation gives a dry non - blocking adhesive layer . the transfer adhesive is activated by heating , e . g . to 90 ° c . while applied to the receiving substrate . after cooling the transfer paper is released by application of water as before . a varnish - fix transfer is prepared by printing the design in reverse as described above and applying an oxidising oil varnish to the substrate allowing solvent to evaporate to a tacky state , applying the transfer layer , leaving overnight to harden and releasing the transfer paper with water . with the type of transfer described above in which the designs are printed in reverse and the transfer paper released after the adhesive has been applied to the substrate and dried , a faster release is obtained by using so - called duplex paper which is a 2 ply sheet and the thicker outer sheet is stripped from the thin tissue carrying the gum layer and the transfer layer before applying water , so that very fast water penetration occurs into the gum layer . a black photopolymerisable ink with the following composition and prepared by dispersion on a triple roll mill and was printed through a plain weave monofilament polyamide mesh having 140 meshes per centimeter and a filament diameter of 30 micrometers , using an indirect photostencil : ______________________________________1 . urethane acrylate prepolymer 402 . di - acrylate ester of di - hydroxyethyl ether of bishpenol a 363 . monoacrylate ester of mono - hydroxyethyl ether of bisphenol a 84 . carbon black 3 . 85 . benzil dimethyl ketal 46 . benzophenone 5 . 77 . methylthiozanthone 0 . 58 . 4 - dimethylaminoethylbenzoate 2 100 . 0______________________________________ the liquid ink is based on monomers 2 and 3 of high molecular weight having extremely low volatility and very low skin irritancy and are essentially non - toxic and was printed on water - release decal paper and photopolymerised as in example 1 . a white photopolymerisable screen ink has the following composition and was prepared by dispersion on a triple roll mill : ______________________________________urethane acrylate prepolymer 352 - phenoxyethyl acrylate 9tripropylene glycol diacrylate 16benzophenone 4benzildimethylketal 4antase titanium dioxide 15lithopone 17 100______________________________________ this was printed as in example 2 to give a white transfer layer which is readily transferred without breaking or distortion . the photopolymerised white transfer layer of example 3 printed onto water - release decal paper was overprinted with a multicolour design picture using four colour halftone offset litho printing with the following set of inks which were each photopolymerised after printing : ______________________________________yellow colour index pigment yellow 13 15 acrylated epoxy prepolymer 20 pentaerythritol triacrylate phenyl carbamate 60 benzil dimethyl acetal 3 . 5 2 , 2 - diethoxyacetophenone 1 . 5 100______________________________________ the yellow pigment is dispersed in the mixture of the ethylenically unsaturated material in a triple roll mill and the photoinitiators are added as a dispersion in the remainder of the material in subdued light . this was prepared similarly replacing the yellow pigment with 18 parts of colour index pigment red 57 . this was prepared with 16 parts of colour index pigment blue 15 . this was prepared with 18 parts of carbon black and 1 part of colour index pigment blue 15 . the inks were printed in the above sequence and tack - graded by addition of a small quantity of trimethylol propane tri - acrylate . | 8 |
in the field of dynamic pulmonary and respiratory analysis and diagnosis , it has long been known that there is a fixed upper limit to maximal expiratory gas flow velocity . on a historical basis , there have been three mechanisms which have been postulated as causes of expiratory flow impedance . these three mechanisms or effects are known as ( 1 ) airway closure , ( 2 ) selective merging , and ( 3 ) flow limitation at mach i or at wave velocity . fig1 is a diagram representing the phenomenon of airway closure . in fig1 an alveolus 22 is connected to a bronchial tube 24 and a zone 26 is indicated where the bronchial tube might close partially or wholly . the theory of the mechanism of airway closure is that , as the exhaled flow level increases , the resistive pressure drop from alveoli to points in the air ducts downstream , increases to such an extent that at these points , such as point 26 in fig1 the pressure inside the airways is equal to or less than the lung pressure bearing inward from outside of the airways . it is at this moment that airway closure supposedly begins . as the outside lung pressure increases , so does airway closure , thus increasing flow impedance . although there are other objections to airway closure as the cause of a maximal flow limit , the most obvious , logical flaw is the following : the limit of airway closure is airway collapse . complete airway collapse results in zero air flow , which is not consistent with a high flow rate maximum observed at the start of flow limitation during the maximum expiratory flow test . the second mechanism , known as &# 34 ; selective merging &# 34 ; is diagrammed in fig2 . this mechanism depends on an increase in the lateral pressure gradient from the rib cage to the center of the lungs as positive pressure applied to the lungs by the rib cage and diaphragm increases . as the pressure gradient increases , the difference in pressures between individual alveoli such as that shown at 28 and 30 in fig2 also increases . thus , at an airway junction , such as junction 32 in fig2 the pressure from one bifurcating tube may exceed that from the other . the result is that flow from the duct having higher pressure takes over and blocks the gas flow from the joining duct . it may even go upward into the second &# 34 ; daughter tube &# 34 ;. as the pressure gradient increases , the number of airway junctions at which selective merging occurs increases . the effect of the increasing extent of selective merging is to decrease the total volume of lung air passageways participating in unidirectional &# 34 ; steady &# 34 ; expiratory flow , and this is indicated by the arrow 34 which extends only from the alveolus 30 , as there is no unidirectional or steady flow from the alveolus 28 . on the other hand , sinusoidal flow , as represented by the double - headed arrows , takes place at junction 32 to both of the passageways associated with alveoli 28 and 30 . the third primary mechanism of flow limitation which has been hypothesized is &# 34 ; flow limitation at mach i , or at wave velocity &# 34 ;. while this was originally referred to principally as &# 34 ; flow limitation at mach i &# 34 ;, it now appears probable that the actual speed of sound in open space would not be reached . however , the wave velocity within a bronchial passageway may be much less than the velocity of sound in free space , and it appears possible that some such limitation may contribute to maximal expiratory flow limits . the simple diagram of fig3 shows a constriction 36 in the overall air passageway 38 . specifically , the constriction 36 where the highest flow rate will occur , may well be at the throat . now , referring to fig4 this diagram represents the lung capacity , and the arrow designated &# 34 ; tlc &# 34 ; indicates the total lung capacity . normal breathing is represented by the sinusoidal curve 40 having a total amplitude v t known as the tidal volume . when a subject is requested to take a very deep maximal breath , this is represented by the arrow designated &# 34 ; ic &# 34 ;, which stands for inspiratory capacity . on a maximal exhalation , which is frequently employed in the diagnosis of lung diseases or the like , the volume which is expelled is indicated by the arrow designated &# 34 ; vc &# 34 ;, referring to the &# 34 ; vital capacity &# 34 ;. it may be noted that even after a full exhalation , the lungs still have a residual volume , which is designated &# 34 ; rv &# 34 ;. in the tests which will be discussed below , the subject is normally requested to make as complete an exhalation as possible , and then draw in air from a controlled source which could be pure oxygen or oxygen combined with another gas other than nitrogen , so that the residual volume ( which would of course include nitrogen ) could be measured in the course of subsequent tests for nitrogen in the exhalations . referring once more to fig4 the letters &# 34 ; erv &# 34 ; stand for expiratory reserve volume , which essentially is the difference between the volume following a normal rest exhalation and a maximal exhalation which would bring the lung volume down to the dashed line designated 42 in fig4 . it may also be noted that the letters &# 34 ; frc &# 34 ; stand for the functional residual capacity , which is the difference between the volume indicated by line 44 after a normal exhalation and the entire residual of capacity or volume in the lungs where the line 46 represents zero . referring now to fig5 it shows the subject 52 , an input tank of pure oxygen 54 , and an output plastic bag 56 where the exhalations from the subject are eventually collected . oxygen from the tank 54 is supplied to the subject 52 through the spirometer 58 which accurately measures the gas , which is supplied to the channel 60 and eventually to the mouthpiece by which the subject inhales the oxygen . a sensor 62 for determining the flow rate of inhaled air may be implemented by a screen - type pneumotachograph . the output signals from the sensor 62 are supplied to the coupling network 64 , to the analog computer signal conditioning and compensation circuitry 66 , and to the strip chart recorder 68 and the analog tape recorder 70 , as well as to the oscilloscope 72 . the esophagael balloon inputs 74 and transducer 76 are indicated schematically in fig5 and they are coupled to the network 64 and the analog computer circuit 66 . the flow rate of the exhaled air is also measured by the sensor 78 , which may , for example , be a fleisch pneumotachograph , made by instrumentation associates , inc . the pressure transducer 80 which receives inputs 82 from the pneumotachograph 78 , provides an output signal on lead 84 to the coupling network 86 . similarly , the transducer 88 which provides pressure output signals is connected to coupling network 86 , which in turn supplies output signals to the analog computer signal conditioning and compensating circuit 66 mentioned hereinabove . alternating pressure signals are provided by the impedance unit 90 , which is essentially a &# 34 ; woofer &# 34 ; type speaker , which is driven by the power amplifier 92 under the control of oscillator 94 . most of the tests which were conducted operated the speaker 90 at a frequency of 10 or 12 cycles per second , and it is preferably operated at a frequency above 6 cycles per second . it is to be understood , of course , that other frequencies of operation could be employed , and also that different wave forms could be utilized . more specifically , for example , square waves , or even random noise patterns could be supplied by the loudspeaker unit 90 . the mass spectrometer 96 is coupled to the output from the subject &# 39 ; s mouth , and may be employed to determine the level of nitrogen present in the exhalations , throughout the exhalation . as mentioned above , in practice , the subject is requested to initially exhale fully into the atmosphere , and then to inhale through the mouthpiece from the spirometer 58 , with the maximal intake breath being free of nitrogen . thus , if the subject exhales to the volume indicated by line 42 in fig4 then the residual volume rv will still contain some nitrogen , and the intake breath having a volume vc will dilute the nitrogen , and subsequent exhalations will indicate the portion of nitrogen present . of course , after several inhalations from the nitrogen - free gas supply from spirometer 58 , very little nitrogen will be present in the exhalations . however , the amount of nitrogen present in the initial exhalations will permit a calculation of the residual volume rv of the subject , and other parameters useful in diagnosing the pulmonary functions of the subject . fig6 shows the mechanical construction of some of the components shown schematically in fig5 in greater detail . more specifically , the oscillatory impedance unit 90 includes the outer cylindrical wall 102 , the end cap 104 , and the woofer - type loud speaker unit 106 connected to an off - set funnel impedance matching structure 108 . more specifically , with regard to the shape of the impedance - matching structure 108 , it is of a diameter substantially equal to the cylindrical diameter of the unit 90 at its left - hand end as shown in fig6 and has a circular configuration to fit the channel 110 , at its right - hand end , and is substantially uniformly tapered in both the horizontal and vertical plane to provide a uniform transition from the larger cross - section to the smaller cross - section . concerning other parts of the system as shown in fig6 they include the duct 112 and the plastic bag 56 which ultimately receives the exhaled air . the connecting member 114 secured to the end cap 104 , and the tube 116 are also shown . the tube 116 is a flow shaping low inertance and resistance exit from the drum unit . note that the tube 112 points into the structure 116 , but that they are not directly connected , to avoid undue resistance to oscillation for the cone of the speaker 106 . at the right in fig6 may be seen the flow measuring structure 78 in the tube 110 , and the flow measuring pneumotachograph 62 in the tube 60 from the spirometer to the junction 118 . incidentally , the y junction 118 is a low turbulence three - way y valve to permit the subject to inhale air from the spirometer over tube 60 , and to then direct exhalations through channel 110 . the mouthpiece 120 is provided with a cork 122 to seal the space within the system when not in use . as mentioned above , the pressure transducers shown in fig5 have two inputs , and as a result of the difference in pressure between the two tubes which connect to each of the pressure transducers , an output electrical signal is produced . in the case of some of the transducers , such as unit 88 , there is only one input tube shown connected to the transducer , and the pressure on the other side of the transducer is atmospheric pressure , and accordingly , the output from transducer 88 is the difference between the pressure at the mouth of the subject and atmospheric pressure . it was also mentioned that transducer 76 receives its pressure input from an esophageal balloon , and for completeness , it is noted that one typical prior art reference to such an arrangement is included in an article entitled , &# 34 ; the measurement of intraesophageal pressure and its relationship to intrathoracic pressure &# 34 ;, by donald l . fry , et al , journal of laboratory clinical medicine , volume 40 , pages 664 et seq ., 1952 . now , referring to fig7 the plot 132 shows the response characteristic of an esophageal balloon and transducer arrangement employed in the present experiments , and which were similar to those disclosed in the fry article . the plot 132 of fig7 is a plot of relative magnitude on a logarithmic scale against frequency . within the circuit designated 66 in the schematic diagram of fig5 is a compensating network to compensate for the response characteristic 132 as shown in fig7 ( and also for its phase shift as disclosed below ). more specifically , the compensation network included in the circuit block 66 of fig5 has a characteristic as shown at 134 in fig7 . the resultant corrected characteristic is that which appears at 136 in fig7 . in addition , to avoid the possibility of undesired high amplitude and possible oscillation at higher frequencies , a third order butterworth filter network having a response characteristic approximately as indicated by the dashed line 138 in fig7 is included in the compensation network . fig8 is a phase shift compensation diagram , showing the phase shift characteristic 142 of the esophageal balloon system , the phase shift characteristic 144 of the compensation network , and the resulting corrected characteristic 146 , which includes both the esophageal balloon system and the compensation network . the circuit of fig9 represents the compensation network , including both the compensation characteristics and the third order butterworth filter as mentioned above in connection with fig7 . in the following table i , the parameters for the compensation circuit of fig9 are set forth in detail . in table i , the formula which is set forth gives the guiding parameters for the compensation circuit of fig9 . further , it may be noted that the terms in the numerator primarily represent the straight compensation characteristic , as represented for example by curve 134 in fig7 while the third order butterworth filter , as indicated by the dashed line curve 138 in fig7 is implemented by the denominator terms in the equation . table i______________________________________parameters for compensation circuitof fig9 ______________________________________a = inverting amplifierc = capacitor = . 02 microfaradsp = potentiometerr = resistor = 100k ohmsr1 = resistor = 10k ohms ## str1 ## s = j . sub . ωpot sellings : p12 , p25 = . 6047p13 = . 2518p15 = . 5013p17 = . 3996p18 = . 5573______________________________________ fig1 shows the pressure across the lungs in the course of a maximum expiration by the subject , corresponding to an expiration of the volume indicated by the arrow vc in fig4 for example . in looking closely at the characteristic in the upper plot of fig1 , it may be seen that , superimposed on the basic pressure characteristic , is an alternating current pattern which represents the alternating pressure produced by the speaker 106 , shown in fig6 . in the lower plot of fig1 , the expiratory gas flow is shown . in comparing these two plots which relate to a single maximum expiration from a single subject , it is interesting to see that the bulk of the gas is expelled during the initial portion of the cycle , and despite a relatively high pressure across the lungs during the remainder of this cycle , the gas flow is greatly reduced . the plots of fig1 and 12 show lung resistance plotted against the volume of air which has been exhaled , for a slow steady exhalation in fig1 , and for a maximal exhalation as shown in fig1 . in both fig1 and fig1 , the dashed line plot represents the resistance to steady flow , and the solid line plot represents resistance to sinusoidal or alternating pressure flow . in examining these interesting results , the first matter to be noted is the fact that the resistance for steady air flow , and for alternating air flow during a slow exhalation was approximately the same . for a fast or maximal exhalation , however , as shown in fig1 , there was a significant divergence for the steady flow as shown by the dashed line characteristic 152 , as compared with the alternating pressure flow , as shown by the solid line plot 154 in fig1 . incidentally , referring back to the three effects shown diagrammatically in fig1 , and 3 , the concurrent changes in resistance would indicate that the effects of airway closure and of flow limitation at high velocities might be present ; and departures from concurrent changes in the two plots would indicate that the effect referred to as &# 34 ; selective merging &# 34 ;, and illustrated in fig2 may be making a significant contribution to the maximal flow limitation . the form of the plots of fig1 and 12 deserve special attention , and it is again noted that they involve on the horizontal scale successive tenths of the total volume which is exhaled in the course of a maximal exhalation . thus , where most of the volume of air is exhaled during the first portion of the cycle , the horizontal axis would not conform to time with any degree of accuracy ; instead , the first six or seven sections of the plot would be compressed to an extreme degree , if a time plot were to be substituted for the volume fractions employed in these plots . in fig1 , the pressure versus time and the expiratory flow rate versus time are shown for a different subject . in the plot of fig1 , the alternating pressure may be seen somewhat more clearly than in the upper plot of fig1 . in addition , the plot of fig1 is usefully included to show the considerable differences between subjects which may be tested . in closing , and for completeness , reference is made to a prior article in which a loudspeaker is employed in a lung measurement apparatus . this article is entitled , &# 34 ; a simplified measurement of respiratory resistance by forced oscillation &# 34 ;, by michael goldman et al ., journal of applied physiology , volume 28 , no . 1 , january 1970 , pages 113 through 116 . in the tests described in this prior article , an open system was employed , and a speaker with no impedance matching arrangements was operated at about three cycles per second during normal breathing of the subject . as mentioned above , the described apparatus was severely limited , and the completeness of the tests which could be undertaken in view of the open nature of the system . further , no impedance matching , or compensation circuitry of this type described herein was undertaken , nor was any examination made of maximal exhalations or of the variable resistance during different portions of the exhalation cycle . it is also noted that the present invention is not limited to the precise structure and circuitry disclosed in the foregoing detailed description and in the drawings . by way of example , and not of limitation , a different form of esophageal balloon with a somewhat different frequency characteristic could be employed , and a corresponding compensation network utilized . similarly , other types of flow meters and measuring equipment may be utilized . also , alternative apparatus may be utilized for supplying input gas and for recording the output signals from the various transducers . in addition , as well as resistance measurements , other impedance components including separate measurements of compliance and inertance ( corresponding to capacitive and inductive impedance , respectively ) are readily determined using the present apparatus , and techniques . accordingly , the present invention is not limited to the precise construction disclosed hereinabove . | 0 |
fig1 shows the disadvantages of the method according to prior art . the basic process with respect to an aggregation and deaggregation in bgrp and sicap is very similar and hence has the same problem as is solved in this application . for that reason only bgrp is considered in the following . fig1 shows an example of aggregation of reservations in accordance with brgp . in the network system shown , each of the four autonomous systems as 4 , as 5 , as 6 and as 7 has established one reservation to the destination network n 1 . the reservations begin with the reservations fl , f 2 , f 3 and f 4 between one of the autonomous systems as 4 , as 5 , as 6 and as 7 and as 2 or as 3 and are combined progressively to form larger aggregates . the autonomous system as 2 has combined the two reservations f 1 and f 2 from the autonomous system as 4 and the autonomous system as 5 respectively to form the aggregate a 1 in direction as 1 . similarly , the autonomous system as 3 has combined the two reservations f 3 and f 4 from the autonomous system as 6 and the autonomous system as 7 respectively to form aggregate a 2 . the autonomous system as 1 has combined the two aggregates a 1 and a 2 again to form a bigger aggregate a 12 . based on the reservations f 1 , f 2 , f 3 and f 4 there thus arises a tree - like system of reservations , hereinafter called reservation tree . each of the autonomous systems as 4 , as 5 , as 6 and as 7 uses its reservation f 1 , f 2 , f 3 or f 4 for the entire qos traffic with destination addresses having the prefix 10 . 10 . 10 . 0 / 23 . in this example it is presumed that the qos traffic load on the direct link between as 1 and the destination network n 1 exceeds a limit set by the network management and , therefore , a part of the aggregate a 12 must be routed to the destination network via as 8 . to this end , the prefix 10 . 10 . 10 . 0 / 23 is split into the two prefixes 10 . 10 . 10 . 0 / 24 and 10 . 10 . 11 . 0 / 24 , as shown in fig2 , and corresponding routing messages are forwarded via the routing protocol to all autonomous systems concerned . thereupon , all autonomous systems ( as 1 - 7 ), whose qos traffic is a component of the aggregate a 12 , must adapt their reservations with respect to the prefix 10 . 10 . 11 . 0 / 23 to the new path via as 8 . via the routing protocol , at least one new route with the prefix 10 . 10 . 11 . 0 / 24 is disclosed , which route leads from the autonomous system as 1 to the network n 1 via the autonomous system as 8 . in this way the traffic should be shifted to this prefix from the overloaded direct link between the autonomous system as 1 and the destination network n 1 to the path from the autonomous system as 1 to the destination network n 1 via the autonomous system as 8 . on the new route , the resource management of the autonomous system as 1 reacts and sends a message to the autonomous systems as 2 and as 3 with the request that said systems re - establish their existing reservations . in response , the autonomous systems as 2 and as 3 send a corresponding message to their neighbors , the autonomous systems as 4 , as 5 , as 6 and as 7 . thus these messages return in the opposite direction to the existing reservations on the reservation tree from the root to the leaves , i . e . back to the nodes at which the individual reservations begin . from there new reservations are now established . because the routing has been modified , the autonomous system as 4 subdivides its reservation f 1 into two reservations f 1 a and f 1 b corresponding to the traffic to the two prefixes 10 . 10 . 10 . 0 / 24 and 10 . 10 . 11 . 0 / 24 , which are now reached via different routes . the autonomous systems as 5 , as 6 and as 7 react similarly and two new reservation trees are created . reverse signaling on the reservation tree and renewed creation of all reservations will generate a very large number of signaling messages in the real internet , where substantially bigger reservation trees arise . the inventive method is presented in the following . after the prefix 10 . 10 . 10 . 0 / 23 has been split into the two prefixes 10 . 10 . 10 . 0 / 24 and 10 . 10 . 11 . 0 / 24 , corresponding routing messages are forwarded via the routing protocol to all autonomous systems affected . thereupon all autonomous systems ( as 1 - 7 ), whose qos traffic is a component of the aggregate a 12 , must adapt their reservations with respect to the prefix 10 . 10 . 11 . 0 / 23 to the new path via the autonomous system as 8 . the autonomous system as 1 notices the modified routing at a point in time t 1 . thereupon the autonomous system as 1 sends a message to all neighbors from whose reservations the aggregate a 12 is constructed at the point in time t 1 , i . e . to the autonomous systems as 2 and as 3 , which message prompts said autonomous systems to check the reservations with respect to the modified routing and to respond to the autonomous system as 1 with new reservations . according to the invention , the autonomous system as 1 then waits for the responses of the autonomous systems as 2 and as 3 who were notified and monitors the maximum response time using a timer . the autonomous system as 1 waits for four reservations , one for each of the two prefixes 10 . 10 . 10 . 0 / 24 and 10 . 10 . 11 . 0 / 24 from the autonomous system as 2 and from the autonomous system as 3 respectively . let t 2 be the point in time , at which either all the expected responses have been received or the timer has expired ( the earlier of the two events ). in the meantime : δti = t 2 − t 1 , the autonomous system as 1 constructs two new aggregates according to the reservations being received : one aggregate for the direct link to n 1 ( prefix 10 . 10 . 10 . 0 / 24 ) and one for the path via the autonomous system as 8 ( prefix 10 . 10 . 11 . 0 / 24 ). according to the invention during δt 1 incoming signaling messages relating to reservations of the deaggregated aggregate a 12 at the point in time t 1 , are no longer signaled in the direction destination . only new reservations that are not part of the deaggregated aggregate a 12 at the point in time t 1 are treated as usual . the allocation of incoming reservations to the deaggregated aggregate a 12 is made using a unique identifier , which was sent by the autonomous system as 1 with the deaggregation message to the autonomous systems as 2 and as 3 and is contained in the returning responses . the autonomous system as 1 does not signal the two new aggregates in direction destination network n 1 until the point in time t 2 . according to the invention , the autonomous systems as 2 and as 3 react as the autonomous system as 1 to the message of said system to re - establish the reservations of the aggregate a 12 . not until the autonomous system as 2 has received a new reservation for each of the two prefixes 10 . 10 . 10 . 0 / 24 and 10 . 10 . 11 . 0 / 24 from as 4 and from as 5 respectively , or until a corresponding timer has expired , does the autonomous system as 2 send two reservation messages to the autonomous system as 1 , one for each of the two prefixes . the autonomous system as 3 reacts analogously . if no resources are to be reserved for a prefix , then a reservation can be made using the value 0 so as not to have to wait for the timer to expire . taking as starting point the first signaling message with which the autonomous system as 1 triggered the reconstruction of the reservations of the aggregate a 12 at the point in time t 1 , with the new method a total of 6 + 12 signaling messages are required ( 6 to deaggregate the aggregate between as 4 , as 5 , as 6 , as 7 and as 1 + 12 for the reconstruction ). without the new method , 6 + 24 signaling messages are required . in particular , with the new method , the load of the autonomous system as 1 drops from 8 responses to 4 , thus even in this small example , the loading is halved . it is expedient to match the running time of the timers to each other . thus the autonomous system as 1 starts a timer and sends a message to the autonomous systems as 2 and as 3 . the autonomous system as 2 then again starts a timer and sends a message to the autonomous systems as 4 and as 5 . assuming the autonomous system as 4 does not respond in time , then the timer of the autonomous system as 2 expires . the autonomous system as 2 sends the reservations a 1 a and a 1 b to the autonomous system as 1 . if the timers of the autonomous systems as 2 and as 3 cover the same time span , then the timer of the autonomous system as 1 has already expired , thus the reservations of the autonomous system as 2 will no longer be taken into consideration for aggregation . this can be prevented if the time spans of the timers are geared to or matched to each other ( the further in the tree , the shorter ). this can be realized , for example , by inserting the time span of the timer into the messages between the autonomous systems . for example , the autonomous system as 1 discloses the running time of its timer to the autonomous system as 2 , the autonomous system as 2 then selects a shorter running time , which allows the reservation messages to be sent before the timer of the autonomous system as 1 expires . this shorter running time of the timer takes into account the running time of the messages that are exchanged between the autonomous system as 1 and as 2 . the running time is then shorter by at least twice the running time of the messages exchanged ( running time of the route modification message + running time of the message with the aggregated reservations ). | 7 |
fig1 and 2 illustrate the main components of the autotransfusion system , including the collection unit , indicated generally at 10 , a manually operable portable suction evacuator 12 ( fig2 ) and a blood reinfusion bag 14 connectible by a tubing set 16 to the collection unit 10 . the collection unit 10 includes a collection chamber 18 and a control housing 20 disposed above the collection chamber 18 . blood is directed into the collection unit 10 through a blood inlet tube 22 having a fitting 24 that is connectible to the outlet end of a patient drainage tube ( not shown ). the drainage tube will have been placed at the conclusion of the surgery to receive and collect internally pooled blood and other body fluids . the liquid flow path through the control housing 20 directs the blood into the interior of the collection chamber 18 through a blood filter 26 that depends from the control housing 20 into the collection chamber 18 . blood is drawn through the system and into the collection chamber 18 by one or both of gravity and vacuum developed within the collection chamber 18 . the vacuum may be developed by connecting the device to a source of suction , such as the wall outlet of a hospital suction system ( not shown ) or the manually operable portable suction device 12 . to that end , the collection unit 10 has two suction fittings , including a wall suction fitting 28 and a portable suction fitting 30 , the latter being connected to a flexible tube 32 that extends from the control housing 20 . a control module , illustrated in phantom at 34 , is contained within the control housing 20 and includes an arrangement of flow passages , valves and filters through which the suction , either from fitting 28 or tube 32 , is applied to the interior of the collection chamber 18 . as will be described in further detail , the suction is communicated through an airflow port , indicated generally at 36 , that depends downwardly from the control module 34 into the collection chamber 18 . the control module 34 and airflow port 36 also permit the admission of filtered ambient air into the collection chamber 18 through the airflow port 36 to enable the collected liquids to flow out of a liquid outlet port 38 at the bottom of the collection chamber 18 when the blood is to be reinfused into the patient . ambient air is admitted into the control module 34 by manual operation of an air inlet valve 40 , actuable by a depressible button 42 accessible at the front of the device . in accordance with the invention , the collection unit 10 is constructed in a manner that reduces the risk of collected liquid being ingested into the airflow port 36 . to that end , the collection chamber 18 is dimensioned to define a volume that is substantially greater than the volume of body liquid that the device is intended to hold . for example , in a collection device intended to collect up to about 500 to 600 milliliters of liquid , the total volume defined by the collection chamber may be of the order of 1200 milliliters . the airflow port 36 is arranged so that as long as the device is not filled above its rated capacity , it will be disposed above the horizontal free liquid surface of the collected blood whether the collection unit 10 is oriented vertically or horizontally on its front or back wall . as used herein , the term “ rated capacity ” is intended to define a predetermined subvolume of liquid such that the airflow port 36 will remain above the free horizontal liquid level of the collected blood whether the device is in a vertical or horizontal attitude . in a device with the illustrative volumetric dimensions discussed above , the device may be considered to have a rated capacity defined by a subvolume of about 500 milliliters . suitable indicia 37 formed on the collection chamber enable an attendant to determine when the rated capacity has been reached . the collection unit 10 is configured to define relatively flat front and rear walls 44 , 46 that are connected by a continuous side wall 48 . the flat front and rear walls 44 , 46 provide a stable base for the device when it is rested in a horizontal position . the collection chamber 18 may be considered as including a midplane 50 that extends generally parallel to and between the front and rear walls 44 , 46 . the midplane 50 is disposed to define volumes on opposite sides of the midplane that are at least as great as the rated capacity of the device . such volumes may be approximately equal . thus , for the above dimensioned collection chamber , intended to contain between 500 to 600 milliliters of liquid , the oversized volume of the collection chamber 18 may be of the order of 1200 milliliters such that the midplane divides the chamber into two volumetric halves , each about 600 milliliters in volume . in the illustrative embodiment , the airflow port 36 is in the form of a tube 52 that depends from the control module 34 . the tube 52 terminates in an orifice 54 , preferably planar , that lies substantially at the midplane 50 . as long as the device is not overfilled beyond its rated capacity , the orifice 54 of the airflow port 36 will be disposed above the liquid level , thus avoiding ingestion of liquid into the port 36 . the orifice 54 also is disposed sufficiently close to the control housing 20 to assure that it will be spaced from the liquid surface when the collection unit 10 is in a vertical orientation . the device , therefore , presents a reduced risk of liquid being drawn into the airflow port whether the device is oriented vertically or is resting horizontally on either of its front or rear walls . fig4 a , 4 b and 4 c illustrate , diagrammatically , the relation between the orifice 54 of the airflow port and the liquid level 74 within the collection chamber 12 when the device is filled below its rated capacity and is oriented in a vertical or either face - down or face - up horizontal attitudes . fig4 a illustrates the relation between the orifice 54 and the free surface 74 of the liquid when the device , filled to its rated capacity , is oriented in a vertical position as would be the case when the device is attached to a suitable support , as by a clip 76 , or other means . the orifice 54 is disposed above the free liquid surface 74 , thereby avoiding ingestion of liquid into the port 36 . should the device be disposed horizontally , as on its rear wall , such as when the patient is being transported to a different location , the orifice will be disposed above the free liquid surface 74 as long as the device has not been allowed to be filled beyond its rated capacity . to that end , it is preferable that the orifice 54 be generally planar and lie substantially at the midplane 50 of the device . as shown in fig4 b , when the device is so oriented , the free liquid surface 74 will be disposed below the level of the orifice 54 . fig4 c similarly illustrates the relation between the orifice 54 and the free liquid surface 74 when the device is placed on its front wall . when the portable suction generator 12 is not attached , to the front wall 44 of the device , the relation between the orifice 54 and free liquid surface 74 will be the same as when the device is disposed horizontally on its rear wall 46 . in the event that the device is placed with its front wall 44 facing down while the suction generator 12 is attached , the device may tend to tilt somewhat . it is preferable , therefore , that the chamber 12 be configured so that even if the device tilts somewhat , as suggested in phantom in fig4 c , the orifice 54 still will be disposed above the free liquid surface 74 as long as the device is not filled beyond its rated capacity . the side wall 48 of the collection chamber preferably is formed to define somewhat of a rounded or beveled shape such that the device cannot readily be rested on the side wall . although the orifice 54 in the preferred embodiment is disposed at the midplane 50 so that the device can rest horizontally on either of its front or rear walls with the same effect , in some instances it may be preferable to increase the rated capacity of the device by increasing the subvolume and by moving the midplane closer to one of the walls than the other . for example , such a device may include a flat configuration only at its rear wall while the front of the device is configured so that it is not readily restable in a horizontal configuration . with that arrangement , the orifice 50 can be disposed further from the flat wall thereby defining an increased subvolume and rated capacity . the portable suction evacuator 12 may be of the type described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 664 , 652 ( weilbacher ), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein . the portable suction evacuator 12 includes a front wall 56 , a rear wall 58 and a flexible , transparent polymeric side wall 60 connecting the front and rear walls 56 , 58 . an arrangement of springs 62 extending between the front and rear walls 56 , 58 continually biases the evacuator 12 in a distended configuration . the evacuator 12 can be manually compressed , in opposition to the force of the springs 62 to cause air from the evacuator 12 to be exhausted through an exhaust port 64 formed in the front wall 56 . the exhaust port can be closed by a plug 66 tethered to the evacuator 12 . alternately , the device may be provided with a detachable one - way valve 68 that can be securely placed in the exhaust port 64 to permit air flow out of the evacuator 12 when the evacuator is compressed . the suction evacuator 12 includes a suction tube 68 that communicates with the interior of the evacuator and a fitting 70 on the end of the tube 68 . the fitting 70 is connectible to the fitting 30 on the collection unit 10 to communicate vacuum developed within the suction evacuator 12 through the control module 34 to the air flow port 36 . the portable suction evacuator 12 may be detachably secured to the front wall 44 of the collection chamber 18 by velcro touch fasteners 72 . the portable suction evacuator enables suction to be maintained while the patient is being transported as well as when the patient is in the recovery room . the control module 34 has a number of control features including a vacuum limiter to prevent development of excessive vacuum levels in the collection chamber 18 and filters to permit flow of air but to maintain isolation of liquids from the suction sources . filtration also is provided to prevent airborne contaminants from contacting the blood when the collection chamber is vented to the atmosphere . the control module 34 is similar to that disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 374 , 257 ( drainville ). the device is illustrated in fig5 - 8 and may include a housing 78 arranged to define a suction chamber 80 and a fluid inlet chamber 82 separated by an internal wall 83 . a divider plate 84 separates the suction chamber 80 to define a suction source side 86 and a fluid collection side 88 . the underside of the divider plate 84 is provided with an arrangement of downwardly extending support ridges 90 that provide support for a film of hydrophobic material , indicated at 92 . although the hydrophobic filter 92 prevents blood from exhausting into the suction source , even if the collection device is allowed to fill above its rated capacity and is accidentally tipped over , such blood contacts , however , could compromise the efficiency of the filter 92 . the support ridges are provided with interruptions 93 to facilitate airflow freely between the filter 92 and the divider plate 84 . the divider plate includes openings by which either of hospital suction or portable suction can be applied to the suction source side 86 of the suction chamber 80 and , consequently , to the airflow port 36 . a hollow projection 95 depends downwardly from the bottom of the collection site 88 and defines a passageway 97 . the airflow port 36 is connected to and extends downwardly from the projection 95 and communicates the orifice 54 with the fluid collection site 88 of the suction chamber 80 . wall suction is connectible through the wall suction fitting 28 by a wall suction tube 94 . the wall suction fitting 28 communicates directly with the suction source side 86 of the suction chamber 80 . a one - way umbrella valve 96 is mounted to the divider plate 84 to permit airflow from the collection container side 86 of the divider plate to the suction source side 86 . the umbrella valve 96 normally maintains closed the flow passage through the flow apertures 98 . when wall suction is applied , the umbrella valve 96 will open to permit evacuation from the collection side 88 of the suction chamber 80 . when the device is disconnected from wall suction , the umbrella valve 96 will remain closed to prevent flow through the apertures 98 . in order to prevent excess suction from being applied to the collection chamber and , consequently , to the patient &# 39 ; s drainage site , one or more suction relief valves 100 may be disposed in the top wall of the suction chamber 80 . the suction relief valve ( s ) 100 may be umbrella valves 102 mounted to permit flow of ambient air into the suction source side 86 of the suction chamber 80 when the level of wall suction reaches a predetermined maximum value . the portable suction evacuator 12 is connectible , as described , through the flexible tube 32 that , in turn , is connected to a tube 104 that extends downwardly through the top wall of the suction chamber 80 and is connected to the divider plate 84 to communicate the passageway through the tube to the region between the divider plate and the filter 92 . the suction evacuator 12 , therefore , can be connected directly to the fluid collection side of the suction chamber without passing through any intermediate safety valves . no such intermediate valves are required because the suction levels developed by the portable suction evacuator 12 are far less than those available through the hospital suction system . the suction developed by the portable evacuator 12 communicates with the collection chamber through the filter 92 . fig8 illustrates the arrangement by which atmospheric air can be vented into the collection chamber to enable the collected liquids to flow out of the collection chamber either directly to the patient or to an intermediate transfer reinfusion bag . the venting system includes the air inlet valve 40 comprising a venting chamber 108 with a port 110 which is in communication with the fluid collection container side 88 of the suction chamber 80 . a valve actuator 112 having a head 114 is slidably mounted in the chamber . an o - ring 116 together with the face of the valve head 114 seals an opening 118 to the venting chamber 108 when the valve is in the normally closed position . a spring 120 biases the valve head 114 against the vent housing surrounding the opening 118 . depression of the actuator button 42 actuates the valve to an open position to enable atmospheric air to flow through the opening 118 into the vent chamber 108 , through the vent port 110 , and into the fluid collection side 88 of the suction chamber to relieve the applied suction and facilitate blood flow from the collection chamber 18 . in order to prevent airborne contaminants from being exposed to the collected blood , a filter 122 is arranged to cover the port 110 . the filter 122 may include a mesh - like support matrix 124 to which a film 126 of hydrophobic filter material may be applied . the support matrix 124 may be supported by ultrasonically welding it to the upper edge of a support wall 128 that surrounds the port 110 . fig9 illustrates the arrangement by which the cleanliness of the device is maintained during connection to the patient . the device is provided with an envelope that may take the form of an elongate tubular sleeve 130 having open ends 132 through which the tubes and fittings of the device may be readily accessible . the sleeve fully encloses and extends well beyond the ends of the device . preferably , the sleeve length is about double the length of the device so that the ends of the sleeve overhang the ends of the device by a substantial margin , of the order of half the length of the device . that assures that the device will remain protected by the sleeve even though it might shift about somewhat relative to the sleeve when the device is placed and set - up for operation . the openings 132 are large enough to permit ready accessibility to the ends of the device . the sleeve 130 is formed from a thin , flexible , substantially transparent polymeric material , such as a low density polyethylene about 0 . 001 inch thick . the sleeve is dimensioned so that it will maintain a snug fit about the device when the suction evacuator 12 is attached and is in its fully distended configuration . after the device has been connected to the patient , the suction evacuator 12 is compressed and will assume a reduced profile , thereby releasing the snug fit of the sleeve . the sleeve then can be removed by simply slipping it free . the flexibility and transparent nature of the polymeric film from which the sleeve is made enables operation of all the controls , devices and connections required to set up and operate the device . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that the invention provides an improved blood collection device and autotransfusion system in which the risk of collected blood being drawn into the suction pathway of the collection device is reduced and in which the ease of maintaining the device clean during its installation is facilitated . | 8 |
with reference to fig1 there is shown a body 10 of semiconductor material having a selected resistivity and a first type conductivity . the body 10 has opposed major surfaces 12 and 14 which are the top and bottom surfaces respectively thereof . the semiconductor material comprising the body 10 may be silicon , germanium , silicon carbide , gallium arsenide , a compound of group ii element and a group vi element , and a compound of a group iii element and a group v element . the body 10 is mechanically polished , chemically etched to remove any damaged surfaces , rinsed in deionized water and dried in air . an acid resistant mask 16 is disposed on the surface 12 of the body 10 . preferably , the mask is of silicon oxide which is either thermally grown or vapor deposited on the surface 12 by any of the methods well known to those skilled in the art . employing well known photolithographical techniques , a photoresist , such , for exammple , as kodak metal etch resist , is disposed on the surface of the silicon oxide layer 16 . the resist is dried by baking at a temperature of about 80 ° c . a suitable mask defining one or more geometrical shapes such , for example , as a circle or a square is disposed on the layer of photoresist and exposed to ultraviolet light . after exposure , the layer of photoresist is washed in xylene to open windows in the mask where the lines are desired so as to be able to selectively etch the silicon oxide layer 16 exposed in the windows . selective etching of the layer 16 of silicon oxide is accomplished with a buffered hydrofluoric acid solution ( nh 4 f - hf ). the etching is continued until a second set of windows 17 corresponding to the windows of the photoresist mask are opened in the layer 16 of silicon oxide to expose selective portions of the surface 12 of the body 10 of silicon . the processed body 10 is rinsed in deionized water and dried . the remainder of the photoresist mask is removed by immersion in concentrated sulphuric acid at 180 ° c or immersion in a solution of 1 part of hydrogen peroxide and 1 part of concentrated sulphuric acid immediately after mixing . selective etching of the exposed surface of areas of body 10 is accomplished with a mixed acid solution . the mixed acid solution is 10 parts by volume nitric acid 70 %, 4 parts by volume acetic acid , 100 %, and 1 part by volume hydrofluoric acid , 48 %. at a temperature of from 20 ° c to 30 ° c , the mixed acid solution selectively etches the silicon of the body 10 at a rate of approximately 5 microns per minute . a depression 18 is etched in the surface 12 of the body 10 beneath each window 17 of the oxide layer 16 . the selective etching is continued until the depth of the depression 18 is approximately equal to the diameter or width of the window 17 in the silicon oxide layer 16 . however , it has been discovered that the depression 18 should not be greater than approximately 100 microns in depth because undercutting of the silicon oxide layer 16 will occur . undercutting of the layer 16 of silicon oxide has a detrimental effect on the width of the device to be migrated through the body 10 . etching for approximately 5 minutes at a temperature of 25 ° c will result in a depression 18 of from 25 to 30 microns in depth for a window 17 of a diameter or width of from 10 to 500 microns . the etched body 10 is rinsed in distilled water and blown dry . preferably , a gas such , for example , as freon , argon and the like , is suitable for drying the processed body 10 . the processed body 10 is disposed in a metal evaporation chamber . a metal layer 20 is deposited on the remaining portions of the layer 16 of silicon oxide and on the exposed silicon in the depressions 18 . the metal in the depressions 18 are the metal &# 34 ; drops &# 34 ; to be migrated through the body 10 . the metal of the layer 20 comprises a material , either substantially pure in itself or suitably doped by one or more materials to impart a second and opposite type conductivity to the materials of the body 10 through which it migrates . the thickness of the layer 20 is approximately equal to the depth of the depressions 18 is 20 microns deep , the layer 20 is approximately 20 microns in thickness . a suitable material for the metal layer 20 is aluminum to obtain p - type regions in n - type silicon semiconductor material . prior to migrating the metal wires in the troughs 18 through the body of silicon 10 , the excess metal of the layer 20 is removed from the silicon oxide layer 16 by such suitable means as grinding away the excess metal with a 600 grit carbide paper or by selective etching . it has been discovered that the vapor deposition of the layer 20 of aluminum metal should be performed at a pressure of approximately 1 × 10 - 5 torr but not greater than 5 × 10 - 5 torr . when the pressure is greater than 3 × 10 - 5 torr , we have found that in the case of aluminum metal deposited in the depression 18 , the aluminum does not penetrate into the silicon and migrate through the body 10 . it is believed that the layer of aluminum is saturated with oxygen and prevents good wetting of the contiguous surfaces of silicon . the initial melt of aluminum and silicon required for migration is not obtained because of the inability of aluminum atoms to diffuse into the silicon interface . in a like manner , aluminum deposited by sputtering is not desirable as the aluminum appears to be saturated with oxygen from the process . the preferred methods of depositing aluminum on the silicon body 10 are by the electron beam method and the like wherein little if any oxygen can be trapped in the aluminum . referring now to fig3 the processed body 10 is placed in a thermomigration apparatus , not shown , and the metal in the depressions 18 forms droplet 22 of metal - rich alloy of the material of the body 10 in each etched area of surface 12 and is thermomigrated through the body 10 by a thermal gradient zone melting process . a thermal gradient of approximately 50 ° c per centimeter between the bottom surface 14 , which is the hot face , and the surface 12 , which is the cold face , has been discovered to be appropriate for an average temperature of the body 10 of from 700 ° c to 1350 ° c . the process is practiced for a sufficient length of time to migrate the metal - rich droplet 22 through the body 10 . for example , for aluminum metal of 20 microns thickness , a thermal gradient of 50 ° c / centimeter , a temperature of the body 10 of 1100 ° c , a pressure of 1 × 10 - 5 torr , a furnace time of less than 12 hours is required to migrate the metal - rich droplet 22 through a silicon body 10 of 1 centimeter thickness . the completed structure after processing is shown in fig4 . the thermomigration of the droplet 22 forms a region 24 of recrystallized material of the body 10 having solid impurity of the metal 20 therein . the conductivity type of the material of the region 24 is of a different and opposite type thereby forming a p - n junction 26 by the contiguous surfaces of the materials of opposite type conductivity . the resistivity of the region 24 is dependent on the metal thermomigrated through the body 10 . it has been discovered that when the body 10 is of silicon , germanium , silicon carbide , gallium arsenide , semiconductor material and the like , the droplet 22 has a preferred shape which also gives rise to the region 24 being of the same shape as the droplet 22 . in a crystal axis direction of & lt ; 111 & gt ; of thermal migration , the droplet 22 migrates as a triangular platelet laying in a ( 111 ) plane . the platelet is bounded on its edges by ( 112 ) planes . a droplet 22 larger then 0 . 10 centimeter on an edge is unstable and breaks up into several droplets during migration . a droplet 22 smaller than 0 . 0175 centimeter does not migrate into the body 10 because of a surface barrier problem . the ratio of the droplet migration rate over the applied thermal gradient is a function of the temperature at which thermomigration of the droplet 22 is practiced . at high temperatures , of the order of from 1100 ° c to 1400 ° c , the droplet migration velocity increases rapidly with increasing temperature . a velocity of 10 centimeters per day of 1 . 2 × 10 - 4 centimeter per second is obtainable for aluminum droplets in silicon . the droplet migration rate is also affected by the droplet volume . in an aluminum - silicon system , the droplet migration rate decreases by a factor of two when the droplet volume is decreased by a factor of 200 . a droplet 22 thermomigrates in the & lt ; 100 & gt ; crystal axis direction as a pyramid bounded by four forward ( 111 ) planes and a rear ( 100 ) plane . careful control of the thermal gradient and migration rate is a necessity . otherwise , a twisted region 24 may result . it appears that there is a non - uniform dissolution of the four forward ( 111 ) facets in that they do not always dissolve at a uniform rate . non - uniform dissolution of the four forward ( 111 ) facets may cause the regular pyramidal shape of the droplet to become distorted into a trapezoidal shape . for a more thorough understanding of the temperature gradient zone melting process and the apparatus employed for the process , one is directed to our copending applications entitled method of making deep diode devices , ser . no . 411 , 150 ; deep diode device production and method , ser . no . 411 , 021 ; deep diode devices and method and apparatus , ser . no . 411 , 001 ; high velocity thermomigration method of making deep diodes , ser . no . 411 , 015 ; deep diode device having dislocation - free p - n junctions and method , ser . no . 411 , 009 ; and the stabilized droplet method of making deep diodes having uniform electrical properties , ser . no . 411 , 008 ; filed concurrently with this patent application and assigned to the same assignee of this invention . the regions of recrystallized material exhibits substantially theoretical physical values depending upon the materials involved . various materials may be migrated into the body 10 to provide various resistivities and conductivity types therein . upon completion of the thermomigration of the metal droplets 22 to form the columnar array , selective etching and the like is employed to remove the remaining layer 16 of silicon oxide and any damaged material from the surface 12 . the surface 12 may be processed to remove material to eradicate the depressions 18 . alternatively , the depressions 18 may be left in the surface 12 . referring now to fig5 and 6 , layers 30 and 32 of an electrically insulating material such , for example , as silicon oxide , silicon nitride , aluminum oxide and the like are disposed on the respective surfaces 12 and 14 of the processed body 10 by any of the methods well known to those skilled in the art . employing photolithographical techniques and selective etching well known to those skilled in the art , windows 34 and 36 are opened in the respective layers 30 and 32 to expose selective end surface areas of each region 24 . the exposed portions of the p - n junctions 26 in the surfaces 12 and 14 are still protected by the respective insulating layers 30 and 32 . again employing photolithographical techniques and selective etching a plurality of electrical contacts 38 comprising a suitable metal such , for example , as tin , aluminum , gold and the like are disposed on the respective layers 30 and 32 and exposed end surfaces of the regions 24 therein and so arranged as to produce a simple or complex solid state helical coil 40 in the body 10 . electrical leads 42 and 44 may be affixed to the opposite ends of the coil 40 to enable the coil 40 to be connected into electrical circuitry external to it . when employed in integrated circuits and the like , it is preferred that solid state junctions 40 be electrically isolated from the other electrical devices in the common substrate which they share . therefore , with reference to fig5 again , and embodying the process of thermomigration of metal wires in a manner similar to the thermomigration of the metal droplets 22 , an electrically insulating grid comprising p - type conductivity regions 46 and accompanying p - n junctions 48 is formed in the body 10 . the grid comprises regions 46 which may extend the full width and depth of the body 10 or a plurality of intersecting planar regions 46 may be employed to electrically isolate the coil 40 from the remainder of the electrical circuits formed in the body 10 . for a more thorough discussion of electrical isolation grids and process of making the same , one is directed to the following copending applications , which are filed on the same day of this patent application and assigned to the same assignee , entitled isolation juunctions with semiconductor devices , ser . no . 411 , 012 and thermomigration of metal - rich liquid wires through semiconductor materials , ser . no . 411 , 018 . the thermomigration of metal wires to form an electrical isolation grid is preferably practiced in accordance with the planar orientations , thermomigration directions , stable wire directions and stable wire sizes of table i . table i______________________________________wafer migration stable wire stable wireplane direction directions sizes______________________________________ ( 100 ) & lt ; 100 & gt ; & lt ; 011 & gt ;* & lt ; 100 microns & lt ; 011 & gt ;* & lt ; 100 microns ( 110 ) & lt ; 110 & gt ; & lt ; 110 & gt ;* & lt ; 150 microns ( 111 ) & lt ; 111 & gt ; a ) & lt ; 011 & gt ; & lt ; 101 & gt ; & lt ; 500 microns & lt ; 110 & gt ; b ) & lt ; 112 & gt ;* & lt ; 211 & gt ;* & lt ; 500 microns & lt ; 121 & gt ;* c ) any other * directions in & lt ; 500 microns ( 111 ) plane * ______________________________________ * the stability of the migrating wire is sensitive to the alignment of the thermal gradient with the & lt ; 100 & gt ;, & lt ; 110 & gt ; and & lt ; 111 & gt ; axis , respectively . + group a is more stable than group b which is more stable than group c . the invention has been described relative to practicing thermal gradient zone melting in a negative atmosphere . however , it has been discovered that when the body of semiconductor material is a thin wafer of the order of 10 mil thickness , the thermal gradient zone melting process may be practiced in an inert gaseous atmosphere of hydrogen , helium , argon and the like in a furnace having a positive atmosphere . | 7 |
in fig1 is a cleaning water storage tank , and is connected to a gas compression pump 2 through suitable piping . the cleaning water supplied to the gas compression pump 2 is pressurized to a predetermined pressure and then fed through piping 10 to a mixer 5 through a pulse generating mechanism for producing a pulsating current by generating alternately a strong and a weak current in the water . the generating mechanism for the pulsating current is constituted by a high - pressure regulating valve 31 , a high - pressure release valve 32 in parallel with valve 31 and an accumulator 4 upstream in the piping . the system is designed so that the strong and weak pulsating currents are generated by the combined action of the high - pressure regulating valve 31 , the high - pressure release valve 32 , and the accumulator 4 . the said generating mechanism of the pulsating current , operates as follows : valve 31 , which may be a manually controlled valve , is adjusted to an open position to a predetermined extent to maintain a continuous flow therethrough . at the fully open position valve 31 has a flow rate corresponding to the normal output flow rate of high pressure pump 2 with valve 32 closed . in this case the high - pressure release valve 32 should be in the totally closed state . the solenoid of valve 32 is operated electrically and sequentially , or alternately in cycles , between open and closed positions so that when valve 32 is fully opened , valves 31 and 32 together conduct water flowing at the discharge flow rate of pump 2 , and when valve 32 is fully closed , the cleaning water from pump 2 flows through valve 31 at the flow rate at which valve 31 has been selectively set . the accumulator stores pressure due to the flow rate from the pump exceeding the flow rate of valve 31 during the interim period when valve 32 is closed . that is to say when valve 32 is open the cleaning water flows out through the high - pressure regulating valve 31 , and is discharged through the high - pressure release valve 32 it has the maximum flow rate to the heat exchanger . the accumulator 4 stores the excess pressure produced by pump 2 when the high - pressure release valve 32 is in the totally closed state , since the flow rate through the high - pressure regulating valve 31 is set smaller than the normal discharge flow rate of pump 2 , and the flow applied to the high - pressure regulating valve 31 exceeds its capacity . if the discharge of pump 2 is continued under such an flow , water hammer and other shocks produced on the pump 2 by the counterflow , and its proper functioning is stopped . the accumulator is to store by absorption the shocks as the pump 2 produces the excess flow and pressure given to the high - pressure regulating valve 31 when the high - pressure release valve 32 is in the totally closed state , i . e . the flow is at the set flow rate of high - pressure regulating valve 31 , and the flow and resultant pressure is absorbed by the accumulator , so that a pulsating current is generated by the pressure stored in the accumulator 4 discharged when the high - pressure release valve 32 is totally opened . the gas - liquid mixer 5 is constructed so that it generates ultrasonic waves by mixing the cleaning water , flowing in a pulsating manner from the pulsation generating mechanism , and the gas supplied from a gas cylinder 6 at a specified mixing rate . the structure of the gas - liquid mixer 5 is not limited in particular , but an example of the structure is shown in fig2 . the gas - liquid mixer 5 is constructed so that the water current or flow can be accelerated by making a part of the inside diameter in the inflow section of smaller diameter by annular section 51 , and positioning a blowout nozzle 52 on the end of a gas line 11 from gas tank 6 in this smaller diameter section 51 . further , by mounting a vibrating cup 53 adjacent the tip section of blowout nozzle 52 , an hartman blow articulator is formed . 54 . . . 54 which are static mixers formed at intervals downstream of the vibrating cup , produce split phenomena of rotation and blowholes or air pockets or air bubbles in the gas - liquid mixed cleaning water flow being passed through the hartman blow articulator , to obtain a practical cavitation effect ( cavitation damage effect ) by making air bubbles generated in the cleaning water small . ( as the number of static mixers 54 . . . 54 is increased , the number of air bubbles generated by the succeeding mixer 54 is increased successively to the number of 1 times , and the size of air bubbles formed is smaller .) in this connection , a few static mixers 54 54 installed are set so that the respective positions are orientated to mutually different directions to effectively turn the cleaning water flow and effectively to split air bubbles generated . 7 is a diverter valve to change the inflow direction of cleaning water into heat exchanger a , and is of 3 - way valve construction . it is designed so that the cleaning water supplied from the gas - liquid mixer 5 normally flows from an inlet 61 to an outlet 62 installed in the oil cooler a or , flows in reverse from the outlet 62 to the inlet 61 , thereby enabling the flow to be both in the normal and reverse direction through the cooler . in this connection , this diverter valve 7 can operate automatically by utilizing a switching circuit ( not shown ) to operate intermittently . 8 is a strainer , which eliminates by absorption clean residues of fur , sludges , rust , etc . mixed in the cleaning water after being removed from the pipes by the cleaning water circulation , so that only clean cleaning water flows back to the water storage tank 1 . 9 is a valve similar to valve 7 and also can be operated automatically by a switching circuit for valve 7 and operates in conjunction therewith to control normal and reverse flow in cooler a as more clearly described below , and downstream of which cleaning water flows back to the water storage tank 1 by means of line 12 through relief bypass valve 13 and strainer 8 , or a bypass line 14 which is opened by valve 13 when excessive cleaning residues are adhered to the strainer 8 and the reflux pressure gets too high . valves 7 and 9 and cooler a are interconnected by flow lines 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 and 20 as shown in fig1 to provide flow in the directions of the arrows as shown . first , remove cooling water supply pipes ( both pipes of in and out ) connected to the water pipe ( for example , oil cooler ) to be cleaned and leave these parts connected with the diverter valve 7 and valve 9 as shown in fig1 of the present invention . in this state , if the operating switch of the device in the present invention ( not illustrated ) is set in the on state , the cleaning water in the water storage tank 1 is pumped in the direction of the gas - liquid mixer 5 by the pump 2 . since downstream of the pump 2 the pulsation generating mechanism produces pulsating water current by the combined effect of high - pressure regulating valve 31 , high - pressure release valve 32 and accumulator 4 , stronger and weaker water currents are alternately generated , resulting in pulsating water current . further , in the gas - liquid mixer 5 the gas for ultrasonic generation is fed from the gas cylinder 6 separately installed to nozzle 52 . after the cleaning water fed to the gas - liquid mixer 5 is mixed with the gas in the acceleration pipe section ( smaller diameter 51 section ), the gas and the liquid are mixed , crashing in the vibrating cup 53 , and generating many air bubbles forming a base of cavitation action . after many air bubbles are formed , and split into many smaller bubbles in the succeeding static mixtures 54 . . . 54 sections , they pass through the diverter valve 7 with the water , and through the water pipes b . . . b from any one side of the port 61 or 62 . the flowing cleaning water in the water pipes b . . . b exerts the cavitation effect on the pipe walls of the water pipes b by the ultrasonic waves generated when air bubbles inside the cleaning water vibrate and are collapsed ( cracked open ), which peels and eliminates strongly the fur , sludges , rust , etc . adhered to the pipe walls . after cleaned residues peeled and eliminated from the water pipes b . . . b by the cavitation effect with ultrasonic waves are filtered by the strainer 8 , only clean water flows back again to the water storage tank 1 , and this is a continuous operation as long as the cleaning system is operated . in this connection , since the system has been constructed so that the cleaning water inflow can be switched by connecting the diverter valves 7 and 9 downstream of the gas - liquid mixer 5 , the cleaning water flow normally having the inflow path from valve 7 through lines 15 and 16 to the inlet 61 of the cooler a and through cooling water pipes b toward the outlet 62 and lines 18 and 19 and valve 9 to valve 13 , can be selected to be in the opposite direction by the switching of the valve 7 together with valve 9 , so that the flow path is reversed whereby the flow is from valve 7 through lines 20 and 18 to port 62 , through pipes b and out port 61 , and through lines 16 and 17 and valve 9 to valve 13 , so that more effective cleaning effect is produced . the alternate flows are shown by the dot - dash lines and arrows thereof in fig1 . with the cleaning device of the present invention constituted as described above , the following effects can be accomplished : ( 1 ) since it is constituted so that the pulsating current generating mechanism is composed of the high - pressure regulating valve 31 , the high - pressure release valve 32 and the accumulator 4 between the pump 2 and the gas - liquid mixer 5 , the cleaning water fed out from the mixer 5 can be a pulsating water current . in particular , the cleaning water fed out from the gas - liquid mixer 5 is mixed with many air bubbles generated by the mixer 5 , and the fur , sludges , rust , etc . adhered to the water pipe wall can be peeled and cleaned forcibly and properly by the cavitation effect with ultrasonic waves generated when vibrations and air bubbles are broken during flow without damaging the quality of the water pipe . further , in case the cleaning water flow moving in the water pipe is only the current having a constant pressure , the cleaning effect can be attained only by the cavitation effect by the breaking of air bubbles . since this invention produces in the cleaning water a pulsating water current or flow , it has made it possible to eliminate more effectively the fur , rust , etc . to be peeled from the pipe wall by the cavitation effect of the vibration and breakage of air bubbles accompanied by the pressure of the pulsating water current . ( 2 ) it is possible to remove completely cleaning residues mixed in the cleaning water by filtration with the strainer 8 , which has the economic facility of enabling repeated use of the cleaning water in a predetermined quantity . ( 3 ) in case the flow path of water pipe is long , and the cleaning water flows only one - way , there is the tendency to reduce the cleaning effect in the end section of water pipe , but the present invention overcomes this by the diverter valves 7 and 9 at the back of the gas - liquid mixer 5 , so that the cleaning water supply for the water pipes b can be switched to reverse the flow as desired . ( 4 ) there is no need to remove the equipment such as an oil cooler , etc . mounted on the working machine , etc . from the machine body , and also the preparation work is able to be simplified . ( 5 ) for example , when the water pipe of an oil cooler is cleaned by the conventional cleaning means by employing a wire brush , etc ., the workhours required are 3 hours to 4 hours , and the cleaning effect is low , but where the cleaning device of this invention is employed , the extremely perfect cleaning can be done in 30 minutes of required time , the cleaning effect is enhanced , and the workhours and cleaning expenses are able to be economized significantly . ( 6 ) where conventional cleaning means employing a wire brush , etc ., are used the water pipe wall is more likely to be broken , but in the present invention the occurrence of such a problem is highly unlikely . ( 7 ) where the conventional method employing chemicals in the cleaning water is used , there is the tendency of oxidization and corrosion of pump metals , packings , valves , etc ., and also secondary environmental pollution due to disposal of chemicals used , but in the present invention only the water itself is used as the cleaning agent , and since the gas used is simply for generation of bubbles , there is no tendency at all to produce functional damages to working devices , etc . | 8 |
elements in different figures bearing the same reference numerals are identical . fig1 shows an known electric circuit comprising an interpolation circuit 1 . the interpolation comprises two pairs of inputs 2 , 2 &# 39 ; and 3 , 3 &# 39 ;. two signals v 1 and v 1c which are substantially complementary to one another can be applied to the first pair of inputs 2 , 2 &# 39 ;. similarly two signals v 5 and v 5c which are substantially complementary to each other can be applied to the second pair of inputs 3 , 3 &# 39 ;. for this purpose two signal sources 4 and 5 , each having two outputs 6 , 6 &# 39 ; and 7 , 7 &# 39 ; respectively , for supplying two pairs of substantially complementary signals , are connected to said inputs 2 , 2 &# 39 ; and 3 , 3 &# 39 ; respectively . an input signal v in is applied to the inputs 8 and 9 . the signal sources 4 and 5 may be arbitraty signal sources , provided that they can each generate two mutually complementary output signals . examples of such signal sources are : a signal source having a differential output or a folding amplifier as described in , for example , the afore - mentioned european patent application 227 , 165 . herein &# 34 ; substantially complementary &# 34 ; is to be understood to mean that at least the variable components of two signals are substantially complementary to one another . as will be described hereinafter with reference to fig4 for example , the signals v 1 and v 1c are complementary to each other . this means that their waveforms vary in a complementary manner about a dc component v o which is not necessarily zero . the known interpolation circuit 1 comprises two strings of impedance elements . one string 10 is arranged between the inputs 2 &# 39 ; and 3 &# 39 ; and comprise four series connected idential impedance elements , preferably resistors , 11 to 14 . the second string 15 is arranged between the inputs 2 and 3 and comprises four series connected impedance elements of the same impedance value , preferably resistors , 16 to 19 . the interpolation circuit comprises five pairs of outputs 20 , 20 &# 39 ;; 21 , 21 &# 39 ;; 22 , 22 &# 39 ;; 23 , 23 &# 39 ; and 24 , 24 &# 39 ;. the pair 20 , 20 &# 39 ; is connected to the pair of inputs 2 , 2 &# 39 ;. the pair 24 , 24 &# 39 ; is connected to the pair of inputs 3 , 3 &# 39 ;. the pair of outputs 21 , 21 &# 39 ; is connected to the nodes between the impedances 16 , 17 and 11 , 12 respectively . the pair of outputs 22 , 22 &# 39 ; is connected to the nodes between the impedances 17 , 18 and 12 , 13 respectively . the pair of outputs 23 , 23 &# 39 ; is connected to the nodes between the impedances 18 , 19 and 13 , 14 , respectively . fig4 shows the output signals v 1 , v 1c , v 5 , v 5c of the two signal sources 4 and 5 as a function of the input signal v in . if the signal source 4 is a folding amplifier it has a number of reference signals with which the input signal v in is compared . if the input signal v in changes from a value slightly smaller than v r1 to a value slightly larger than v r1 the signal v 1 and hence its complementary signal v 1c , is subject to a change . around the value of the reference signal v r1 the output signal v 1 changes from a value v h to a value v l , whilst at the same time the output signal v 1c changes from a value v l to the value v h . for other reference values in the folding amplifier larger than v r1 a similar change occurs . for the next reference value above v r1 the value of v 1 changes from v l to v . sub . h , while v 1c changes from v h to v l etc . similarly the folding amplifier 5 has a number of reference signals , of which one signal , v r2 is shown in fig4 . this means that around the value of v r2 the signal v 5 changes from v h to v l , while the signal v 5c changes from v l to v h . the behavior of the folding amplifier 5 is identical to the behavior of the folding amplifier 4 , except that the transitions are shifted by a value v r2 - v r1 along the v in axis . the interpolated signals v 2 l and v 2c appear on the outputs 21 and 21 &# 39 ;. the interpolated signals v 3 and v 3c appear on the outputs 22 and 22 &# 39 ; and the interpolated signals v 4 and v 4c are available at the outputs 23 and 23 &# 39 ;. in fig4 these signals are shown in broken lines as a function of the input signal v in . for converting the analog input signal v in into a digital signal the pairs of complementary signals v 1 , v 1c ; v 2 , v 2c ; v 3 , v 3c ; v 4 , v 4c and v 5 , v 5c appearing on the pairs of outputs 20 , 20 &# 39 ;; 21 , 21 &# 39 ;; 22 , 22 &# 39 ;; 23 , 23 &# 39 ; and 24 , 24 &# 39 ; in fig1 are applied to the sample latches . only one sample latch 26 is shown . the sample latch 26 , as well as the sample latches connected to the other pairs of outputs , respond ( s ) to the crossing of signals applied to the two inputs of the sample latch ( es ). in fact , the outputs of these sample latches detect the intersections p 1 to p 5 of the complementary signals in fig4 . for that value of v in for which the intersections p 1 to p 5 occur , the outputs of the sample latches &# 34 ; change over &# 34 ;, i . e . the output of a sample comparator goes from 37 high &# 34 ; to &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; or vice versa . a further coding of the signals appearing at the outputs of the sample latches may yield a digital signal which is a digital replica of the analog input signal v in . fig2 shows an embodiment of the circuit 31 in accordance with the invention which can replace the known circuit of fig1 . the circuit 31 again comprises two strings 30 and 35 of impedance elements . the string 30 comprises a series arrangement of two identical impedance elements 32 and 33 . the string 35 comprises a series arrangement of two identical impedance elements 34 and 36 . preferably , all of the impedance elements are resistors . the circuit 31 now generates only the signals v 3 and v 3c and not the signals v 2 , v 2c , v 4 and v 4c of fig4 . the signals v 3 and v 3c are complementary to one another and appear on the nodes between the impedance elements 34 , 36 and 32 , 33 , respectively . these nodes constitute the outputs 22 and 22 &# 39 ;. the pairs of outputs 20 , 20 &# 39 ; and 24 , 24 &# 39 ; are thus obtained in the same way as in the known circuit 1 in fig1 and are consequently connected to the pairs of inputs 2 , 2 &# 39 ; and 3 , 3 &# 39 ; respectively . the pairs of outputs 21 , 21 &# 39 ; and 23 , 23 &# 39 ; are obtained in another way . the output 21 is connected to the input 2 . the output 21 &# 39 ; is connected to the node between the impedances 32 and 33 . the output 23 is connected to the node between the impedances 34 and 36 , and the output 23 &# 39 ; is connected to the input 3 &# 39 ;. sample latches ( not shown ) connected to the pairs of outputs 20 , 20 &# 39 ;; 22 , 22 &# 39 ; and 24 , 24 &# 39 ; again detect the value for v in for which the signals v 1 and v 1c ; v 3 and v 3c , and v 5 and v 5c intersect one another . thus , the intersections p 1 , p 3 and p 5 are defined , see fig4 . since the interpolation circuit 31 does not derive the signals v 2 , v 2c , v 4 and v 4c the intersections p 2 and p 4 cannot be determined . instead of these intersections the sample latches ( not shown ) connected to the pairs of outputs 21 , 21 &# 39 ; and 23 , 23 &# 39 ; determine the intersections p 2 , and p 4 , ( the intersection of the signals v 1 and v 3c and the signals v 3 and v 5c ). in fig4 these intersections are represented as open circles . these intersections coincide with the same value of the input signal v in as the intersecions p 2 and p 4 and may therefore also be used in the subsequent encoding step . from the foregoing it is obvious that each of the pairs of outputs 21 , 21 &# 39 ; and 23 , 23 &# 39 ; in fig2 supplies a pair of output signals which are not complementary to one another . nevertheless , a / d conversion is performed correctly . the circuit of fig2 has several advantages over the interpolation circuit shown in fig1 . the number of tappings of the interpolation resistors in the circuit of fig2 is smaller so that the overall stray capacitance in the circuit , if realized in integrated form , is substantially lower . moreover , the output impedances of the outputs 21 , 21 &# 39 ;; 22 , 22 &# 39 ; and 23 , 23 &# 39 ; are substantially lower . this applies in the case of the practical assumption that the impedance values of the elements 32 , 33 , 34 and 36 are equal to each other and are equal to the impedance value of each of the impedances 11 to 14 and 16 to 19 . it is evident from fig4 that instead of the intersection p 4 , between the signals v 3 and v 5c the intersection p 4 &# 34 ; between the signals v 3c and v 5 could have been determined . this would have meant that the output 23 had to be connected to the input 3 and the output 23 &# 39 ; to the node point between the impedances 32 and 33 . fig3 shows an embodiment 31 &# 39 ; of the circuit which bears a close resemblance to the circuit of fig2 and which can also replace the known interpolation circuit of fig1 . as in the alternative given above , the outputs 23 and 23 &# 39 ; are connected respectively to the input 3 and to the node between the impedances 32 and 33 , respectively . moreover , the outputs 22 and 22 &# 39 ; are connected to the inputs 2 and 3 &# 39 ; respectively . the following intersections in fig4 are now determined : p 1 , p 2 &# 39 ; , p 3 , p 4 &# 34 ; and p 5 . the circuit of fig3 has a minimal number of tappings on the impedance elements and moreover the output impedance of the outputs 22 , 22 &# 39 ; is substantially lower than that of the corresponding outputs in the circuit shown in fig2 . moreover , it is to be noted that no tapping is needed from the node between the impedance elements 34 and 36 . thus , in this case the two impedance elements 34 and 36 may be dispensed with . therefore the string 35 of impedance elements is shown in broken lines . thus the circuit 31 &# 39 ; requires only a minimal number of components in order to obtain the three intermediate intersections p 2 &# 39 ;, p 3 &# 39 ; and p 4 &# 34 ;. fig3 a shows a modification of the circuit of fig3 . in fig3 a , output terminal 22 is now connected to input terminal 2 &# 39 ; and output terminal 22 &# 39 ; is connected to input terminal 3 . fig5 shows a known interpolation circuit 40 comprising two pairs of inputs 2 , 2 &# 39 ; and 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, to which pairs of complementary signals v 1 , v 1c and v 9 , v 9c , respectively can be applied . the known circuit comprises nine pairs of outputs 20 , 20 &# 39 ;; 24 , 24 &# 39 ; and 43 , 43 &# 39 ; to 49 , 49 &# 39 ;. the two strings 41 and 42 , each comprising 8 series - connected impedance elements having the same impedance values , are arranged between the inputs 2 &# 39 ;, 3 &# 39 ; and 2 , 3 respectively . fig7 shows the input signals v 1 and v 9 which are applied to the inputs 2 and 3 and which can be taken from the outputs 20 and 24 , and the complementary signals v 1c and v 9c which are applied to the inputs 2 &# 39 ; and 3 &# 39 ; and which appear on the outputs 20 &# 39 ; and 24 &# 39 ;. the signal pairs v 2 , v 2c to v 8 , v 8c are signals which are generated by means of the known interpolation circuit and which appear on the outputs 43 , 43 &# 39 ; to 49 , 49 &# 39 ;. by means of sample latches ( not shown ) connected to the outputs of the interpolation circuit 40 it is possible to determine the intersections p 1 to p 9 in fig7 between the various pairs of complementary signals . fig6 shows a circuit 40 &# 39 ; in accordance with the invention which can replace the known interpolation circuit 40 of fig5 . by means of sample latches ( not shown ) connected to the pairs of outputs 20 , 20 &# 39 ; and 24 , 24 &# 39 ; it is again possible to detect the intersections p 1 and p 9 of fig7 . the sample latches ( not shown ) connected to the pairs of outputs 43 , 43 &# 39 ; to 49 , 49 &# 39 ; now detect the intersections p 2 &# 39 ; to p 8 &# 39 ; indicated as open circles in fig7 . the intersections p 2 &# 39 ; to p 5 &# 39 ; take the place of the intersections p 2 to p 5 and represent the intersections of the signal v 1 with the respective signals v 3c , v 5c , v 7c and v 9c . this means that the outputs 43 , 44 , 45 and 46 should be connected to the input 2 , that the outputs 43 &# 39 ;, 44 &# 39 ; and 45 &# 39 ; should be connected to the respective nodes 50 , 51 and 52 and that the output 46 &# 39 ; should be connected to the input 3 &# 39 ;. for this purpose a string 53 of four series connected identical impedance elements 54 to 57 is arranged between the inputs 2 &# 39 ; and 3 &# 39 ;. the intersections p 6 &# 39 ;, p 7 &# 39 ; and p 8 &# 39 ; take the place of the intersections p 6 , p 7 and p 8 and represent the intersections of the signal v 9 with the respective signals v 3c , v 5c and v 7c . this means that the outputs 47 , 48 and 49 should be connected to the input 3 &# 39 ; and that the outputs 47 &# 39 ;, 48 &# 39 ; and 49 &# 39 ; are connected to the respective nodes 50 , 51 and 52 . again the pairs of outputs 20 , 20 &# 39 ; and 24 , 24 &# 39 ; are connected to the pairs of inputs 2 , 2 &# 39 ; and 3 , 3 &# 39 ; respectively . again it is obvious that no ( second ) string 58 of four impedance elements is needed between the inputs 2 and 3 . therefore , this string 58 is indicated in broken lines . fig8 shows the simplest known interpolation circuit 60 comprising two strings 62 and 63 of two series connected identical impedance elements each . a pair of complementary signals v 2 , v 2c is supplied to the pair of outputs 61 , 61 &# 39 ;. the various signals in the known interpolation circuit of fig8 are indicated in fig1 . from this it is evident that only one pair of complementary signals is derived by interpolation from the two pairs of input signals v 1 , v 1c and v 3 , v 3c . the intersections p 1 , p 2 and p 3 in fig1 can be determined by means of three sample latches ( not shown ) connected to the three pairs of outputs . fig9 shows the circuit in accordance with the invention , which can replace the known interpolation circuit of fig8 . the output 61 is now connected to the input 2 and the output 61 &# 39 ; is connected to the input 3 &# 39 ;. the sample latch ( not shown ) connected to the pair of outputs 61 , 61 &# 39 ; thus detects the intersection p 2 &# 39 ; between the signals v 1 and v 3c . the circuit of fig9 with the following sample latches thus enables the intersection p 1 , p 2 &# 39 ; and p 3 to be determined . so far only circuits comprising an odd number of output pairs have been described . however , the invention can also be applied to circuits having an even number of output paris . fig1 and 12 show examples of such circuits . fig1 shows a known interpolation circuit having four pairs of outputs 20 , 20 &# 39 ;; 71 , 71 &# 39 ;; 72 , 72 &# 39 ;; 24 , 24 &# 39 ;. the known circuit , which comprises two strings of three series connected impedance elements each ( resistors having equal resistance values r ), supplies two pairs of output signals v 2 , v 2c and v 3 , v 3c , which are derived from the two pairs of input signals v 1 , v 1c and v 4 , v 4c by interpolation . fig1 shows the four pairs of signals appearing in the known circuit . sample latches ( not shown ) connected to the pairs of outputs 20 , 20 &# 39 ;; 71 , 71 &# 39 ;; 72 , 72 &# 39 ; and 24 , 24 &# 39 ; detect the intersections p 1 to p 4 between the respective pairs of output signals v 1 , v 1c ; v 2 , v 2c ; v 3 , v 3c and v 4 , v 4c . fig1 shows the circuit 70 &# 39 ; in accordance with the invention which can replace the circuit 70 . the circuit 70 &# 39 ; again comprises two strings of impedance elements . both strings 73 and 74 each comprise a series arrangement of two impedance elements r , 2r . the impedance value ( 2r ) of one impedance element 74 , 76 in each string 73 or 74 is equal to twice the impedance value ( r ) of the other element 77 or 78 in the respective string 73 or 74 . the two impedance elements 75 and 76 may obviously comprise a series arrangement of two impedance elements of the value r . such a construction is preferred if the circuit 70 &# 39 ; is integrated . sample latches ( not shown ) connected to the pairs of outputs of the circuit 70 &# 39 ; now detect the intersections p 1 , p 2 &# 39 ;, p 3 and p 4 . this circuit 70 &# 39 ; has the advantage that although its overall impedance value is equal to that of the circuit 70 in fig1 , the number of tappings on the impedance string can be reduced . it is to be noted that various modifications of the embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . for example , if desired , in fig4 , 10 and 13 intersections can be determined other than the intersections detected by means of the embodiments described . | 7 |
the following detailed descriptions are for the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the present invention . these descriptions are not intended in any limiting sense , but rather are made solely for the purposes of illustrating the general principles of the present invention . referring now to the drawings in detail , wherein like numerals indicate like elements , there is shown in fig1 a cover member 10 embodying the principles of the present invention . the cover member 10 comprises a high density polyethylene material having a color concentrate , an ultraviolet inhibitor and has a surface that allows it to mate with and be bonded by a concrete material . as is known , the polyethylene material acts as a barrier to prevent water from reacting with the device which member 10 covers and , similarly , the ultraviolet inhibitor retards any degradation caused to the cover member 10 by ultraviolet rays . further , the polyethylene material is somewhat flexible and resilient so that the cover member 10 ( as to be further described ) may be first bowed outward and then automatically returned to its original shape . the cover member 10 comprises a platter 12 with a rim portion 12a and a vessel 14 with a continuous side wall 14a having first and second opposite portions 16 and 18 , respectively , shown in fig1 in one orientation at the upper and lower regions thereof . the apex of upper region 16 mates with an inwardly tapered aperture 20 , whereas the lowermost portion of the lower region 18 mates with the rim 12a of platter 12 and provides an internal hollow or pocket ( to be described with reference to fig2 ) region of the cover member 10 . the cover member 10 preferably has the shape of a hat with the platter 12 serving as the brim and with the vessel 14 serving as the crown . the inwardly tapered aperture 20 preferably has continuous , vertical wall 22 with a sharp lip at its innermost portion . also , at least one , but preferably four , slits 24 , 26 , 28 and 30 with at least one slit , but preferably two slits 28 and 30 , longitudinally extend through a major portion of the side or vertical wall 14a ( as illustrated in fig1 ) of vessel 14 . further details of the inwardly tapered aperture 20 may be further described with reference to fig2 which is a view taken along line 2 -- 2 of fig1 . fig2 illustrates the vertical wall 22 with a sharp inward facing lip of the aperture 20 having a diameter 32 with a typical value of about 1 . 0 inches . the slit 24 , which extends through the vessel side wall 14a and the inwardly sloping wall of the aperture 20 is illustrated as having a width 34 with a typical value of about 0 . 05 inches and a depth 36 having a typical value of about 0 . 5 inches . the inwardly tapered aperture 20 has an entrance portion 38 and an exit portion 40 that leads into a hollow 42 formed by the platter 12 and the vessel 14 , as previously discussed with reference to fig1 . the exit portion 40 may also be described as the sharp inwardly facing lip of the vertical wall 22 . as seen in fig2 the platter 12 has first and second surfaces or sides 44 and 46 , respectively , with the first surface 44 serving as the face of the cover member 10 . the face 44 preferably bows outward , in a convex manner , and extends outward from the rim 12a at its most outward portion by a distance 48 having a typical value of about 0 . 5 inches . as further seen in fig2 the vessel 14 , in particular its side wall 14a , has a height 50 having a typical value of about 2 . 0 inches . as will be more fully described , all of the dimensions shown in fig2 are pre - determined quantities so that the exit portion 40 , in particular the lip of vertical wall 22 , mechanically engages the device that the member 10 covers . the pre - determined dimensions of the cover member 10 may be further described with reference to fig3 . fig3 illustrates the cover member 10 as mating with a stationary concrete wall 52 and mechanically engaging a rod or hook 54 that extends out of a precast , reinforced concrete block 56 , with both the hook 54 and block 56 being such as those previously described in the &# 34 ; background &# 34 ; section . the hook 54 extends far enough outward from the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 so that the hook 54 may be grasped by appropriate means of a hoisting apparatus ( not shown ). the hoisting apparatus , such as a crane , is commonly used for the movement and / or manipulation of the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 into its final position as a structural support member of a highway or within a domestic , commercial or industrial facility . the hook member 54 is capable of supporting the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 which has a typical weight of eight ( 8 ) tons . in one embodiment , the hook 54 has a head 58 with a first pre - determined diameter 60 , a shaft or shank 62 with a second pre - determined diameter 64 ( which is less than the first pre - determined diameter 60 ), and preferably a sloped section 66 that structurally merges the head 58 to the shank 62 . the pre - determined dimensions of the inwardly tapered aperture 20 , in particular , the entrance portion 38 , the exit portion ( or lip ) 40 , and the vertical wall 22 ( see fig2 ) are all selected so that the vertical wall 22 mechanically engages the shank 62 at location 68 shown in fig3 . the mechanical engagement at location 68 may be further described with reference to fig4 . fig4 is similar to fig3 but is somewhat enlarged therefrom and does not fully show the internal pocket 42 . fig4 illustrates the cover member 10 , in particular the rim 12a of platter 12 , as being mounted flush against the concrete wall 52 , and the vessel 14 of cover member 10 as being merged into a recess 70 in the concrete wall 52 so that cover member 10 remains fixed to the concrete wall 52 . it should be noted , however , that the concrete wall 52 of fig3 and 4 does not completely contact the vessel 14 so that , as will be further described , the vessel 14 , in particular the regions proximate to the slits , 24 , 26 , 28 and 30 , may experience some flexing to accommodate the movement of the hook 54 . fig4 further illustrates the location 68 of the mechanical engagement of hook 54 as being relatively fixed , whereas the head 58 of hook 54 is shown to have three positions or segments 58a , 58b , and 58c and , similarly , the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 is also shown to have three positions or segments 56a , 56b , and 56c that respectively correspond to positions 58a , 58b and 58c . further , as seen in fig4 all of the positions 58a , 58b , and 58c are confined within the inner pocket 42 of the cover member 10 . still further , fig4 illustrates the slit 30 , which longitudinally extends through a major portion of the side wall of vessel 14 , in its horizontal position , but which may be oriented in any other position dependent upon how the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 is arranged within its associated building facility . in operation , the cover member 10 is affixed to the concrete wall 52 and remains in a stationary position , whereas the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 , usually in a stationary condition denoted by position 56a , may sometimes encounter movement , usually in a lateral manner , so that it may reposition itself inward in the direction of position 56b or outward in the direction of position 56c ( as shown in phantom line in fig4 ). because the hook 54 is embedded in the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 , the head 58 correspondingly follows the movement of the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 . when the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 is at its stationary position , the head 58 of the rod 54 is at position 58a . similarly , when the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 moves inward , denoted by 56b , the head 58 of hook 54 moves to position denoted by 58b . similarly , as the precast , reinforced concrete block 56c moves outward , as denoted by 56c , the head 58 of hook 54 moves outward as denoted by 58c . the sloped portion 66 of the shank 62 is shown in corresponding locations to the several positions of the head 58 as indicated at 66a , 66b and 66c . the cover member 10 has provisions that allow for the movement of the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 even though the cover member remains in a fixed orientation . during all of the movements of the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 , the inward tapered aperture 20 , in particular , the sharp inwardly facing lip 40 of the vertical wall 22 mechanically engages the shank 62 ( see fig3 ) at location 68 so as to ride thereon . as the hook 54 moves outward in the direction of 56c , the vessel 14 , in particular the slit 30 , as well as the other slits 24 , 26 , 28 allow the vessel 14 to bow outward , while still allowing the lip 40 of the vertical wall 22 to retain its mechanical engagement of the shank 62 of hook 54 , although the lip 40 of the vertical wall 22 may slightly ride upward from the shank 62 to the sloped portion 66 ( see fig3 ) of the hook 54 . the sloped portion 66 acts as an abutment which engages the lip 40 of the vertical wall 22 and correspondingly causes the spreading of the slits 24 , 26 , 28 and 30 . the spreading of slits 24 , 26 , 28 and 30 , in cooperation with the inherent tendency of resilient material comprising the cover member 10 to flex , allows the movement of hook 54 to be captured by the vertical wall 22 , while the inwardly tapered aperture 20 correspondingly spreads or expands outward . as the hook 54 moves in the direction of 58b , the lip 40 of the vertical wall 22 maintains the mechanical engagement with shank 62 by frictional means ( not the spreading of the slits 24 - 30 ) due to the preselected dimensions for the diameter 32 of the aperture 20 surrounded by the vertical wall 22 . it should now be appreciated that the practice of the present invention provides for a cover member 10 that allows for the relatively heavy , precast , reinforced concrete block 56 to experience movement within the hollow 42 , while the cover member 10 adheres to the concrete wall 52 . the description relating to fig4 of the cover member 10 mechanically engaging the hook 54 during its movement , is equally applicable to the mechanical engagement of the cover member 10 to the hook 54 as the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 is moved from one location to another before it is finally maneuvered into its in - place position as an architectural structural member . although the hereinbefore description was addressed to the vertical wall 22 mechanically engaging a shank 62 and frictionally coming into contact with sloped section 66 acting as an abutment as the hook 54 attempts to move out of the cover member 10 , the practice of the present invention contemplates configurations of abutments other than sloped section 66 . for example , the abutment need only comprise a raised portion on the shank 62 that is wide lip 40 of the vertical wall 22 does not ride over the raised portion as the hook 54 attempts to move out of the confines of the cover member 10 . furthermore , the practice of this invention contemplates the elimination of a separate abutment means by having the head 58 , having a greater diameter that the shank 62 , coming into contact with the vertical wall 22 and , thereby , initiating the outward spreading of the resilient vessel 14 so that the cover member 10 retains the captured hook 54 with the hollow 42 during any movement thereof . it should now be appreciated that the practice of the present invention provides for a cover member 10 that allows the precast , reinforced concrete block 56 , having the hook 54 extending therefrom , to be moved from a remote location and mated with its complementary architectural structural element while the cover member 10 maintains its mechanical engagement with hook 54 . although the hereinbefore given description has been primarily related to concrete construction members , the principles of the cover member are equally applicable to other type structural members or even to other types of heavy objects . for example , the practice of the present invention may very well find application by providing a cover that encompasses a protruding rod of a structural member , such as a railroad tie or a telephone pole , that comprise wood or some other material . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and , accordingly , the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as being illustrative and not restrictive , with the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims , rather than the foregoing detailed description , as indicating the scope of the invention as well as all modifications which may fall within a range of equivalency which are also intended to be embraced therein . | 4 |
while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only . numerous variations , changes , and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . it should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention . it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby . referring to the drawings in detail , fig1 shows a barebones sales matching system . lead supply 10 and one or more raw sales data source 11 may communicate over the internet 12 with a sales matching service provider . the lead supply 10 may include web sites of lead suppliers 13 , 14 that may identify a group of prospective customers or may include customers that provide leads directly . the raw sales data sources 11 may include sellers and other sources of sales data 15 , 16 . for instance , in the case of automobile sales , raw sales data sources may include car dealers , loan originators , insurance carriers , and so forth . the sales matching service provider may include a data normalization and matching engine 17 , a sales matching application 18 , and financial systems 19 . the data normalization and matching engine 17 may receive the information from multiple sources , comprising lead supply 10 and raw sales data sources 11 , over the internet 12 . it may normalize all of the data from the multiple sources so that the information has a standard format , which may make it easier to compare and match leads and sales . the data normalization and matching engine 17 may also clean up the data to remove duplicates and other unnecessary information . it may then take the normalized data and match the leads with the sales . it may also assign a confidence for each match , which may help to determine whether a matched sale is an approved sale . the data normalization and matching engine 17 may be in communication with databases that store the information . the sales matching application 18 may the matched sales that are not obviously an automatically approved sale . the sales matching application 18 may look more carefully at matched sales data and may also look at additional information to determine whether the matched sale reaches the threshold for an approved sale . the financial systems 19 may create an invoice which may use the approved sale data . the invoice may depend on the business arrangement between the sales matching service provider and the sellers . for example , if there is a pay - per - sale arrangement , the seller may pay the sales matching service provider depending on invoice - able sales . invoice - able sales may be approved sales , which are matched sales that meet a certain confidence threshold , that also fit the business arrangement . in another example , a sales matching service provider and seller may have a subscription arrangement , where the seller may pay to use the sales matching service provider . if there are uncertainties , there may be mechanisms to deal with conflicts and exceptions and edge cases . the financial systems 19 may keep track of invoices that have been provided to sellers as well as anything that has been collected from a seller . the financial systems 19 may keep a general accounting for the sales matching service provider . it shall be understood that any reference to the term leads in the foregoing and following could be interpreted generally and include purchase requests or other communications from a potential buyer . fig2 illustrates leads and sales data sources and how data may be stored in a sales matching system . there may be lead supply 20 and raw sales data sources 21 that communicate with a sales matching service provider . an input / output communication port 22 may enable communication between the lead supply 20 and raw sales data sources 21 and the sales matching service provider . the input / output communication port 22 may communicate with a central processing unit ( cpu ) 23 . the cpu 23 may also communicate with an input device 24 , rom 25 , ram 26 , a clock 27 , and databases 28 . the databases 28 may store information relevant to the sales matching . data received from lead supply 20 and raw sales data sources 21 may be stored in lead supply and raw sales data sources databases 28 a , 28 b . there may also be raw normalized datasets 28 c , which may include the data received from the lead supply 20 and raw sales data sources 21 that have been normalized and cleaned up so that data may be in a standard format , and any unnecessary information may have been removed . a historical matched dataset 28 d may keep track of matched sales , which may include duplicates from multiple sources . an approved sales database 28 e may include matched sales that reach a certain confidence threshold and are not duplicates . if there are matches that are exceptions or edge cases , they may have to undergo another approval process . if the confidence threshold is met , the matched sale may be an approved sale which may be stored in the approved sales databases 28 e . there may also be a set of databases devoted to financials 28 f , 28 g . this may include information about invoices and collections . an invoices database 28 f may include invoices generated that may include invoice - able sales . matched sales may have been processed to determine whether they meet the confidence threshold to become approved sales and fit in the business arrangement to constitute invoice - able sales . a collections database 28 g may include accounting information , such as which sellers have paid off their invoices , and so forth . there may also be a data warehouse 28 h . the data warehouse 28 h may enable buyer relationship managers to conduct effective business offline , based on reporting . the data warehouse 28 h may store records that may be part of a reporting system that can provide dealers with feedback or analysis based on sales information . fig3 illustrates data flow within a sales matching system . there are several ways that data can get to a matching engine . a sales matching service provider may receive data from lead supply or from raw sales data sources . for lead supply , the source may be a website which provides leads to customers , or may be customers generating the leads directly . at the first step , a lead may be submitted from a web site or a customer 30 . this may become the lead supply data , which may be stored in a lead supply database 31 . for raw sales data sources , the process may start when a data provider submits sales data 32 . the data provider may be one of multiple sources ( seller , insurance , etc .). this submitted data may become the raw sales data , which may be stored in a raw sales data sources database 33 . the sales data may then go through a data normalizer 34 , which may normalize and clean the data . this normalized data may be stored in a raw normalized dataset 35 . in one embodiment of the invention , both the lead and sales data may go through the data normalizer , and both sets of normalized data may be stored in the raw normalized dataset . the normalized lead supply data and the normalized sales data may go through a matching engine 36 , which may match the leads and sales . a confidence may be assigned to each match . if the confidence is so great that a sale definitely came from a lead , the match may be approved automatically and may be stored in an approved sales database 37 . if the confidence is not automatically approved , then a sales matching application 38 may conduct additional analysis on the match . if , following the sales matching application &# 39 ; s 38 analysis , the match reaches a sufficiently high confidence threshold , then the match may be approved and stored in the approved sales database . if it is still unclear whether the match confidence is enough 39 , then the match may undergo additional manual review 40 . the approved sales data may go through a financial system adapter 41 , which may create invoices that may be stored in financial invoices databases 42 . whether an approved sale constitutes and invoice - able sale may depend on the business relationship between the sales matching service provider and the seller . also , based on the invoices , the system may account for payments made , which may be stored in financial collections databases 43 . the approved sales data may also go through a data adapter 44 which may prepare the data to be placed into a format that goes with the data warehouse database 45 . the data warehouse 45 may store records that may be part of a reporting system that can provide dealers with feedback or analysis based on their sales information . fig4 illustrates seller interactions with a sales matching system . a seller may communicate with a sales matching service provider by providing raw sales data 50 , requesting sales credit 52 , or requesting to reject sales 53 . a seller may also interact with a sales matching service provider by receiving reporting data such as invoices 61 or historical reports 62 . a seller may be one of the sources that may provide a sales matching service provider with raw sales data 50 . the raw sales data may be stored in a raw sales database 51 . the sales data may go through a sales matching application 56 , which may match sales with leads . a confidence may be assigned to each match . if a match reaches a sufficiently high confidence threshold , then the match may be approved and stored in an approved sales database 59 . the approved sales data may also be used to generate invoices , which may be stored in a financial invoices database 57 . whether an approved sale constitutes an invoice - able sale may depend on the business relationship between the sales matching service provider and the seller . also , based on the invoices , the system may account for payments made , which may be stored in a financial collections database 58 . a seller may request sales credit 52 or may request to reject sales 53 from a sales matching service provider . such seller requests may be stored in a request queue database 54 . the requests may undergo a manual request review 55 , which may determine whether to grant or not grant the requests for sales credit or to reject sales . decisions whether to grant requests may be communicated to the sales matching application 56 . a granted request for sales credit 52 may result in a match that automatically becomes an approved sale , while a granted request to reject a sale 53 may result in automatically preventing a match from becoming an approved sale , no matter the confidence . the sales matching system may also include a reporting data database 60 , which may include any data that the sales matching service provider may wish to provide to the seller . for instance , the sales matching service provider may provide the seller with invoices 61 , which may include invoice - able matches and compensation that a seller may owe for a consummated sale from a lead . if a seller disagrees with an item on an invoice , the seller may make a request for sales credit 52 or request to reject sales 53 accordingly . the sales matching service provider may also provide the seller with historical reports 62 , which may include information that may provide sellers with performance feedback or analysis based on their sales information . it should be understood from the foregoing that , while particular implementations have been illustrated and described , various modifications can be made thereto and are contemplated herein . it is also not intended that the invention be limited by the specific examples provided within the specification . while the invention has been described with reference to the aforementioned specification , the descriptions and illustrations of the preferable embodiments herein are not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . furthermore , it shall be understood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific depictions , configurations or relative proportions set forth herein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables . various modifications in form and detail of the embodiments of the invention will be apparent to a person skilled in the art . it is therefore contemplated that the invention shall also cover any such modifications , variations and equivalents . | 6 |
the present invention is hereafter specifically described in the form of preferred embodiments illustrated by way of examples and comparative examples . first , the method of manufacturing a non - aqueous solvent secondary battery in common with the example and the comparative example will be described . a positive electrode active material comprising licoo 2 , a carbonaceous conductive agent such as acetylene black or graphite ( for example , 5 mass %) and a binder comprising polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf ) ( for example , 3 mass %) dissolved in an organic solvent comprising n - methyl pyrrolidone , are mixed to form an active material slurry or an active material paste . both surfaces of a positive electrode current collector ( for example , an aluminum foil or aluminum mesh of 15 μm thickness ) are then uniformly coated with the active material slurry or the active material paste with the aid of a die coater or a doctor blade in the case of the active material slurry or by means of the roller coating method in the case of the active material paste to form a positive electrode plate coated with the active material layer . then , the positive electrode plate coated with the active material layer is made to go through a drier to remove the organic solvent which was necessarily used in preparing the slurry or paste . thereafter , the dried positive electrode plate is rolled by means of a rolling press to form a positive electrode plate 0 . 15 mm thick . a negative electrode active material comprising natural graphite ( d ( 0002 ) value = 0 . 335 nm ) and a binder comprising polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf ) ( for example , 3 mass %) dissolved in an organic solvent comprising n - methyl pyrrolidone are mixed to form a slurry or a paste . both surfaces of a negative electrode current collector ( for example , copper foil of 10 μm thickness ), are then uniformly coated with the active material slurry or the active material paste with the aid of a die coater or a doctor blade in the case of the active material slurry or by means of the roller coating method in the case of the active material paste to form a negative electrode plate coated with the active material layer . then , the negative electrode plate coated with the active material layer is made to go through a drier to remove the organic solvent which was necessarily used in preparing the slurry or paste . thereafter , the dried negative electrode plate is rolled by means of a rolling press to form a negative electrode plate 0 . 14 mm thick . the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate prepared in the manner described above are stacked with a finely porous film ( for example , 0 . 020 mm thickness ) comprising a polyolefin resin having low reactivity and an inexpensive organic solvent interposed between them , with the center lines aligned in the lateral direction of the respective electrode plates , and thereafter helically wound by a winding machine , and the outermost periphery of the wound plates is secured with a tape to form a spiral electrode body . several electrode bodies prepared in the manner described above are respectively inserted in exterior structures constituted by using aluminum laminates . then , a positive electrode collection tab and a negative electrode collection tab respectively made to extend from each such electrode body are welded together with the corresponding exterior structure . an electrolytic solution is prepared by dissolving lipf 6 to form 1 . 0m in a mixed solvent of : ec / pc / dec with a mass ratio of 40 / 10 / 50 . the specific kind and amount of compounds to be added are shown in table 1 , with uniform mass ratio relative to the mass of the electrolytic solution . in the preparation of the gelled electrolyte , a pre - gel is prepared by adding 8 mass % of tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate as monomer and adding 0 . 3 mass % of t - butyl peroxy pivalate as polymerization initiator to the electrolytic solution . the specific kind and amount of the compounds to be added are shown in table 1 , with uniform mass ratio relative to the mass of the electrolyte ( electrolytic solution + monomer + polymerization initiator ). then , each of the various kinds of non - aqueous solvent electrolytes was charged by a required amount through the opening of each exterior body followed by sealing to prepare lithium ion non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries with a designed capacity of 750 mah ( for all of the examples and comparative examples ). with respect to the making of the gelled electrolyte battery , lithium polymer non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries were prepared by charging pre - gel by a required amount , followed by sealing the opening of each such battery and heating each battery at 70 ° c . for 3 hours to induce polymerization . initially , by using the liquid non - aqueous solvent electrolyte , eight ( 8 ) types of non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries were prepared by using tert - amylbenzene as the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group while adopting different kinds of cyclic acid anhydride , to serve as the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries referred to as examples 1 to 8 . in the same manner , nine ( 9 ) types of non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries were prepared by using succinic acid anhydride as the cyclic acid anhydride while modifying the kind of aromatic compound containing the electron donating group , to serve as the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries referred to as examples 9 to 17 . further , by using the gelled non - aqueous solvent electrolytes , three ( 3 ) types of non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries were prepared by using succinic acid anhydride as the cyclic acid anhydride while changing the kind of aromatic compound containing the electron donating group , to serve as the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries referred to as examples 18 to 20 . in the same manner , by using the liquid non - aqueous solvent electrolyte , four ( 4 ) types of non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries were prepared without adding the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group while modifying the kind of the cyclic acid anhydride , to serve as comparative examples 1 to 4 . thereafter , a non - aqueous solvent secondary battery was prepared without adding cyclic acid anhydride while using tert - amylbenzene as the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group , to serve as comparative example 5 . further , a non - aqueous solvent secondary battery was prepared without adding the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group or the cyclic acid anhydride , to serve as comparative example 6 . finally , a non - aqueous solvent secondary battery was prepared without adding the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group but adding succinic acid anhydride as the cyclic acid anhydride , to serve as comparative example 7 . in all of the examples 1 to 20 and comparative examples 1 to 7 , the amount of cyclic acid anhydride added ( except for comparative examples 5 and 6 in which no cyclic acid anhydride was involved ), was 1 . 5 mass % based on the entire mass of the non - aqueous solvent electrolyte , while the amount of aromatic compound containing the electron donating group added ( except for comparative examples 6 and 7 in which no aromatic compound was involved ), was 1 . 0 mass % based on the entire mass of the non - aqueous solvent electrolyte . for each of the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries referred to as examples 1 to 20 and comparative examples 1 to 7 , various types of charge / discharge tests were conducted under the charge / discharge conditions explained below . at first , each battery was charged at a constant current of 1 it ( 1c )= 750 ma at 25 ° c ., and upon reaching a cell voltage of 4 . 2 v , charged at a constant voltage of 4 . 2 v for 3 hours . then , each battery was discharged at a constant current of 1it until its cell voltage dropped to 2 . 75 v , at which point its discharge capacity was determined as the initial discharge capacity . the results are shown in table 1 . after measuring their initial discharge capacity , the charge / discharge cycle test for 300 cycles at 60 ° c . was conducted with respect to each battery , under the following conditions . charging at a constant current of 1 it = 750 ma and upon reaching a cell voltage of 4 . 2 v , charging at a constant voltage of 4 . 2 v for 3 hours . discharging at a constant current of 1 it = 750 ma until the cell voltage dropped to 2 . 7 v . after 300 cycles at 60 ° c ., the residual capacity of each battery was measured according to the following formula , and gases evolved during the test were collected and the volume thereof measured . table 1 collectively shows the results obtained . fig1 illustrates the change of residual capacity up to 300 cycles pertaining to examples 3 , 14 and 18 and comparative examples 2 , 5 , 6 and 7 . based on the results shown in table 1 , the following conclusions can be made in the case of the liquid non - aqueous solvent electrolyte , with reference to the non - aqueous solvent secondary battery of comparative example 6 without the standard addition of both the cyclic acid anhydride and the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group . ( a ) the initial discharge capacity and the residual capacity after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . of the non - aqueous solvent secondary battery of comparative example 5 in which only the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group was added ( without the cyclic acid anhydride ) are substantially identical to those of comparative example 6 with a slightly lower amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . ( b ) the increase in initial discharge capacity of each of the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries of comparative examples 1 to 4 in which only the cyclic acid anhydride was added ( without the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group ) is greater compared to that of comparative example 6 but the residual capacity of each such battery after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . deteriorates greatly and the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . is much larger . ( c ) the increase in initial discharge capacity of each of the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries of examples 1 to 17 in which both the cyclic acid anhydride and the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group were added , is larger than that of comparative example 6 but similar to those of comparative examples 1 to 4 . however , the residual capacity of such batteries greatly improves compared to those of comparative example 6 and comparative examples 1 to 4 after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . while the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . is much less than those of the latter . further , as graphically illustrated in fig1 , the change in residual capacity up to 300 cycles at 60 ° c . is such that , while residual capacity gradually diminishes as manifested by the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries of examples 3 and 14 up to 300 cycles , the decrease in residual capacity with respect to the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries of comparative examples 5 and 6 is significantly larger than that manifested by examples 3 and 14 as described above . further , it can be seen that the non - aqueous solvent secondary battery of comparative example 2 in which only cyclic acid anhydride was added shows a decrease in residual capacity substantially identical to that manifested by examples 3 and 14 up to about 100 cycles while degradation proceeds rapidly thereafter . on the other hand , where the gelled non - aqueous solvent electrolyte was used , the following conclusions were derived . ( d ) while the increase in initial discharge capacity of the non - aqueous solvent secondary battery of comparative example 7 in which only the cyclic acid anhydride ( without the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group ) was added , is greater compared to that of comparative example 6 , the residual capacity of the battery after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . deteriorates greatly , and at the same time , the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . is much larger . ( e ) while the increase in initial discharge capacity of each of the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries of examples 18 to 20 in which both the cyclic acid anhydride and the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group were added is larger than that of comparative example 6 and similar to that of comparative example 7 , the residual capacity of each such battery after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . is much higher while the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . is much lower compared to those of comparative examples 6 and 7 . ( f ) further , as graphically illustrated in fig1 , the change in residual capacity up to 300 cycles at 60 ° c . is such that , while residual capacity gradually diminishes as manifested by the non - aqueous solvent secondary battery of example 18 up to 300 cycles , the decrease in residual capacity is substantially identical to that manifested by examples 3 and 14 . further , it can be seen that the non - aqueous solvent secondary battery of comparative example 7 in which only cyclic acid anhydride was added shows a significant decrease in residual capacity substantially identical to that manifested by example 18 up to about 70 cycles while degradation proceeds rapidly thereafter . based on the results described in paragraphs ( a ) to ( f ) above , in each of the cases involving the liquid non - aqueous solvent electrolyte and the gelled non - aqueous solvent electrolyte , the following conclusions can be made . ( a ′) while only the addition of the cyclic acid anhydride brings about the improvement of initial discharge capacity , the residual capacity of the battery after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . significantly deteriorates and the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . greatly increases . ( b ′) when both the cyclic acid anhydride and the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group are added , satisfactory results can be obtained for the initial discharge capacity , the residual capacity after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . and the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . in examples 21 to 25 , non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries were prepared in the manner similar to the method of preparing the non - aqueous electrolytic solution secondary battery of example 3 , by adding succinic acid anhydride as the cyclic acid anhydride by 1 . 5 mass % relative to the entire mass of the non - aqueous solvent electrolyte , while modifying the amount of tert - amylbenzene as the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group from 0 . 1 to 3 . 0 mass % relative to the entire mass of the non - aqueous solvent electrolyte . the method of measuring the initial discharge capacity , the residual capacity after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . and the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . of examples 1 to 20 was adopted for measuring the same characteristics of the batteries of examples 21 and 22 . the results are collectively shown together with the results obtained for example 3 in table 2 . further , non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries of examples 26 and 27 were prepared in the manner similar to the method of preparing the non - aqueous electrolytic solution secondary battery of example 14 , by adding succinic acid anhydride as the cyclic acid anhydride by 1 . 5 mass % relative to the entire mass of the non - aqueous solvent electrolyte and adding 3 , 5 - difluoroanisole as the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group by 0 . 5 and 2 . 0 mass % relative to the entire mass of the non - aqueous solvent electrolyte . thereafter , the initial discharge capacity , the residual capacity after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . and the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . of the batteries of examples 26 and 27 were measured . the results are collectively shown together with the results obtained for example 14 in table 2 . as shown in table 1 , where the amount of aromatic compound containing the electron donating group added is as small as 0 . 1 mass %, the residual capacity of the non - aqueous solvent secondary battery of example 21 after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . significantly deteriorates compared to those of examples 22 to 27 , and the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . is higher compared to those of the latter and examples 3 and 14 . however , the results obtained for the battery of example 21 are better compared to those of comparative examples 1 to 7 . where the amount of aromatic compound containing the electron donating group added is 0 . 5 % or more , the results obtained with respect to the initial discharge capacity , the residual capacity after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . and the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . of the non - aqueous solvent secondary batteries of examples 22 to 27 were substantially identical to those obtained in the case of example 3 or example 14 . the improvement in residual capacity after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . and the significant decrease in the amount of gas evolved after 300 cycles at 60 ° c . becomes apparent with the addition of the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group to the non - aqueous solvent electrolyte in which the cyclic acid anhydride added is about 0 . 01 mass % or more relative to the entire mass of the non - aqueous solvent electrolyte , and such improvement even becomes more significant where the cyclic acid anhydride added is at 0 . 05 mass % or more and saturation at about 0 . 5 mass % or more tends to occur . accordingly , the amount of the aromatic compound containing the electron donating group to be added is preferably 0 . 01 mass % or more and , more preferably , 0 . 05 mass % or more relative to the entire mass of the non - aqueous electrolyte . while the addition of up to about 10 mass % of aromatic compound containing the electron donating group provides the desired effect , since the ionic conductivity of the non - aqueous solvent electrolyte begins to diminish if more than 5 mass % thereof is added , the upper limit is preferably defined as 5 mass %. | 7 |
in fig1 scale base member 12 supports four spaced load cell assemblies 14 , each of which receives a portion of the force applied thereto when a person places one &# 39 ; s weight on the scale platform . each load assembly 14 includes transducing means which generates voltages from the applied forces , which voltages are converted into pounds , for example , and digitally displayed at display 16 . in fig2 three load cell assemblies 14 are illustrated , supported on base member 12 in a triangular configuration . in fig3 two load assemblies 18 are illustrated . each load assembly 18 includes a transducing strip in lieu of the wafer or disc type employed in the modification of fig2 or embodiment illustrated in fig1 . referring now to fig4 of the drawings , each load cell assembly 14 includes a metallic well 20 having a central cavity 21 embracing therewithin piezofilm wafer 22 with suitable metallized coatings 24 and 26 conventionally applied to respective faces thereof ; a plastic disc 28 having a metallic member 30 secured to the upper face thereof , the disc 28 resting at the bottom of well 20 ; and another metallic member 32 disposed atop metallized coating 24 of the piezoelectric film wafer 22 . wells 20 may be secured to base 12 by screw means 34 . scale platform 36 cooperates with plug members 40 , which may be secured thereto by screws 42 . plugs 40 depend from platform 36 or are otherwise arranged therebelow . plugs 40 are disposed in vertical alignment with cavities 21 of wells 20 to effectively transmit a person &# 39 ; s weight placed on platform 36 onto piezofilms 22 . platform 36 is conventionally maintained in stable relationship with base 12 by spring means ( not shown ). an annular plastic liner 46 may be disposed along the walls of cavity 21 to prevent metallic members within the cavity from contacting metallic well 20 . electrically shielded coaxial cables 50 are in electrical contact with metallized coatings 24 and 26 of piezofilm 22 . more specifically , a shielded cable 50 may each conveniently be affixed to metallic member 30 and to metallic member 32 . it is necessary that the high impedance piezofilm 22 be shielded from the electronic components of fig9 and the environment . the piezofilm is susceptible to picking up extraneous signals not only from the aforementioned components shown in fig9 but from the environment to thereby generate false signals . accordingly , piezofilm 22 is shielded from unwanted signals by being disposed in cavity 21 of the grounded metallic well member 20 , although the well 20 could optionally comprise carbon impregnated plastic , plastic coated with metal or metal foil , electrically conducting polymeric materials , and the like . cables 50 are already shielded and protected as shown in fig4 . well 20 may be provided with one or two orifices for the passage of shielded cables 50 therethrough . alternatively , well 20 may be provided with an elongated vertical slot 52 ( fig5 and 6 ) for the purpose of facilitating the assembly of coated piezofilm 22 and metallic members 30 and 32 with shielded cables 50 secured thereto in cavity 21 . an ohmic contact 56 , soldered or screwed into well 20 , receives shielded cables 50 after passing through slot 52 . suitable passageway means , of course , will be provided in liner 46 . the polymeric polarized piezofilm wafer 22 is preferably kynar ®; a polyvinylidene fluoride tradmark product of pennwalt corporation , philadelphia , although copolymers of vinylidene fluoride have been found to work satisfactorily . piezofilm 22 contains predominantly oriented β form crystallites , thereby imparting a large net remanent polarization to the film resulting in its high piezoelectric and pyroelectric activites . all plastic members typically comprise polytetrafluoroethylene or polypropylene , for example , but may conveniently be made from a suitable metal . in fig5 no insulating liner 46 is needed due to the presence of recess 60 , centrally disposed in well 20 at the bottom of cavity 21 , which recess maintains the load cell assembly members within cavity 21 spaced from grounded well member 20 . since slot 52 and portions of the opening to cavity 21 remain unprotected , any suitable electrically conducting closure , for example , metallic foil , may be employed thereat to prevent stray signals from entering the cavity . in fig7 strip load cell assembly 18 comprises an elongated metallic well member 120 having a central longitudinal cavity 121 which embraces therewithin piezoelectric film strip 122 having suitable metallized coatings 124 and 126 conventionally applied to respective faces thereof ; a plastic strip 128 having a metallic member 130 secured to the upper face thereof ; and another metallic member 132 disposed atop metallized coating 124 . wells 120 may be secured to base 12 by a plurality of screws 134 , for example . scale platform 136 is provided with a pair of elongated , parallel disposed bar members 140 secured thereto , typically by screw means 142 . bar members 140 depend from platform 136 or are otherwise arranged therebelow . bar members 140 are disposed in vertical alignment with cavities 121 of wells 120 . an elongated plastic liner 146 is preferably disposed along the entire wall of cavity 121 ( fig8 ). shielded coaxial cables 50 and ohmic contact 56 are employed as aforedescribed . the materials comprising the modified structure illustrated in fig7 may be identical with those employed with reference to fig4 ; similarly , slotting of the well members 120 and recessing of cavities 121 may be appropriate . in each of the structures abovedescribed , all piezoelectric film elements are maintained in a prestressed condition by conventional spring means articulating between the platform and base . weight placed on the platform is transmitted to the piezofilm sensing elements in a compressive mode rather than in a shear mode . referring now to fig9 of the drawings , electronic means capable of converting voltage outputs to display data are known . in the present application , voltage outputs are generated by piezofilm 22 , ( or piezofilm 122 of fig7 ), which outputs are directly proportional to weight applied thereon . when the scale is inactive , piezofilm 22 is maintained in a shorted - out condition . the display 16 is activated by a switch ( not shown ). this switch may be manually externally set , or if internally disposed , will respond instantaneously to a selected predetermined pressure , as when a person starts to position one &# 39 ; s self on platform 36 . simultaneously automatically therewith , piezofilm 22 is caused to be set in an open circuit condition , and a very few seconds thereafter , controller - timer 86 is activated which may cause a signal to be flashed at display 16 to the person standing on the platform to remain still , such as &# 34 ; weighing -- don &# 39 ; t move &# 34 ;, indicating that voltages generated by the sensing piezofilm 22 are to be monitored . typically , a 220 pound person might cause piezofilm wafer 22 or strip 122 to generate about two volts . strip 122 is conveniently about 178 mm long × 3 mm wide × 0 . 2 mm thick . wafer 22 may be of identical thickness and area . the voltage thus generated is fed into a high impedance buffer 70 which continuously monitors the generated voltage . the monitored voltages are sampled and held by a conventional sample / hold 72 . measuring the sampled voltage is readily accomplished by means of an electronic switch within sample / hold 72 , which switch functions to close the open circuit to thereby effect the instantaneous measurement of the voltage being held under open circuit conditions on piezofilm sensor 22 . the measured voltage may then be fed into an a / d converter 74 for subsequent scaling or conversion into pounds , for example , by scaler 76 . the weight of the person is then displayed at display 16 . when the scale is weighting or measuring , voltages generated by the separate piezofilm transducers are serially connected , i . e ., the metallized coating of one polarity is serially connected to the metallized coating of opposite polarity of an adjacent piezofilm . when the scale is in a shorted - out condition , the positive polarities of each metallized coating of each piezofilm are connected together as well as the negative polarities of each coating . the present invention contemplates the use of a single piezofilm sensor disposed substantially centrally on base member 12 wherein a plurality of lever arms concentrate a predetermined portion of the person &# 39 ; s weight to the sensor . the means employed for converting the voltages into display signals are known , as abovementioned , and are not specifically claimed herein . piezofilms 22 or 122 possess pyroelectric as well as piezoelectric properties . automatic temperature compensation means adjacent the piezofilm may readily be achieved via suitable shielded transistors and thermistors , well known in the industry . further , in the process of manufacturing the piezofilm , known annealing steps may be incorporated to improve its heat stability . additionally , conventional thermal shielding is well known and may be employed with the coated piezofilm of the present invention . it is understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the exact construction and circuitry details shown and described , since obvious modifications , for example to the piezofilm sensors and their cooperative arrangement with the plug and bar members , will occur to a person skilled in the art . | 8 |
in fig1 a , an internal combustion engine 100 is sketched , wherein a piston 102 that is connected to a crankshaft 101 is shown in a cylinder 103 . the crankshaft 101 is connected in the shown embodiment via a power - transmission means drive 104 and 105 to an intake camshaft 106 and the exhaust camshaft 107 , respectively , wherein a first and a second device 1 can provide for a relative rotation between the crankshaft 101 and camshafts 106 , 107 . cams 108 , 109 of the camshafts 106 , 107 actuate an intake gas - exchange valve 110 and the exhaust gas - exchange valve 111 , respectively . fig1 shows an embodiment of a device 1 according to the invention for modifying the control times of an internal combustion engine 100 . the device 1 comprises , among other things , a swashplate gear mechanism 2 comprised of a toothed component 3 a , a driven element 4 , and a swashplate 5 . the toothed component 3 a is constructed in the shown embodiment as a conical gearwheel 3 . a first toothed ring 6 constructed as conical gearwheel teeth is formed on an axial side surface of the conical gearwheel 3 . furthermore , on the axial side surfaces of the swashplate 5 there is a second and a third toothed ring 7 , 8 , wherein the toothed rings 7 , 8 in this embodiment are each constructed similarly as conical gearwheel teeth . here , the second toothed ring 7 is constructed on the axial side surface facing the conical gearwheel 3 and the toothed ring 8 is constructed on the axial side surface of the swashplate 5 facing the driven element 4 . the radial outer section of the driven element 4 is constructed as toothed carrier 9 , on whose axial side surface facing the swashplate 5 there is a fourth toothed ring 10 . the fourth toothed carrier 10 is constructed in this embodiment likewise as conical gearwheel teeth . the driven element 4 is locked in rotation with a camshaft 11 . the connection between the driven element 4 and camshaft 11 is realized in the shown embodiment by means of a first attachment means 12 , here an attachment screw 12 a . a force , friction , firmly bonded or form fit connection methods are also conceivable . a drive wheel 13 is in active connection with a not - shown primary drive , by means of which a torque is transmitted from a crankshaft 101 to the drive wheel 13 . such a primary drive can be , for example , a chain , belt , or gearwheel drive . the drive wheel 13 is locked in rotation with a housing 14 , and the housing 14 is in turn locked in rotation with the conical gearwheel 3 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , these components are constructed in one piece . alternatively , the housing 14 can be connected to the conical gearwheel 3 and / or to the drive wheel 13 with a force , friction , firmly bonded or form fit . the conical gearwheel 3 and the driven element 4 are parallel to each other and are spaced apart in the axial direction . together with the housing 14 , the conical gearwheel 3 and the driven element 4 form a ring - shaped hollow space 14 a , in which the swashplate 5 is arranged . by means of first roller bearings 15 , the swashplate 5 is supported at a defined contact angle to the conical gearwheel 3 and the driven element 4 on an adjustment shaft 16 . the essentially pot - shaped adjustment shaft 16 is provided with a coupling element 17 , in which a not - shown shaft of a similarly not - shown device engages , with which the rotational speed of the adjustment shaft 16 can be regulated . in this embodiment , the adjustment shaft 16 is to be driven by means of a not - shown electric motor , wherein a not - shown shaft of the electric motor interacts with the coupling element 17 . the adjustment shaft 16 is supported by means of a second roller bearing 18 on a shaft 19 a locked in rotation with the camshaft 11 and constructed in the present embodiment as a hollow shaft 19 . also conceivable is the support of the adjustment shaft 16 on a screw head of the attachment screw 12 a and / or a support of the swashplate 5 on the adjustment shaft 16 by means of a slide bearing . the swashplate 5 arranged at a defined contact angle on the adjustment shaft 16 engages with the second toothed ring 7 in the first toothed ring 6 of the conical gearwheel 3 and with the third toothed ring 8 in the fourth toothed ring 10 of the driven element 4 . here , the toothed rings 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 engage only at a certain angular range , wherein the size of the angular range is dependent on the contact angle of the swashplate 5 . by means of the engagement of the toothed rings 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , the torque of the crankshaft 101 transmitted by the primary drive to the drive wheel 13 and from there to the conical gearwheel 3 is transmitted via the swashplate 5 to the driven element 4 and thus to the camshaft 11 . in order to maintain the phase position between the camshaft 11 and crankshaft 101 , the adjustment shaft 16 is driven at the rotational speed of the drive wheel 13 . if the phase position is to be changed , then the rotational speed of the adjustment shaft 16 increases or decreases depending on whether the camshaft 11 advances or lags relative to the crankshaft 101 . through the different rotational speed of the adjustment shaft 16 , the swashplate 5 executes a wobbling rotation , wherein the angular ranges , in which the toothed rings 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 engage each other , run around the swashplate 5 , the conical gearwheel 3 , and the driven element 4 . in at least one of the toothed ring pairs 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , the two intermeshing toothed rings 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 have different numbers of teeth . if the angular ranges , in which the toothed rings 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 intermesh , have completed one run , then an adjustment of the conical gearwheel 3 relative to the driven element 4 and thus the camshaft 11 relative to the crankshaft 101 is produced due to the difference in the number of teeth . the adjustment angle corresponds to the area that the teeth forming the difference in the number of teeth enclose . it is possible for the intermeshing toothed rings 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 of both toothed ring pairs to have different numbers of teeth . thus , the adjustment reduction gear ratio is given from the two resulting reduction gear ratios . it is likewise possible that the toothed rings 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 have only one toothed ring pair with different numbers of teeth . the reduction gear ratio in this case is given only based on this speed reduction . the other toothed ring pair is used in this case only as coupling means with a reduction gear ratio of 1 : 1 between the swashplate 5 and the corresponding component 3 , 4 . between the attachment screw 12 a and the hollow shaft 19 there is a ring channel 20 , which is supplied with lubricant via a camshaft bearing 21 . in the hollow shaft 19 there are a radial opening 22 and an impression 23 , by means of which the ring channel 20 communicates with the hollow space 14 a of the swashplate gear mechanism 2 . the impression 23 is formed in the clamping surface 24 of the hollow shaft 19 and can be formed economically during the shaping process of the hollow shaft 19 , wherein this can be taken into consideration in the shaping or sintering tool . the radial opening 22 can be , for example , stamped or tangentially punched out . between the impression 23 and the hollow space 14 a there is a radial gap 25 . the radial gap 25 acts as a diaphragm / choke for the lubricant flow . on one side , it allows its penetration into the hollow space 14 a . on the other side , it ensures that sufficient lubricant is fed to the second roller bearings 18 . by means of the widths a , b of the radial opening 25 , the throttling effect of the radial gap 25 can be set selectively . here , for example , widths less than or equal to 2 mm are provided . to prevent the penetration of contaminant particles into the device 1 , a lubricant filter can be arranged within the swashplate gear mechanism 2 , in the camshaft 11 , in the camshaft bearing 21 , or before the feeding of the camshaft bearing 21 . during the adjustment process , the drive wheel 13 or the housing 14 rotates relative to the driven element 4 , according to the gear transmission ratio of the swashplate gear mechanism 2 and the relative rotational speed of the adjustment shaft 16 to the drive wheel 13 . an outer casing surface of the driven element 4 is formed as the first radial bearing surface 26 . furthermore , at least one part of an inner casing surface of the drive wheel 13 or the housing 14 is formed as a second radial bearing surface 27 . the two radial bearing surfaces 26 , 27 interact as a radial bearing 28 , whereby the drive wheel 13 or the housing 14 is supported rotatably on the driven element 4 . furthermore , in the shown embodiment , a contact plate 35 is locked in rotation with the drive wheel 3 or the housing 14 . the contact plate 35 is constructed and arranged so that one of its axial side surfaces contacts the camshaft - facing axial side face of the driven element . these axial side surfaces interact as axial bearings 28 a , which receive tilting moments or forces acting on the drive wheel 13 or the housing 14 and directed away from the camshaft 11 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , the gearing of the fourth toothed ring 10 extends along the entire length of the gearing carrier 9 , whereby the first radial bearing surface 26 is interrupted by the tooth gaps 29 a of the gearing . here , it can be provided that all or only special tooth gaps 29 a interrupt the first radial bearing surface 26 . these tooth gaps 29 a are used as lubricant channels 29 , by means of which the lubricant can be led to the radial bearing 28 . due to the high rotational speeds of the device 1 during the operation of the internal combustion engine 100 , the centrifugal forces have the effect that lubricant is forced radially outwardly and led to the radial bearing 28 along the tooth gaps 29 a . therefore a sufficient supply of lubricant to the radial bearing 28 is guaranteed . in the shown embodiment , the second radial bearing surface 27 is formed as a perfect cylinder casing surface . also conceivable would be forming lubricant pockets 31 in the second radial bearing surface 27 . the lubricant pockets 31 communicate with the lubricant channels 29 and are used as a lubricant reservoir . here , the lubricant pockets 31 can extend in the axial or peripheral direction . also conceivable is the formation of a lubricant pocket 31 on the second radial bearing surface 27 in the form of a surrounding ring groove 32 . the lubricant supply to the axial bearing 28 a is performed via the radial bearing 28 . fig2 shows a second embodiment of the invention , wherein only the region that is designated with the detail z in fig1 is shown in an enlarged representation . the second embodiment is identical to that shown in fig1 for the most part , which is why only the section , in which the embodiments differ , was shown and described . in contrast to the first embodiment , the housing 14 is supported not on the gearing carrier 9 , but instead on a shoulder 30 formed on the driven element 4 . the ring - shaped hollow space 14 a of the swashplate gear mechanism 2 communicates with the radial bearing 28 by means of one or more lubricant channels 29 formed as bores 29 b . due to the high rotational speeds of the device 1 during the operation of the internal combustion engine 100 , the centrifugal forces have the effect that lubricant is forced radially outwards and enters into the bore 29 b and in this way is led to the radial bearing 28 . in addition , lubricant pockets 31 , into which the bores 29 b open , are formed in the first radial bearing surface 26 . the lubricant pockets 31 are formed as grooves extending in the peripheral direction , wherein the cross section of the grooves can be rectangular or inclined for better processing of the bores 29 b . they form a lubricant reservoir at the bearing position and thus support the formation of a lubricant film . in addition to the formation of several lubricant pockets 31 spaced apart in the peripheral direction in the first radial bearing surface 26 , an embodiment is also conceivable , in which a lubricant pocket 31 in the form of an ring groove 32 is formed on the first radial bearing surface 26 . also conceivable is providing the lubricant pockets 31 or the ring groove 32 on the second radial bearing surface 27 . furthermore , with a suitable number of bores 29 b , the formation of lubricant pockets 31 can be eliminated . the advantage in this case would be that no additional interruptions would be formed on the radial bearing surfaces 26 , 27 , which would simplify the formation of a closed lubricant film . the driven element 4 contacts with its axial side surface facing away from the swashplate 5 at least partially the housing 14 or the contact plate 35 formed integrally with the housing 14 , whereby an axial bearing 28 a is formed . this axial bearing position receives forces or tilting moments acting on the drive wheel 13 or the housing 14 in the direction away from the camshaft 11 . the lubricant supply of this axial bearing 28 a is realized by means of the radial bearing 28 . fig3 shows a longitudinal section through a third embodiment of the device 1 according to the invention . in this embodiment , the drive wheel 13 is formed integrally with the stop plate 35 . the separately produced housing 14 and the separately produced conical gearwheel 3 are connected to the drive wheel 13 by means of second attachment means 12 b . on the outer casing surface of the gearing carrier 9 , the driven element 4 forms a first radial bearing surface 26 , on which the drive wheel 13 is supported by means of a second radial bearing surface 27 formed on this drive wheel . an axial side surface of the contact plate 35 forms , in turn , in interaction with the axial side surface of the gearing carrier 9 facing the camshaft 11 , an axial bearing 28 a , which supports forces acting on the drive wheel 13 in the direction away from the camshaft 11 . the other axial side surface of the driven element 4 interacts with a projection 33 formed on the housing such that a second axial bearing 28 a is formed , which supports forces acting on the drive wheel 13 in the direction of the camshaft 11 . here , a ring - shaped axial side surface of the projection 33 contacts the axial side surface of the gearing section 9 . to supply both the radial bearing 28 and also the axial bearing 28 a with lubricant , radially extending grooves 34 are formed in the axial side surface of the ring - shaped projection 33 . these connect the hollow space 14 a to the first radial bearing surface 26 . lubricant can now be led both into the radial bearing 28 and also to the axial bearing 28 a . here , lubricant is led along the radial bearing surfaces 26 , 27 to the camshaft - side axial bearing 28 a . alternatively , the grooves 34 can be formed in the surface of the driven element 4 interacting with the projection 33 . the lubricant supply is realized in this embodiment also by a ring channel 20 formed between the attachment screw 12 a and the hollow shaft 19 . the ring channel 20 can be supplied , for example , with lubricant via a camshaft bearing 21 . in the hollow shaft 19 there is a radial opening 22 , for example , in the form of a bore , by means of which the ring channel 20 communicates with the hollow space 14 a of the swashplate gear mechanism 2 . between the radial opening 22 and the hollow space 14 a there is a radial gap 25 . the radial gap 25 acts as a diaphragm / choke for the lubricant flow . on one side , it allows its penetration into the hollow space 14 a . on the other side , it ensures that sufficient lubricant is also fed to the second roller bearings 18 . the throttling effect of the radial gap 25 can be set selectively over the widths a , b of the radial opening 25 . in this way , for example , widths less than or equal to 2 mm are provided . advantageously , the second roller bearing 18 can at least partially cover the radial opening 22 , which simplifies the feeding of lubricant into the second roller bearing . fig4 shows a perspective view of the housing 14 from fig3 , with the radial grooves 34 . as an alternative to the formation of the grooves 34 in an axial side surface of the projection 33 of the housing , these can also be formed on the axial side surface of the gearing carrier , which , in interaction with the projection 33 , forms the axial bearing 28 a facing away from the camshaft . all of the embodiments have the advantage that the bores , which are described in the state of the art and which extend from the hub of the driven element to the radial bearing position , are replaced by structures , tooth gaps 29 a , bores 29 b , or axially extending grooves 34 , which are simple and economical to produce . therefore , the processing reliability is increased and the mounting expense is reduced , which leads overall to lower production costs . furthermore , it is prevented that impurities , such as bore cuttings or shavings , remain in the lubricant channels 29 . | 5 |
as required , detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein ; however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms . therefore , specific functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a basis for the claims to be later appended and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriate circumstance . an autoimmune disease results from the immune system &# 39 ; s recognition of host structures as foreign and mounts a response to them . what triggers these events is not entirely clear and external factors or events are suspected to be involved . many infectious agents have epitopes that mimic host structures and autoimmune reactions often occur following a viral or bacterial illness . the cause of some autoimmune diseases are not clearly understood as exemplified by multiple sclerosis , an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system and adult onset diabetes . others are more clearly defined such as the involvement of the acetylcholine receptor in myasthenia gravis . for some , there is a genetic predisposition to the development of autoimmune disease ( rheumatoid arthritis ) and in some cases it may arise as a result of immune dysfunction when the immune reaction fails to be down - regulated following clearance of an infectious agent . this type of immune dysfunction is usually attributed to viral infections possibly giving rise to such diseases as systemic lupus erythematosus and chronic fatigue syndrome . alpha - cobratoxin is an anticholinergic . anticholinergics are those drugs which antagonize the activity of acetylcholine and several have been used to treat the symptoms of a number of diseases . acetylcholine is the major excitatory neuro - transmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system including the peripheral nervous system . as antagonists of the acetylcholine receptor both alpha cobratoxin and alpha - bungarotoxin ( alpha - neurotoxins ) have found great utility as molecular probes in the study of neuro - muscular transmission and ion channel function . eight different types of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors ( nachr &# 39 ; s ) have been identified with variable pharmacological profiles . a homologue , kappa - bungarotoxin , has a higher affinity for neuronal species of acetylcholine receptors . other alpha - neurotoxins have been isolated from related species of snakes and fish - eating sea snails ( conus geographus , textilis , imperialis and striatus ). cobratoxin and alpha - bungarotoxin have highest affinity for nachrs containing the alpha 1 and 7 subunits ( for a review see lucas , 1995 ). in the peripheral nervous system ( pns ), the post synaptic response of nicotinic agonists is not blocked by alpha - bungarotoxin and alpha - bungarotoxin binding sites are located extra - synaptically and have a high permeability to calcium ( colquhoun and patrick , 1997 ). the toxicity of these molecules is based upon their relative affinity for the receptor which far exceeds that of acetylcholine . many studies ( miller et al ., 1977 , hudson et al ., 1983 , lentz et al ., 1987 , donnelly - roberts and lentz , 1989 , chang et al ., 1990 , fiordalisi et al ., 1994 ) have demonstrated various methods for the chemical modification of cobratoxin , by oxidation with substances such as hydrogen peroxide , formalin and ozone , which result in an alteration in affinity for the acetylcholine receptor ( achr ) and a concomitant loss in toxicity . cobratoxin and one of its homologues , bungarotoxin ( btx ), target the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ( nachr ) in nerve and muscle tissue and functions by preventing depolarization of post - synaptic membranes through the regulation of ion channels . cobratoxin ( ctx ) has a molecular weight of 7831 and is composed of 71 amino acids . it has no enzymatic activity ( like botulinum , tetanus or ricin ). it is toxic by virtue of its affinity for the acetylcholine receptor . many such neurotoxins are very basic in nature , containing large numbers of such residues as lysine and arginine . binding to the specific target is mediated primarily through electrostatic interactions of amide groups on the toxin to carboxyl groups on the receptor . high salt concentrations can interfere with such interactions . the structure of the protein has been determined by nmr and is composed mostly of antiparallel beta - sheets and random coil . these sheets form three loops , the central loop ( loop two ) being essential for the protein &# 39 ; s activity . loop two contains the arginine - glycine motif , which is essential for the binding of alpha - neurotoxins . shortened peptides ( 10 to 20mers ) composed of residues from loop two can bind to the nachr , though with lowered affinity , and prevent the activation of the receptors associated sodium channel . it should be noted that there are alpha - neurotoxin binding structures that are not acetylcholine receptors . the administration of a highly toxic substance such as cobratoxin for therapeutic purposes is fraught with obvious difficulties , even when highly diluted . as a diluted substance , its potential effectiveness is reduced . as taught by sanders , removal of the toxicity of cobratoxin can be achieved by exposure to heat , formalin , hydrogen peroxide , performic acid , ozone or other oxidizing / reducing agents . the result of exposure of cobratoxin to these agents is the modification of amino acids as well as the possible lysis of one or more disulfide bonds . tu ( 1973 ) has demonstrated that the curaremimetic alpha neurotoxins of cobra and krait venoms lose their toxicity upon either oxidation or reduction and alkylation of the disulfide bonds which has been confirmed by hudson et al ( 1983 ). loss of toxicity can be determined by the intraperitoneal injection of excess levels of the modified cobratoxin into mice ; in general a 0 . 5 ml volume containing 0 . 5 - 1 mg of modified cobratoxin is tested , which represents a minimum of a 400 - fold reduction of toxicity . alternatively , loss of toxicity can be evaluated by depression of binding of the modified neurotoxin to acetylcholine receptors ( achr ) in vitro . modified cobra venom and cobratoxin in their oxidized ( modified or non - toxic ) forms have demonstrated antiviral activities . native cobratoxin and formaldehyde - treated cobratoxin reportedly lack this activity ( miller et al ., 1977 ). the mechanism by which this modified neurotoxin exerts this capacity is not clear as many viruses employ a variety cell surface receptors as portals for entry into the cell prior to replication . hudson et al . ( 1983 ) reported that cobratoxin subjected to alkylation would inhibit the onset of experimental acute encephalitis ( eae ) in guinea pigs , a model for multiple sclerosis . eae is a t - cell mediated autoimmune disease and the study was undertaken as sequence homology was noted between cobratoxin and myelin basic protein ( mbp ), the protein used to induce the disease . concerns over possible reversion to toxicity in - vivo by cobratoxin stalled further development though no toxicity was observed over the 3 - week study . recently , modified alpha - cobratoxin has been shown to inhibit the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus ( hiv ) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmc &# 39 ; s ) suggesting the ability of the protein to influence events within immune cells . the mechanism of action is unclear save to say that there is no direct effect on the virus and there is an event at the cell surface that renders the cell resistant to viral infection . this conclusion is drawn from the fact the pretreatment of the immune cells with modified cobratoxin followed by removal of the drug still results in reduced viral replication . this characteristic is also maintained in cells reportedly devoid of acetylcholine receptors . human “ t ” lymphocytes are a major source for acetylcholine ( ach ) ( fujii and kawashima , 2001 ; sato et al ., 1999 ; kawashima et al ., 1998 ; fujii et al ., 1996 ). additionally , there is a substantial body of work indicating the presence of both muscarinic achr &# 39 ; s ( machr &# 39 ; s ) and nachr &# 39 ; s on the surface of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmc &# 39 ; s ) ( fujii and kawashima , 2001 ; singh et al ., 2000 ; kawashima and fujii , 2000 ). messenger rna expression of subunits for both nachr ( α2 - α7 and α2 - α4 ) and machr ( m1 - m5 ) was determined for human pbmc indicating the presence of achr on the cell surface ( sato et al ., 1999 ). stimulation of t lymphocytes with the mitogen phytohemagglutinin ( pha ) results in increased synthesis and release of ach as well as an increase in mrna encoding for nachr and machr ( kawashima and fujii , 2000 ; fujii and kawashima , 2001 ) and suggests an autocrine and / or paracrine function for ach in the regulation of immune function ( fujii and kawashima , 2001 ). inhibition of concanavalin - a ( con a ) induced t cell proliferation is blocked by the nachr antagonist mecamylamine ( mec ) and by acute nicotine exposure ( singh et al ., 2000 ). acute nicotine exposure of cona stimulated mouse splenocytes resulted in decreased production of il - 10 and also resulted in increased production of ifn - gamma ( hallquist et al ., 2000 ). the presence of human lymphocyte cell surface nachr &# 39 ; s has been determined by the binding of fluoresceine isothiocyanate ( fitc )- conjugated α - btx ; affinity purification of α - btx bound protein indicated that the nachr bound were the same as those found in muscle ( toyabe et al ., 1997 ). others have determined the binding of 3 h - nicotine to human pbmc indicating the presence of nachr on the surface with a calculated density of ˜ 2000 sites / cell ( grabczewska et al ., 1990 ). additionally the binding of 3 h - nicotine to human neutrophils , monocytes and lymphocytes ( davies et al ., 1982 ) has been determined . the formation of e - rosettes , a function of t cells from peripheral blood , and a method used for t cell enumeration , is decreased by 30 %- 40 % by carbamylcholine chloride , a cholinergic antagonist , indicating the expression of nachr on at least a subset of human t cells ( mizuno et al ., 1982 ). clearly t - cell functions can be influenced by anticholinergics including peptide neurotoxins , an important aspect in autoimmune diseases . including the inhibition of viral replication in immune cells , and viral inhibition even in the absence of acetylcholine receptors , and reported use of modified venoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis ( montsedeoca et al , 1987 ) may suggest a general use in immune system disorders . the study of hydrogen peroxide - treated cobratoxin in eae has confirmed the above observations . a decrease in mononuclear cuffing and diminished signs and symptoms associated with the induced disease was observed . it also provided evidence for the safe application of this specific venom component to the treatment of an autoimmune disorder . the conversion of neurotoxins with hydrogen peroxide is relatively simple and can be achieved at relatively high protein concentrations ( 10 mg / ml ). the reactive species is inexpensive and abundant . the reaction procedure with hydrogen peroxide occurs over the course of several days but factors such as the nature of protein being detoxified , protein and chemical concentrations in addition to ph and temperature conditions influence the rate of the reaction . miller &# 39 ; s studies ( 1977 ) have shown that with continued oxidation , the loss of the tryptophan residue can be observed . this coincides with the method for following the reaction of neurotoxins with ozone ( chang et al , 1990 , mundschenk , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 989 , 857 ). studies conducted by miller suggest that the loss of toxicity may be due to the reduction in the number of disulphide bonds . alpha - neurotoxin solution , i . e ., cobratoxin , is filter sterilized to remove bacteria . it can be dissolved in saline and made up to final volume minus h 2 o 2 volume ( see sanders , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 888 , 977 ). h 2 o 2 should be added last while agitating . the final product is 10 mg / ml . the protein level can be increased concomitant with an increase in the level of h 2 o 2 to yield 20 or 30 mg / ml solutions . there is a 1000 fold molar excess of h 2 o 2 relative to neurotoxin . this increases production while keeping the handling volume to a minimum . the solution needs to be diluted prior to filling and administration ( e . g . to 500 mcg / ml ). any suitable preservative for parenteral administration can be employed such as methyl paraben , benzalkonium chloride or metacreosol . for oral administration of the neurotoxin the modified protein must be combined with benzalkonium chloride at a protein : detergent ratio of between 1 : 6 to 1 : 8 , and preferably 1 : 7 . 5 for solutions with modified cobratoxin . the normal dosage of the present modified neurotoxin for the average adult is approximately 0 . 3 mg per day . the dosages are correspondingly adjusted for younger or older patients of greater or less body weight . the maximum dosage need not exceed 1 mg per day . dosages of 0 . 03 mg have been found to be effective though with slower onset of relief . while a patient may be given the modified neurotoxin as infrequently as every other week , it is preferred that the composition be administered at least weekly , and preferably every other day or daily . the composition may be administered orally , subcutaneously , intramuscularly or intravenously . parenterally , either subcutaneous or intramuscular injection is preferred . while the correct formulation with benzalkonium chloride will permit oral administration through absorption through the oral mucosa ( preferably sublingually ), this formulation may also permit administration otically . furthermore transdermal delivery may be effected if formulated in an appropriate cream or lotion base using benzalkonium chloride as a permeation enhancer . for the study female lewis rats were divided into groups of 12 rats each . two groups received subcutaneous injection of 200 μg guinea pig myelin basic protein ( mbp ) plus complete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant ( cfa ) and treated with either modified cobratoxin or modified cobra venom . the control group received only subcutaneous injection of 200 μg guinea pig myelin basic protein ( mbp ) plus complete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant ( cfa ). an acute phase study was run for 28 days post eae induction . all treated animals were receiving the treatment as three doses per week for three weeks prior to eae induction . each single dose of modified cobratoxin or cobra venom was 0 . 2 mg and was given subcutaneously . all animals were examined for behavioral deficits daily . the examinations were by two individuals who were blinded as to the injections they received . pender scores as follow : score 0 no symptoms score 1 tail weakness score 2 tail paralysis score 3 hind limb weakness score 4 forelimb weakness score 5 hind limb paralysis score 6 forelimb paralysis for tissue examination , each animal was sacrificed under perfusion with saline and halothane anesthesia . spinal cord and brain tissues fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin , sectioned in 2 - 4 micrometer in thickness . the section stained with hematoxylene and eosin and examined using light microscope for the presence of perivascular lymphocyte infiltrate inflammation and graded as no inflammation , mild , moderate and severe as described by ( mohamed , 2004 ). all control animals were symptomatic at 11 - 24 days . see fig1 . at the 28 th day all had been sacrificed and perfusion fixed . histological examination shows no signs of perivascular cuffing in all of modified cobratoxin group except one animal , who clinically was sick ( fig2 ), and showed mild perivascular cuffing in the spinal section ( fig7 ). the modified cobra venom group showed no signs of perivascular cuffing in six animals and those animals that were clinically sick ( fig3 ) and showed mild to moderate perivascular cuffing in the spinal and brain sections . for the study female lewis rats were divided into groups of 12 rats each . two groups received subcutaneous injection of 200 μg guinea pig myelin basic protein ( mbp ) plus complete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant ( cfa ) and treated with either modified cobratoxin or modified cobra venom . the control group received subcutaneous injection of 200 μg guinea pig myelin basic protein ( mbp ) plus complete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant ( cfa ) used as a control animal models of eae for the acute and relapsing stages respectively . a chronic phase study was run for 70 days post eae induction . all control animals were symptomatic at 11 - 24 days . see fig4 . animals were maintained on 0 . 2 ml of a drug once a week for the next five weeks . animals were examined for behavioral deficits and weighed twice a day by two individuals . one animal showed symptoms day 7 to 20 when treated with modified cobratoxin ( fig5 ) whereas six animals showed symptoms day 11 to 27 , when treated with modified cobra venom ( fig6 ). histological examination at day 70 revealed six animals with no inflammation and six animals showed different degrees of perivascular inflammation from the modified venom group . in the modified cobratoxin group histological examination revealed only one animal with severe perivascular inflammation ( fig8 ) relative to normal tissue ( fig9 ). the ability of hydrogen peroxide - modified cobratoxin to prevent the onset of eae in rats in both acute and chronic experiments suggests that the drug could be effective in the amelioration of immune damage in autoimmune diseases with special emphasis to multiple sclerosis . histiological examination of the brains of the test animals shows a clear reduction in the numbers of lymphocytes recruited to areas of expected inflammation in comparison to controls . it suggests that the drug can render these immune cells non - responsive to the stimulation of antigen mixed with adjuvant . furthermore the purified cobratoxin product is superior to the whole venom product in the prevention of disease contrary to the observations made in antiviral studies . cobratoxin represents 15 - 20 % of naja naja kaouthia venom and so it could be concluded that the venom results reflect a cobratoxin low - dose response . while the invention has been described , and disclosed in various terms or certain embodiments or modifications which it has assumed in practice , the scope of the invention is not intended to be , nor should it be deemed to be , limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended . | 0 |
referring first to fig1 , there is shown a first embodiment of a wetting apparatus 1 according to the invention comprising a wetting receptacle , or bag 2 , preferably of a transparent flexible plastics material . the receptacle 2 has a downwardly extending elongate pocket 21 at the forward end , an intermediate chamber 22 rearwardly of and in fluid communication with the elongate pocket 21 and a fluid supply chamber 23 spaced further rearwardly . the wetting apparatus further comprises a hydrophilic urinary catheter 3 having a flared rearward portion 31 , an elongate shaft 32 projecting forwardly from the rearward portion 31 and an open - ended lumen ( not shown ) which extends from the rear end of the rearward portion 31 to a drainage aperture 33 in the rounded tip 34 . the rearward end 31 of the catheter 3 is connectable to a urine collection bag . further , the wetting apparatus comprises a wetting fluid container 4 , which in this embodiment takes the form of a sachet , containing a wetting fluid . as can be seen more particularly by reference to fig2 , the sachet 4 is arranged in the fluid supply chamber 23 in an operational position . the sachet 4 has a forward portion 41 which in the operational position of the sachet 4 faces the catheter and the fluid receiving area 21 and a rearward portion 42 which in the operational position projects rearwardly away from the catheter and the fluid receiving area 21 . the sachet 4 is preferably made of aluminium foil laminate , poly ( vinylidene chloride ) or a laminate containing a metallised film , such as metallised poly ( ethylene terepthalate ), or a silicon oxide coated film , particularly when ethylene oxide is the sterilising agent for the apparatus 1 and the sachet contains sterile water or saline solution . preferably , the forward portion 41 of the sachet 4 presents a forward edge 43 . extending rearwardly from the forward edge 43 is an area of weakness , and preferably a tear line 44 . projecting forwardly from the forward edge 43 of the sachet to one side of the tear line 44 is a first tab 45 . on the other side of the tear line 44 there is provided an elongate second tab 46 , shown here in an extended position in which the second tab 46 projects forwardly from the forward edge 43 . the elongate second tab 46 is movable about the forward edge 43 back on it self from the extended position to a retracted position in which the second tab 46 extends rearwardly from the forward edge 43 . when the second tab 46 is in the retracted position the sachet 4 is inserted into the fluid supply chamber into the operational position shown in fig1 . preferably the dimensions of the second tab 46 are such that when the sachet 4 is in the operational position a pulling portion 47 of the second tab 46 projects rearwardly beyond a rearward edge 48 of the sachet 4 . the sachet is preferably fixed to the receptacle , but most preferably only in the vicinity of the pulling means , i . e . the tabs 45 , 46 by means of fixation ( 51 )( 52 ). the fixation could be provided by means of welding , gluing or taping , or a combination of these , but other fixation means could be used as well . between the fixation points the fluid supply chamber 23 of the receptacle is provided with a surplus of material , resulting in bellow - like folded area 24 . this folded area makes an easy elongation of the fluid supply chamber possible . the folded area is further preferably wider than the rest of the fluid supply chamber 23 . in fig3 and 4 the sachet 4 is shown in its opened position , where the contents of the sachet is released into the receptacle 2 to wet the hydrophilic outer coating of the catheter 3 . in the method of wetting the catheter , the user applies a pulling force to the wetting receptacle in such a way that the pulling force is transferred to the wetting container to open the same without rupturing the sealed condition of the wetting receptacle . preferably , the pulling force is applied in such a way that the pulling means are pulled apart in a separation direction . this could e . g . be made in the following way , with the wetting apparatus described above . the user grips the first tab 45 through the flexible transparent plastics material of the bag 2 and then pulls rearwardly on the pulling portion 47 of the second tab 46 , likewise through the flexible transparent plastics material of the bag 2 , to cause the tear line 44 to be torn and the wetting fluid to be released into the pocket 21 to wet the catheter 3 . preferably , the sachet 4 contains a sufficient amount of wetting fluid for the pocket 21 to be filled to a level , which results in the insertable length of the catheter 3 being wetted . by insertable length ″ is meant at least that length of the elongate shaft 32 which is coated with a hydrophilic material , for example pvp , and inserted into the urethra of the patient . typically , this will be 80 – 140 mm for a female patient and 200 – 350 mm for a male patient . after release of the wetting fluid into the pocket 21 the receptacle is opened , preferably at a tearing section 27 , where after the catheter is removed from the bag 21 and used for catherisation . the receptacle and sachet are then disposed of . to facilitate the removal of the catheter from the receptacle and the insertion into the urethra of the patient , at least one area of weakness 27 , 28 , such as a tear line , is preferably arranged on the receptacle in the area of fluid receiving pocket 21 , in which the catheter is placed . most preferably , two such areas of weakness 27 , 28 are provided , and separated in the lengthwise direction of the receptacle . the intermediate part of the receptacle may be used as an insertion aid for guiding and holding the wetted catheter when it is inserted into the urethra . there is therefore no need to directly handle the catheter 3 for insertion thereof into the urethra , which is to advantage as the outer surface of the catheter 3 will be slippery due to the wetting procedure and therefore difficult to grip and furthermore because the possibility of contamination of the catheter 3 at this stage is avoided , whereby the cleanness and sterility of the catheter may be maintained . the bag or receptacle 2 according to the invention is a closed bag with the sachet 4 and catheter 3 pre - packaged within the bag 2 . the catheter 3 could be sterilised using ethylene oxide . since the sachet 4 contains sterile water or saline there is no need for sterilising the contents of the sachet 4 . accordingly , the material of the sachet 6 is preferably impermeable to ethylene oxide and water . non - limiting examples of materials meeting these requirements are poly ( vinylidene chloride ) ( pvdc ), aluminium foil laminates or a laminate comprising a metallised film , for example metallised poly ( ethylene terepthalate ), or a silicon coated film . other sterilisation processes could of course be used instead , for example by irradiation in which case the fluid in the sachet 4 could be sterilised in situ at the same time as the rest of the components of the apparatus 1 . steam treatment may also be used for sterilisation . other types and locations of sachets 4 inside the bag is possible as long as the sachet 4 releases its contents into the pocket 21 . for example it is possible to arrange the tear line 44 in an oblique angel relative to the pulling direction . in this case the tearing line will extend essentially in the middle between the two pulling tabs . alternatively , it is possible to arrange the pulling tabs laterally on the sachet 4 , and thus provide the pulling direction essentially perpendicular to the tearing line . in this case , however , the folding of the fluid supply chamber 23 has to be rearranged in another direction as well . the expandability of the fluid supply chamber could also be achieved in other ways , such as by the use of a stretchable material . in such a case it is possible to fix the wetting fluid container to the receptacle along its entire surface , and still enable opening of the fluid container without destroying or causing ruptures to the receptacle . however , by providing an area of the fluid container surface which is not fixed to the receptacle , a less degree of stretchability is required . even though the receptacle according to the invention is sealed , it is however preferred that the receptacle 2 is provided with an outlet 25 , at least when ethylene oxide is the sterilising agent , as this provides a pathway for the ethylene oxide to enter and exit the inside of the receptacle . in still another embodiment , shown in fig5 , the intermittent chamber 22 ′ of the receptacle 2 may be used as a urine bag . in this case , after wetting of the catheter 3 for the predetermined duration in the same manner as described above , the bag 2 is turned upside down and the forwardmost portion of the pocket 21 torn off . the elongate shaft 32 of the catheter 3 is then maneuvered through the opening in the forward end of the pocket 21 and pulled out until the flared rearward portion 31 forms a mechanical seal connection with the opening at a restriction 29 ′ of the receptacle . thereafter the catheter is inserted into the urethra of the patient . two separated areas of weakness 27 ′, 28 ′ may be used as an insertion aid even in this embodiment . however , in this case the areas of weakness should be placed beneath the restriction 29 ′. except the above mentioned differences , the same as discussed above regarding the first embodiments applies to this alternative embodiment as well . in the exemplary embodiments hereinabove described with reference to drawings the supply of wetting fluid for wetting of the hydrophilic urinary catheter takes the form of a separate sachet integrated into the wetting receptacle , and being easily dischargeable without breaking or rupturing the receptacle . it will be appreciated by those versed in the art that several alternatives similar to those described above could be used without departing from the spirit of the invention , such as other types of fluid containers , different ways to provide the expandability of the receptacle etc . | 0 |
hereinafter , embodiments of an imaging optical system , an imaging optical device , and a digital apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . however , the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples . an imaging optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first lens group of positive lenses , a second lens group of negative lenses , and a third lens group of positive lenses in order from the object side . as the entire second lens group is moved along the optical axis toward the image side , focusing on a nearby object is performed , and the following conditional expressions ( 1 ) to ( 5 ) are satisfied : 1gr_r_nop represents the distance from the outermost surface of the first lens group on the object side to the rear principal point of the first lens group , 2gr_r_nop represents the distance from the outermost surface of the second lens group on the object side to the rear principal point of the second lens group , and compared with a fully - moving type that performs focusing by moving an entire imaging optical system , an inner focus type can reduce the total weight of the lens group that moves at a time of focusing , because such an inner focus type has positive power , negative power , and positive power in order from the object side ( power being an amount defined by a reciprocal of a focal length ), and uses the second lens group having negative power as the focusing group . after a light flux converged by the first lens group is scattered by the second lens group , the light flux is again converged by the third lens group . in this manner , the incidence heights of the axial light flux and the off - axis light flux at the second lens group serving as the focusing group can be appropriately set . therefore , employing the above described inner focus type is effective in reducing spherical aberration variation and coma aberration variation that are caused at a time of focusing and become problems particularly in a large - diameter lens . the conditional expressions ( 1 ) to ( 3 ) specify the powers of the respective lens groups to shorten the total lens length . if the upper limit shown in the conditional expression ( 1 ) is exceeded , the power of the first lens group becomes weaker . as a result , the moving distance required for the second lens group in focusing becomes longer , and the spherical aberration variation that accompanies the focusing becomes larger . this also works unfavorably in shortening the total lens length . if the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 1 ) is not reached , the power of the first lens group becomes stronger , and the power of the second lens group inevitably becomes stronger too . as a result , it becomes difficult to correct the variation in coma aberration and the variation in astigmatism at the peripheral image height at a time of focusing . if the upper limit shown in the conditional expression ( 2 ) is exceeded , the power of the second lens group becomes weaker . as a result , the moving distance required for the second lens group in focusing becomes longer , and the spherical aberration variation that accompanies the focusing becomes larger . if the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 2 ) is not reached , the power of the second lens group becomes stronger , and the peripheral light flux is subjected to a strong scattering effect . as a result , it becomes difficult to correct the variation in coma aberration and the variation in astigmatism at the peripheral image height at a time of focusing . if the upper limit shown in the conditional expression ( 3 ) is exceeded , the power of the third lens group becomes weaker . therefore , to obtain a large diameter , the light flux exiting the first lens group should be converged more strongly and be then released . as a result , the incidence height of the light flux entering the second lens group varies greatly at a time of focusing , and the variation in aberration due to focusing becomes larger . also , the effective optical diameter of the second lens group becomes larger , which works unfavorably in reducing the weight of the focusing group . if the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 3 ) is not reached , the power of the third lens group becomes stronger . therefore , it becomes difficult to correct the astigmatism at the peripheral field angle . since it is necessary to secure a space between the second lens group and the third lens group at a time of infinite - distance focusing , it is also difficult to shorten the total lens length . the conditional expression ( 4 ) specifies the position of the rear principal point of the first lens group . if the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 4 ) is not reached , the distance from the rear principal point of the first lens group to the second lens group becomes longer , and the incidence position of the light flux entering the second lens group becomes lower . as a result , the spherical aberration cannot be appropriately corrected . if the upper limit shown in the conditional expression ( 4 ) is exceeded , the distance from the rear principal point of the first lens group to the second lens group becomes shorter . as a result , the scattering effect acting on the light flux at the peripheral image height at the second lens group becomes smaller , and it becomes difficult to correct the coma aberration . since the effective optical diameter of the second lens group becomes larger , it also becomes difficult to reduce the weight of the focusing group . the conditional expression ( 5 ) specifies the position of the rear principal point of the second lens group . if the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 5 ) is not reached , the distance from the rear principal point of the second lens group to the third lens group becomes longer , and the incidence position of the axial light flux entering the third lens group becomes lower . as a result , it becomes difficult to correct the spherical aberration . if the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 5 ) is not reached , the distance from the rear principal point of the second lens group to the third lens group becomes shorter , and the axial light flux and the off - axis light flux are not clearly separated from each other on the third lens group . as a result , it becomes difficult to correct the field curvature . with the above described features , an imaging optical system of an inner focus type that includes a first lens group of positive lenses , a second lens group of negative lenses , and a third lens group of positive lenses in order from the object side , and moves the second lens group toward the image side at a time of performing focusing on a nearby object from infinity can be made a compact and high - performance imaging optical system that has a large diameter and includes a lightweight focusing group , having a structure that appropriately satisfies effective conditions for reducing the weight of the focusing group . also , an imaging optical device equipped with the imaging optical system can be realized . for example , it is possible to obtain an imaging optical system that is a large - diameter standard lens that has a shorter total lens length and smaller variation in performance at a time of focusing , and can effectively cope with contrast af by virtue of the reduced weight of the focusing group . if such a high - performance and high - function imaging optical system or imaging optical device is used in a digital apparatus such as a digital camera , a sophisticated image input function can be added to the digital apparatus in a lightweight and compact fashion , and it is possible to reduce the size and the costs of the digital apparatus , and enhance the performance and the functions of the digital apparatus . also , an imaging optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable as an interchangeable lens for a mirrorless interchangeable lens digital camera . accordingly , a lightweight and small - sized interchangeable lens that is handy to carry around can be realized . the conditions and the like for achieving these effects in a balanced manner , obtaining higher optical performance , and reducing weight and size are described below . the stop is preferably placed between the first lens group and the second lens group . as the stop is placed between the first lens group and the second lens group , the incidence position of the off - axis light flux entering the second lens group does not become too high , and the variation in coma aberration due to focusing can be reduced . β — 2gr represents the lateral magnification of the second lens group when the object distance is infinite , and β — 3gr represents the lateral magnification of the third lens group when the object distance is infinite . the conditional expression ( 6 ) specifies the imaging magnification ratio between the second lens group and the third lens group at a time of infinite focusing . if the upper limit shown in the conditional expression ( 6 ) is exceeded , the negative power of the second lens group becomes larger , and the off - axis light flux is strongly scattered at the second lens group . as a result , it becomes difficult to correct the coma aberration . if the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 6 ) is not reached , the negative power of the second lens group becomes smaller , and the moving distance required for the second lens group in focusing becomes longer . as a result , it becomes difficult to correct the variation in spherical aberration and the variation in chromatic aberration that occur at a time of focusing . the first lens group includes a front group and a rear group in order from the object side , the lens closest to the image side in the front group has a concave surface facing the image side , the lens closest to the object side in the rear group has a concave surface facing the object side , the axial spacing between the front group and the rear group is the largest among the axial spacings in the first lens group , and the following conditional expressions ( 7 ) and ( 8 ) are preferably satisfied : the front group and the rear group that are partial groups in the first lens group are preferably arranged so that concave surfaces face each other . with such arrangement , it is possible to realize an imaging optical system that has coma aberration suitable corrected , though having a large diameter . also , as the conditional expressions ( 7 ) and ( 8 ) that specify the focal lengths of the front group and the rear group are satisfied , spherical aberration and coma aberration can be appropriately corrected while the effective diameter of the second lens group is shortened . if the upper limit shown in the conditional expression ( 7 ) is exceeded , the positive power of the front group becomes too strong , and the coma aberration in the first lens group increases . at the same time , the distance from the rear principal point of the first lens group to the second lens group becomes longer , and the incidence position of the axial light flux entering the second lens group becomes lower . as a result , it becomes difficult to correct the spherical aberration . if the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 7 ) is not reached , the negative power of the front group becomes too strong , and the distance from the rear principal point of the first lens group to the second lens group becomes shorter . as a result , the scattering effect acting on the light flux at the peripheral image height at the second lens group becomes smaller , and it becomes difficult to correct the coma aberration . since the effective diameter of the second lens group needs to be made longer , it also becomes difficult to reduce the weight of the focusing group . for example , in a lens system disclosed in jp 2013 - 3324 a , the corresponding value in the conditional expression ( 7 ) is smaller than the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 7 ). that is , in the lens system disclosed in jp 2013 - 3324 a , the position of the rear principal point is near the second lens group . therefore , there is not only the problem with the coma aberration properties described above , but also the need to increase the effective diameter of the second lens group . as a result , there is a risk of an increase in the weight of the focusing group . if the upper limit shown in the conditional expression ( 8 ) is exceeded , the positive power of the rear group becomes too weak , and the coma aberration correction in the first lens group becomes insufficient . if the lower limit shown in the conditional expression ( 8 ) is not reached , the positive power of the rear group becomes stronger , and a strongly - converged light flux enters the second lens group . as a result , it becomes difficult to correct the spherical aberration variation that occurs at a time of focusing . furthermore , the angle of the principal ray of the off - axis light flux exiting the first lens group becomes greater . therefore , the effective diameter of the second lens group needs to be made larger as the coma aberration increases . as a result , it also becomes difficult to reduce the weight of the focusing group . the first lens group includes at least one aspherical lens , and the aspherical lens has an aspherical shape on the object side , the curvature radius of the aspherical shape being smaller at a longer distance from the optical axis . as the aspherical lens having an aspherical shape with a curvature radius that is smaller ( or the power of the surface becomes weaker ) at a longer distance from the optical axis is placed in the first lens group , the astigmatism that occurs with the off - axis light flux is effectively corrected . particularly , an even greater effect can be expected , if a convex surface facing the object has the aspherical shape . the third lens group preferably includes a positive power lens and a negative power lens . as the third lens group includes a positive lens and a negative lens , the coma aberration of the off - axis light flux can be effectively corrected . furthermore , if the positive lens and the negative lens are arranged in this order from the object side , the aberration correction effect can be made even greater . also , if the third lens group includes a positive lens having an aspherical shape , the astigmatism can be more effectively corrected . in an imaging optical system for forming an optical image of an object on the imaging surface of an imaging element , when half the diagonal length of the screen size of the imaging surface is set as the maximum image height , the following conditional expression ( 9 ) is preferably satisfied : tl represents the total length of the entire system ( the distance from the vertex of the lens surface closest to the object side to the imaging surface ), and the conditional expression ( 9 ) specifies the total lens length with respect to the field angle of an imaging optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention , and sets appropriately - balanced conditions so as to shorten the total lens length , reduce the weight of the focusing group , and restrain variation in performance at times of focusing . if the conditional expressions ( 1 ) to ( 5 ) are also satisfied in the imaging optical system that satisfies the conditional expression ( 9 ), the total lens length can be shortened , the weight of the focusing group can be reduced , and the focus performance can be improved . these three effects can be effectively achieved at the same time . w — 2gr represents the total weight ( g ) of the lens components constituting the second lens group . the conditional expression ( 10 ) specifies the total weight of the lens components constituting the second lens group , and sets appropriately - balanced conditions so as to reduce the weight of the focusing group and restrain variation in performance at times of focusing . when the conditional expression ( 10 ) is satisfied , high - speed focusing can be realized , as the weight of the focusing group is reduced . however , satisfying the above mentioned conditional expression ( 2 ) or the like is also effective in reducing the weight of the focusing group . in an imaging optical system for forming an optical image of an object on the imaging surface of an imaging element , when half the diagonal length of the screen size of the imaging surface is set as the maximum image height , the following conditional expression ( 11 ) is preferably satisfied : the conditional expression ( 11 ) specifies the field angle of an imaging optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention , and sets appropriately - balanced conditions so as to reduce the weight of the focusing group and restrain variation in performance at times of focusing . when the conditional expression ( 11 ), the field angle of a so - called standard lens can be obtained . if the conditional expressions ( 1 ) to ( 5 ) are also satisfied in the imaging optical system that has a field angle satisfying the conditional expression ( 11 ), the weight of the focusing group can be reduced , and the focus performance can be improved . these two effects can be effectively achieved at the same time . an imaging optical system according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable as an imaging lens for a digital apparatus ( such as a digital camera ) having an image input function . when such an imaging optical system is combined with an imaging element or the like , an imaging optical device that optically captures a video image of an object and outputs the video image as an electrical signal can be formed . such an imaging optical device is an optical device that serves as a principal component of a camera to be used in taking a still image or a moving image of an object , and includes , in order from the object side , an imaging optical system that forms an optical image of an object , and an imaging element that converts the optical image formed by the imaging optical system into an electrical signal , for example . the imaging optical system that has the above described characteristic structure is positioned so that an optical image of an object is formed on the light receiving surface ( or the imaging surface ) of the imaging element . with this arrangement , it is possible to realize an imaging optical device that is small in size and exhibits high performance at low costs , and a digital apparatus including the imaging optical device . examples of such digital apparatuses having an image input function include a digital camera , a video camera , a surveillance camera , a security camera , an on - vehicle camera , and a camera for a videophone . other examples include a personal computer , a portable digital apparatus ( such as a portable telephone , a smartphone ( a portable telephone with sophisticated functions ), a tablet terminal , or a mobile computer ), a peripheral device ( such as a scanner , a printer , or a mouse ) for such digital apparatuses , and some other digital apparatus ( such as a drive recorder or a defense apparatus ) having an internal or external camera function . as can be seen from these examples , a camera is formed by using an imaging optical device , and a camera function can be added to an apparatus by mounting an imaging optical device in the apparatus . for example , it is possible to forma digital apparatus having an image input function , such as a camera - equipped portable telephone . fig2 is a schematic cross - sectional view of an example structure of a digital apparatus du as an example digital apparatus having an image input function . the imaging optical device lu mounted in the digital apparatus du shown in fig2 includes , in order from the object side , an imaging optical system ln that forms an optical image ( an image surface ) im of an object ( ax representing the optical axis ), and an imaging element sr that converts the optical image im formed on the light receiving surface ( the imaging surface ) ss by the imaging optical system ln into an electrical signal . a plane - parallel plate ( equivalent to the cover glass for the imaging element sr , and an optical filter such as an optical low - pass filter or an infrared cutoff filter that is provided if necessary ) is also provided as necessary . in a case where the digital apparatus du having an image input function includes this imaging optical device lu , the imaging optical device lu is normally placed in the main body . however , so as to realize a camera function , an appropriate structure can be employed as necessary . for example , the imaging optical device lu designed as a unit can be detachably or rotatably attached to the main body of the digital apparatus du . the imaging optical system ln is a standard lens formed with three or more groups including a positive lens group , a negative lens group , and another positive lens group on the object side . the imaging optical system ln performs focusing on a nearby object by moving the entire second lens group along the optical axis ax toward the image side , and forms the optical image im on the light receiving surface ss of the imaging element sr . the imaging element sr is a solid - state imaging element having more than one pixel , such as a ccd image sensor or a cmos image sensor . the imaging optical system ln is positioned so that the optical image im of the object is formed on the light receiving surface ss , which is the photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging element sr . accordingly , the optical image in formed by the imaging optical system ln is converted into an electrical signal by the imaging element sr . the digital apparatus du includes a signal processing unit 1 , a control unit 2 , a memory 3 , an operating unit 4 , and a display unit 5 , as well as the imaging optical device lu . a signal generated at the imaging element sr is subjected to predetermined digital image processing , image compression , or the like at the signal processing unit 1 as necessary , and is recorded as a digital video signal into the memory 3 ( a semiconductor memory , an optical disk , or the like ). in some cases , such a signal is transmitted to another apparatus via a cable , or is converted into an infrared signal or the like and is then transmitted to another apparatus ( the communication function of a portable telephone , for example ). the control unit 2 is formed with a microcomputer . the control unit 2 collectively controls functions such as imaging functions ( a still image capturing function , a moving image capturing function , and the like ) and an image reproducing function , and controls the lens movement mechanism for focusing , image stabilization , and the like . for example , the control unit 2 controls the imaging optical device lu to capture a still image and / or a moving image of an object . the display unit 5 is a component that includes a display such as a liquid crystal monitor , and displays an image , using an image signal converted by the imaging element sr or image information recorded in the memory 3 . the operating unit 4 is a component that includes operating portions such as operating buttons ( a release button , for example ) and an operating dial ( an imaging mode dial , for example ), and transfers information that is input by an operator , to the control unit 2 . next , the optical structure of the imaging optical system ln is described in greater detail by way of first to fifth embodiments of the imaging optical system ln . fig1 to 5 are lens structure diagrams corresponding to the respective imaging optical systems ln forming the first to fifth embodiments , and each show the lens arrangement in a first focus position pos 1 ( in an object infinity state ) in optical cross - section . at a time of focusing , a second lens group gr 2 moves along an optical axis ax . that is , the second lens group gr 2 is a focusing group , and moves toward the image side at a time of focusing on a nearby object , as indicated by an arrow mf . each of the imaging optical systems ln forming the first to fifth embodiments is a standard lens formed with three lens groups that are a positive lens group , a negative lens group , and another positive lens group , the second lens group gr 2 being the focusing group . a first lens group gr 1 includes a front group gr 1 a and a rear group gr 1 b in order from the object side . the front group gr 1 a and the rear group gr 1 b are arranged so that the concave surfaces face each other , and the axial spacing between the front group gr 1 a and the rear group gr 1 b is the largest among the axial spacing in the first lens group gr 1 . a stop st is placed between the first lens group gr 1 and the second lens group gr 2 . as the stop st is placed between the first and second lens groups gr 1 and gr 2 , the coma aberration that occurs in each lens group can be corrected in a preferred manner . a plane - parallel plate pt is placed between the imaging optical system ln and an image surface im , and this plane - parallel plate pt is a flat glass plate having a thickness equivalent to the total optical thickness of the cover glass of an imaging element sr and a low - pass filter for preventing moire . in the imaging optical system ln of the first embodiment ( fig1 ), the respective lens groups are designed as described below in order from the object side . the front group gr 1 a in the first lens group gr 1 includes : a cemented lens formed with a negative meniscus lens l 11 having its convex surface facing the object side and a positive meniscus lens l 12 having its convex surface facing the object side ; and a negative meniscus lens l 13 that has its convex surface facing the object side and has two aspherical surfaces . the rear group gr 1 b in the first lens group gr 1 includes : a cemented lens formed with a biconcave lens l 14 and a biconvex lens l 15 ; and a biconvex lens l 16 . the lens l 13 closest to the image side in the front group gr 1 a has its concave surface facing the image side , and the lens l 14 closest to the object side in the rear group gr 1 b has its concave surface facing the object side . the second lens group gr 2 includes a biconcave lens l 21 and a biconvex lens l 22 . the third lens group gr 3 includes a biconvex lens l 31 having two aspherical surfaces , and a biconcave lens l 32 . in the imaging optical system ln of the second embodiment ( fig2 ), the respective lens groups are designed as described below in order from the object side . the front group gr 1 a in the first lens group gr 1 includes : a cemented lens formed with a negative meniscus lens l 11 having its convex surface facing the object side and a positive meniscus lens l 12 having its convex surface facing the object side ; and a negative meniscus lens l 13 that has its convex surface facing the object side and has two aspherical surfaces . the rear group gr 1 b in the first lens group gr 1 includes : a cemented lens formed with a biconcave lens l 14 and a biconvex lens l 15 ; and a biconvex lens l 16 . the lens l 13 closest to the image side in the front group gr 1 a has its concave surface facing the image side , and the lens l 14 closest to the object side in the rear group gr 1 b has its concave surface facing the object side . the second lens group gr 2 includes a biconcave lens l 21 and a biconvex lens l 22 . the third lens group gr 3 includes a biconvex lens l 31 having two aspherical surfaces , and a biconcave lens l 32 . in the imaging optical system ln of the third embodiment ( fig3 ), the respective lens groups are designed as described below in order from the object side . the front group gr 1 a in the first lens group gr 1 includes : a positive meniscus lens l 11 having its convex surface facing the object side ; and a negative meniscus lens l 12 that has its convex surface facing the object side and has two aspherical surfaces . the rear group gr 1 b in the first lens group gr 1 includes : a cemented lens formed with a biconcave lens l 13 and a biconvex lens l 14 ; and a biconvex lens l 15 . the lens l 12 closest to the image side in the front group gr 1 a has its concave surface facing the image side , and the lens l 13 closest to the object side in the rear group gr 1 b has its concave surface facing the object side . the second lens group gr 2 includes : a cemented lens formed with a biconvex lens l 21 and a biconcave lens l 22 ; and a negative meniscus lens l 23 having its concave surface facing the object side . the third lens group gr 3 includes a biconvex lens l 31 having two aspherical surfaces , and a negative meniscus lens l 32 having its concave surface facing the object side . in the imaging optical system ln of the fourth embodiment ( fig4 ), the respective lens groups are designed as described below in order from the object side . the front group gr 1 a in the first lens group gr 1 includes a negative meniscus lens l 11 having its convex surface facing the object side , a positive meniscus lens l 12 having its convex surface facing the object side , and a negative meniscus lens l 13 having its convex surface facing the object side . the rear group gr 1 b in the first lens group gr 1 includes : a cemented lens formed with a biconcave lens l 14 and a biconvex lens l 15 ; and a biconvex lens l 16 having two aspherical surfaces . the lens l 13 closest to the image side in the front group gr 1 a has its concave surface facing the image side , and the lens l 14 closest to the object side in the rear group gr 1 b has its concave surface facing the object side . the second lens group gr 2 includes a negative meniscus lens l 21 that has its convex surface facing the object side and has two aspherical surfaces . the third lens group gr 3 includes : a cemented lens formed with a negative meniscus lens l 31 having its convex surface facing the object side and a biconvex lens l 32 ; and a negative meniscus lens l 33 having its convex surface facing the object side . in the imaging optical system ln of the fifth embodiment ( fig5 ), the respective lens groups are designed as described below in order from the object side . the front group gr 1 a in the first lens group gr 1 includes : a negative meniscus lens l 11 having its convex surface facing the object side ; a biconvex lens l 12 ; and a negative meniscus lens l 13 that has its convex surface facing the object side and has two aspherical surfaces . the rear group gr 1 b in the first lens group gr 1 includes : a cemented lens formed with a biconcave lens l 14 and a biconvex lens l 15 ; and a biconvex lens l 16 . the lens l 13 closest to the image side in the front group gr 1 a has its concave surface facing the image side , and the lens l 14 closest to the object side in the rear group gr 1 b has its concave surface facing the object side . the second lens group gr 2 includes a negative meniscus lens l 21 having its convex surface facing the object side . the third lens group gr 3 includes : a cemented lens formed with a negative meniscus lens l 31 having its convex surface facing the object side and a biconvex lens l 32 ; and a negative meniscus lens l 33 that has its concave surface facing the object side and has two aspherical surfaces . each of the object - side surfaces of the negative meniscus lenses l 13 ( fig1 , 2 , and 5 ), l 12 ( fig3 ), and l 16 ( fig4 ) in the first lens groups gr 1 has an aspherical shape , the curvature radius thereof being smaller at a longer distance from the optical axis ax . having an aspherical surface that has a smaller curvature radius at a longer distance from the optical axis ax in the first lens group gr 1 is effective in correcting the astigmatism that occurs with an off - axis light flux . a particularly greater effect can be expected by forming the above described aspherical shape with a surface that is a convex surface facing the object side . in each of the first and second embodiments ( fig1 and 2 ), the second lens group gr 2 includes a negative lens l 21 and a positive lens l 22 . in the third embodiment ( fig3 ), the second lens group gr 2 includes negative lenses l 22 and l 23 , and a positive lens l 21 . as the second lens group gr 2 includes a negative lens and a positive lens , or more preferably , the second lens group gr 2 has a negative lens and a positive lens arranged in order from the object side , the field curvature and the chromatic aberration that vary at a time of focusing can be corrected in a preferred manner . in each of the first to third embodiments ( fig1 to 3 ), the third lens group gr 3 includes a positive lens and a negative lens in this order . in each of the fourth and fifth embodiments ( fig4 and 5 ), the third lens group gr 3 includes a positive - power cemented lens and a negative lens in this order . as a positive lens and a negative lens are provided in reverse order in the third lens group gr 3 , the coma aberration that occurs in the first and second lens groups gr 1 and gr 2 can be corrected , and the total lens length can be effectively shortened . furthermore , as the focal length of the third lens group gr 3 is made longer than the focal length of the first lens group gr 1 , the moving distance of the second lens group gr 2 required for focusing can be reduced . accordingly , fluctuations in aberration due to focusing can be effectively prevented , and the total lens length can be effectively shortened . in each of the first to third embodiments ( fig1 to 3 ), the third lens group gr 3 includes a positive biconvex lens l 31 having an aspherical shape . accordingly , astigmatism can be even more effectively corrected . in the following , the structures and the like of imaging optical systems embodying the present invention are described in greater detail by way of the construction data and the like of examples . examples 1 to 5 ( ex1 to ex5 ) described herein are numerical examples corresponding to the above described first to fifth embodiments , respectively , and the lens structure diagrams ( fig1 to 5 ) showing the first to fifth embodiments show the optical structures of examples 1 to 5 , respectively . the construction data of each example shows , as planar data , surface numbers i ( ob : object surface , st : stop surface , im : image surface ), curvature radii r ( mm ), axial surface spacings d ( mm ), refractive indexes nd with respect to the d line ( 587 . 56 nm in wavelength ), abbe numbers vd with respect to the d line , and effective radii r ( mm ), in order from the leftmost column . each surface with a surface number i having “★” attached thereto is an aspherical surface , and the surface shape thereof is defined by the expression ( as ) shown below using a local orthogonal coordinate system ( x , y , z ) having the surface vertex as the origin . aspherical coefficients and the like are shown as aspherical data . the coefficient of each item with no aspherical data in each example is 0 , and e − n =× 10 − n is satisfied in all of the data . z =( c · h 2 )/[ 1 +√{ 1 −( 1 + k )· c 2 · h 2 }]+ σ ( aj · h 3 ) ( as ) h represents the height ( h 2 = x 2 + y 2 ) in a direction perpendicular to the z - axis ( optical axis ax ), z represents the sag in the direction of the optical axis ax at the height h ( with respect to the surface vertex ), c represents the curvature at the surface vertex ( the reciprocal of the curvature radius r ), other various data shows the entire system &# 39 ; s focal length fl ( mm ), the f - number ( fno ), the full field angle 2ω (°), and the total lens length tl ( the distance ( mm ) from the foremost lens surface to the image surface im ). further , the stop diameters ( effective radii r ) and the variable axial surface spacings di ( i : surface numbers ) in first and second focus positions pos 1 and pos 2 are shown as variable parameters that vary with focusing . also , table 1 shows the corresponding values in the conditional expressions and the related data of the respective examples . fig6 a to 10f are longitudinal aberration graphs corresponding to examples 1 to 5 ( ex1 to ex5 ), respectively . fig6 a to 6c , 7 a to 7 c , 8 a to 8 c , 9 a to 9 c , and 10 a to 10 c show aberrations in the first focus position pos 1 . fig6 d to 6f , 7 d to 7 f , 8 d to 8 f , 9 d to 9 f , and 10 d to 10 f show aberrations in the second focus position pos 2 . fig6 a and 6d , 7 a and 7 d , 8 a and 8 d , 9 a and 9 d , and 10 a and 10 d are spherical aberration graphs . fig6 b and 6e , 7 b and 7 e , 8 b and 8 e , 9 b and 9 e , and 10 e and 10 e are astigmatism graphs . fig6 c and 6f , 7 c and 7 f , 8 c and 8 f , 9 c and 9 f , and 10 c and 10 f are distortion graphs . each spherical aberration graph shows the spherical aberration with respect to the d line ( 587 . 56 nm in wavelength ) represented by a solid line , the spherical aberration with respect to the c line ( 656 . 28 nm in wavelength ) represented by a dot - and - dash line , and the spherical aberration with respect to the g line ( 435 . 84 nm in wavelength ) in the form of shift lengths ( unit : mm ) in the direction of the optical axis ax from the paraxial image surface . in each spherical aberration graph , the ordinate axis indicates the value ( or the relative eye height ) obtained by standardizing the height of light incident on the eye with the maximum height . in each astigmatism graph , the dashed line t represents the tangential image surface with respect to the d line in the form of a shift length ( unit : mm ) in the direction of the optical axis ax from the paraxial image surface , the solid line s represents a sagittal image surface in the form of a shift length ( unit : mm ) in the direction of the optical axis ax from the paraxial image surface , and the ordinate axis indicates the image height ( img ht , unit : mm ). in each distortion graph , the abscissa axis indicates the distortion ( unit : %) with respect to the d line , and the ordinate axis indicates the image height ( img ht , unit : mm ). the maximum value of the image height img ht is equivalent to the maximum image height y ′ in the image surface im ( half the diagonal length of the light receiving surface ss of the imaging element sr ). fig1 a to 11j , 12 a to 12 j , 13 a to 13 j , 14 a to 14 j , 15 a to 15 j , 16 a to 16 j , 17 a to 17 j , 18 a to 18 j , 19 a to 19 j , and 20 a to 20 j are lateral aberration graphs corresponding to examples 1 to 5 ( ex1 to ex5 ), showing lateral aberrations ( mm in the first and second focus positions pos 1 and pos 2 . fig1 a to 11e , 12 a to 12 e , 13 a to 13 e , 14 a to 14 e , 15 a to 15 e , 16 a to 16 e , 17 a to 17 e , 18 a to 18 e , 19 a to 19 e , and 20 a to 20 e show the lateral aberrations with tangential fluxes of light , and fig1 f to 11j , 12 f to 12 j , 13 f to 13 j , 14 f to 14 j , 15 f to 15 j , 16 f to 16 j , 17 f to 17 j , 18 f to 18 j , 19 f to 19 j , and 20 f to 20 j show the lateral aberrations with sagittal fluxes of light . in each graph , lateral aberrations at the image height ratio ( half field angle ω °) indicated as relative field height are shown with respect to the d line ( 587 . 56 nm in wavelength ) represented by the solid line , the c line ( 656 . 28 nm in wavelength ) represented by the dot - and - dash line , and the g line ( 435 . 84 nm in wavelength ) represented by the dashed line . the image height ratio is the relative image height obtained by standardizing the image height with the maximum image height y ′. although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustrated and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation , the scope of the present invention being interpreted by terms of the appended claims . | 6 |
the preferred embodiments depicted in the drawing include a relatively simple device which utilizes a digital computer to receive vehicle information including a turnable wheel angle , which may be read from a turnable wheel ( normally the front wheel of a vehicle , although adapting the device to all - wheel turning vehicles and rear wheel turning vehicles will be understood by one skilled in the art ), the steering mechanism and related systems , and the forward speed of the vehicle , including standard , augmented and independent speed monitoring systems . such input data , if analog in form , may be digitalized and processed by a computer , which analyzes the input data to determine an interval of lateral movement of the vehicle , an instantaneous lateral velocity of the vehicle , and / or an instantaneous lateral acceleration of the vehicle . each determined characteristic can be compared with predetermined threshold values stored in the memory of the computer . when a determined characteristic , or combination thereof , exceed a preset threshold value , an output signal can be generated to actuate the means for signaling . fig2 is a flow diagram of a preferred embodiment showing the operation of the automatic signaling device of the present invention . moreover , a preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention provides a means to de - activate and reset the means for activating the means for signaling when the turnable wheel angle β approaches zero degrees . the various preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of this important invention may employ any or all of the determined characteristics to trigger a warning signal . fig1 shows a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the electrically actuated components of the automatic signaling device of the present invention . the discussion that follows , without limiting the scope of the invention , will refer to the invention as depicted in the drawing . a preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention discloses a means for determining an interval of lateral movement which comprises a means for determining a turnable wheel angle β , defined by an angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel ( sensors may be operatively connected to the turnable wheel , a steering wheel or related systems ); a means for ascertaining the forward speed v of the vehicle ; a means for evaluating an interval of lateral movement d of the vehicle over a period of time t operably connected to the means for determining a turnable wheel angle β and the means for ascertaining the forward speed v of the vehicle , ( the period of time t may begin when the vehicle is in motion and β is greater or less than zero degrees .). thus , the interval of lateral movement d of the vehicle may be approximated by a trigonometric equation a means for activating a means of signaling , which is operably connected to the means for evaluating an interval of lateral movement d of the vehicle , when the interval of lateral movement d exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is moving laterally warranting a signal . the means for signaling may be the vehicles standard turn indicator , an augmented system or an independent signaling means . the augmented system or the independent signaling means may include duplicative turn / warning signals and may also incorporate warning lights disposed on the lateral sides of the vehicle which may be readily seen by vehicles positioned laterally adjacent to the subject vehicle . such lateral side warning lights are particularly helpful when a vehicle is unintentionally drifting from one lane of a road or highway into another . a second vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane next to the drifting vehicle , will be automatically warned of the inadvertent movement and be better able to avoid a collision . without further elaboration , it will be readily understood that the means for signaling will have a right side component and a left side component , each respectively activated in response to a turnable wheel angle β which is greater than or less than zero degrees ( i . e . wheel angles less than zero are indicative of movement to the left and wheel angles greater than zero are indicative of movement to the right , triggering activation of the &# 34 ; left signal ( s )&# 34 ; or the &# 34 ; right signal ( s )&# 34 ;, respectively . a preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention may be used with a vehicle having a means for signaling and a means for ascertaining the forward speed v of the vehicle or with a vehicle having a means for signaling , a means for determining a turnable wheel angle β and a means for ascertaining the forward speed v of the vehicle . the means for determining an instantaneous lateral velocity of a preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention utilizes a computer to process a signal monitoring an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel at time t n , and a signal monitoring an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle at time t n . the computer evaluates the inputs and determines an instantaneous lateral velocity l n of the vehicle at time t n . the computer may be programmed to determine an instantaneous lateral velocity l n of the vehicle using a trigonometric equation when an instantaneous lateral velocity l n exceeds a minimum predetermined threshold value stored in the memory of the computer , indicating that the vehicle is moving laterally at a rate which warrants a signal , a means for activating a means for signaling , which is operably connected to the computer , will activate the means for signaling . moreover , a preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention teaches a means for determining an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n at time t n which comprises a means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel at time t n , a means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle at time t n , a means for evaluating an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle at time t n operably connected to the means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n and the means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle . the instantaneous lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle may be approximated by a trigonometric equation the computer can generate an activation signal to the means for signaling , when an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is accelerating laterally at a rate which warrants a signal . in combination with a vehicle having a means for signaling another preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention is disclosed having a means for determining an interval of lateral movement of the vehicle is operably connected to the means for signaling . in combination with a vehicle having a means for signaling another preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention is disclosed having a means for determining an instantaneous lateral velocity of the vehicle operably connected to the means for signaling . in combination with a vehicle having a means for signaling another preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention is disclosed having a means for determining an instantaneous lateral acceleration of the vehicle operably connected to the means for signaling . the foregoing may be combined to include in combination with a vehicle having a means for signaling , preferred embodiments of the automatic signaling device of the present invention having a means for determining an interval of lateral movement of the vehicle is operably connected to the means for signaling , a means for determining an instantaneous lateral velocity of the vehicle operably connected to the means for signaling , and / or a means for determining an instantaneous lateral acceleration of the vehicle operably connected to the means for signaling . it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the means for signaling , the means for determining a turnable wheel angle , the means for determining a forward speed of the vehicle , and / or a computer means suitable to analyze a signal from these means may be made part of and integrated into the vehicle . for example , and not by way of limitation , a preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention may be used with a vehicle having a means for signaling and a means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle at time t n , having a means for determining an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n at time t n which comprises a means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel at time t n , a means for evaluating an instantaneous lateral velocity l n of the vehicle at time t n operably connected to the means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n and the means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle , whereby the instantaneous lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle is approximated by a trigonometric equation a n = d ( v n sin β n )/ dt , and a means for activating the means for signaling , which is operably connected to the means for evaluating a lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle , when an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is accelerating laterally at a rate which warrants a signal . another example of a preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention , for use with a vehicle having a means for signaling , a means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel at time t n , and a means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle at time t n , said automatic signaling device having a means for determining an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n at time t n which comprises a means for evaluating an instantaneous acceleration a n of the vehicle at time t n operably connected to the means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n and the means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle , whereby the instantaneous lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle is approximated by a trigonometric equation a n = dl n / dt = d ( v n sin β n )/ dt , and a means for activating the means for signaling , which is operably connected to the means for evaluating a lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle , when an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is accelerating laterally at a rate which warrants a signal . another preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention comprises a means for determining a turnable wheel angle β , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel and a means for activating a means of signaling , which is operably connected to the means for determining a turnable wheel angle β , when the turnable wheel angle β exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle has the capacity to significantly move laterally warranting a signal . in a preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention the means for activating the signal indicator occurs when an instantaneous lateral component ( dd / dt + f ( a n )) exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle will be moving laterally at a rate which warrants a signal . a method for automatically signaling which comprises determining a turnable wheel angle β , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel , ascertaining the forward speed v of the vehicle , evaluating an interval of lateral movement d of the vehicle over a period of time t operably connected to the means for determining a turnable wheel angle β and the means for ascertaining the forward speed v of the vehicle , whereby , the interval of lateral movement d of the vehicle is approximated by a trigonometric equation d = vt sin β , and activating a means of signaling , which is operably connected to the means for evaluating an interval of lateral movement d of the vehicle . the foregoing method for automatically signaling may further comprise activating the means of signaling when the interval of lateral movement d exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is moving laterally warranting a signal . additionally , the foregoing method for automatically signaling may further comprise activating the means of signaling when the lateral velocity d / t exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is moving laterally at a rate warranting a signal . another preferred embodiment of the method for automatically signaling of the present invention comprises determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel at time t n , ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle at time t n , evaluating an instantaneous lateral velocity l n of the vehicle at time t n operably connected to the means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n and the means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle , whereby the instantaneous lateral velocity l n of the vehicle is approximated by a trigonometric equation l n = dd / dt = v n sin βn , and activating the means for signaling , which is operably connected to the means for evaluating a lateral velocity l n of the vehicle , when the instantaneous lateral velocity l n exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is moving laterally at a rate which warrants a signal . another method for automatically signaling comprises determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel at time t n , ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle at time t n , evaluating an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle at time t n operably connected to the means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n and the means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle , whereby the instantaneous lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle is approximated by a trigonometric equation a n = d ( v n sin β n )/ dt , and activating the means for signaling , which is operably connected to the means for evaluating a lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle , when an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is accelerating laterally at a rate which warrants a signal . reference should be made to fig2 of the drawing which shows a preferred embodiment of a flow diagram of a method of operation . another preferred method for automatically signaling which comprises determining a turnable wheel angle β , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel and activating a means of signaling , which is operably connected to the means for determining a turnable wheel angle β , when the turnable wheel angle β exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle has the capacity to significantly move laterally warranting a signal . in yet another preferred method for automatically signaling which comprises ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle at time t n , determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n , defined by the angle between a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle to which a turnable wheel is attached and the turnable wheel at time t n , activating a means of signaling , which is operably connected to the means for determining a turnable wheel angle β n , when the turnable wheel angle β n exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle has the capacity to significantly move laterally warranting a signal , evaluating an instantaneous lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle at time t n operably connected to the means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n and the means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle , whereby the instantaneous lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle is approximated by a trigonometric equation a n = d ( v n sin β n )/ dt , activating the means for signaling , which is operably connected to the means for evaluating a lateral acceleration a n of the vehicle , after determining that the instantaneous lateral acceleration a n exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is accelerating laterally at a rate which warrants a signal , evaluating an instantaneous lateral velocity l n of the vehicle at time t n operably connected to the means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n and the means for ascertaining an instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle , whereby the instantaneous lateral velocity l n of the vehicle is approximated by a trigonometric equation l n = dd n / dt = v n sin β n , activating the means for signaling , which is operably connected to the means for evaluating a lateral velocity l n of the vehicle , after determining that the instantaneous lateral velocity l n exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is moving laterally at a rate which warrants a signal , evaluating an interval of lateral movement d n of the vehicle over a period of time t operably connected to the means for determining an instantaneous turnable wheel angle β n and the means for ascertaining the instantaneous forward speed v n of the vehicle , whereby , the interval of lateral movement d n of the vehicle is approximated by a trigonometric equation d n =∫ v sin b n dt , and activating the means of signaling , which is operably connected to the means for evaluating an interval of lateral movement d n of the vehicle , after the interval of lateral movement d n exceeds a minimum threshold , indicating that the vehicle is moving laterally warranting a signal , and de - activating the means of signaling , when β n approaches zero degrees . experimentation may show that β n should equal rather than merely approach zero degrees . another preferred embodiment of the automatic signaling device of the present invention , for use with a vehicle , comprises a means for signaling and a means for determining an interval of lateral movement of the vehicle operably connected to the means for signaling . additionally , the foregoing automatic signaling device may further comprise a means for determining an instantaneous lateral velocity of the vehicle operably connected to the means for signaling . furthermore , the foregoing automatic signaling device may further comprise a means for determining an instantaneous lateral acceleration of the vehicle operably connected to the means for signaling . while this invention has been described in connection with the best mode presently contemplated by the inventor for carrying out his invention , the preferred embodiments described and shown are for purposes of illustration only , and are not to be construed as constituting any limitations of the invention . modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art , and all modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims . further , the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the u . s . patent and trademark office and the public generally , and especially the scientist , engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms of phraseology , to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application . the abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application , which is measured by the claims , nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way . these together with other objects of the invention , along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure . for a better understanding of the invention , its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses , reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the 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 . | 1 |
shown in fig1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a heating , ventilation and air conditioning ( hvac ) unit , for example , a chiller 10 utilizing a falling film evaporator 12 . a flow of vapor refrigerant 14 is directed into a compressor 16 and then to a condenser 18 that outputs a flow of liquid refrigerant 20 to an expansion valve 22 . the expansion valve 22 outputs a vapor and liquid refrigerant mixture 24 to the evaporator 12 . a thermal energy exchange occurs between a flow of heat transfer medium 28 flowing through a plurality of evaporator tubes 26 into and out of the evaporator 12 and the vapor and liquid refrigerant mixture 24 . as the vapor and liquid refrigerant mixture 24 is boiled off in the evaporator 12 , the vapor refrigerant 14 is directed to the compressor 16 . referring now to fig2 , as stated above , the evaporator 12 is a falling film evaporator . the evaporator 12 includes a shell 30 having an outer surface 32 and an inner surface 34 that define a heat exchange zone 36 . as shown , shell 30 includes a rectangular cross - section however , it should be understood that shell 30 can take on a variety of forms including both circular and non - circular . shell 30 includes a refrigerant inlet 38 that is configured to receive a source of refrigerant ( not shown ). shell 30 also includes a vapor outlet 40 that is configured to connect to an external device such as the compressor 16 . evaporator 12 is also shown to include a refrigerant pool zone 42 arranged in a lower portion of shell 30 . refrigerant pool zone 14 includes a pool tube bundle 44 that circulates a fluid through a pool of refrigerant 46 . pool of refrigerant 46 includes an amount of liquid refrigerant 48 having an upper surface 50 . the fluid circulating through the pool tube bundle 44 exchanges heat with pool of refrigerant 46 to convert the amount of refrigerant 48 from a liquid to a vapor state . in some embodiments , the refrigerant may be a “ low pressure refrigerant ” defined as a refrigerant having a liquid phase saturation pressure below about 45 psi ( 310 . 3 kpa ) at 104 ° f . ( 40 ° c .). an example of low pressure refrigerant includes r245fa . in accordance with the exemplary embodiment shown , evaporator 12 includes a plurality of tube bundles 52 that provide a heat exchange interface between refrigerant and another fluid . each tube bundle 52 may include a corresponding refrigerant distributor 54 . refrigerant distributors 54 provide a uniform distribution of refrigerant onto tube bundles 52 respectively . as will become more fully evident below , refrigerant distributors 54 deliver a refrigerant onto the corresponding ones of tube bundles 52 . referring now to fig3 , the chiller 10 is arranged such that an output pipe 56 downstream from the expansion valve 22 , is physically lower than an evaporator input pipe 58 . it is to be appreciated that while a single - stage system in shown in fig3 , the subject matter of this disclosure may be readily applied to multi - stage systems including an economizer . in such systems , the output pipe 56 is downstream of a low stage expansion valve at the economizer , or at an intermediate stage expansion device in systems of three or more stages . an array of riser pipes 60 connect the output pipe 56 to the evaporator input pipe 58 so that the liquid and vapor refrigerant mixture 24 is flowed to the evaporator 12 and over the tube bundles 52 via distributor 54 ( shown in fig2 ). three riser pipes 60 are shown in the embodiment of fig3 , but it is to be appreciated that any number of two or more riser pipes 60 is contemplated within the present disclosure . there is no analytical maximum limit , but practically , increasing the number of riser pipes 60 increases complexity of the assembly . as shown , the riser pipes 60 have different cross - sectional areas , with large riser pipe 60 a having the largest , small riser pipe 60 c having the smallest , and medium riser pipe 60 b having a cross - sectional area between that of large riser pipe 60 a and small riser pipe 60 c . in the embodiment shown , large riser pipe 60 a is closest to the expansion valve 22 and the small riser pipe 60 c is furthest from the expansion valve 22 , but other arrangements of the riser pipes 60 are contemplated in the present disclosure . the riser pipes 60 are connected to the output pipe 56 at a condenser output pipe bottom 62 . this reduces refrigerant charge necessary , especially during part power operation , as the output pipe 56 will still deliver refrigerant to the riser pipes 60 without needing to completely fill the output pipe 56 . it is to be appreciated , however , that alternate arrangements are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure , such as that shown in fig4 , where the riser pipes 60 are connected to an output pipe top 64 . such embodiments require completely filling the output pipe 56 , but the length of piping utilized for the riser pipes 60 can be decreased . thus , the length of pipe subjected to two - phase frictional pressure drop is reduced . referring again to fig3 , the riser pipes 60 are connected to the evaporator input pipe 58 at an evaporator input pipe top 66 , so that in part load conditions , refrigerant does not flow back from the evaporator input pipe 58 through the riser pipes 60 and into the output pipe 56 . under full load , all three riser pipes 60 a - 60 c are utilized to flow the vapor and liquid refrigerant mixture 24 to the evaporator input pipe 58 . as load decreases , riser pipes 60 are deactivated , beginning with the large riser pipe 60 a . this deactivation of riser pipes 60 happens automatically , and outside input is not required . the vapor and liquid refrigerant mixture 24 automatically selects which riser pipes 60 to flow through as there is a fixed pressure differential between the evaporator 12 and the condenser 18 . because of this fixed pressure differential , the required pressure drop is also fixed and the flow rates of the vapor and liquid refrigerant mixture 24 will balance automatically to achieve the pressure differential . while the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments , it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments . rather , the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations , alterations , substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described , but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention . additionally , while various embodiments of the invention have been described , it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments . accordingly , the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description , but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims . | 5 |
fig1 shows an amplifier 10 having multiple half bridge unit amplifier cells 12 that can be configured by a user to drive multiple speakers 14 in various configurations . the particular example shows eight amplifier cells 12 each of which drives a corresponding speaker 14 in a half - bridge configuration . such an amplifier 10 is described in more detail in u . s . application ser . no . 12 / 717 , 198 , filed on mar . 4 , 2010 and entitled “ versatile audio power amplifier ,” the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference . the amplifier cells 12 are controlled by a control system 16 that either converts analog input into a digital input using an a / d converter 18 , or receives a digital input directly . in either case , a digital audio input 19 is ultimately provided to a digital signal processor ( dsp ) 20 controlled by a microcontroller 22 . the dsp 20 provides time - division multiplexing (“ tdm ”) commands to the amplifier cells 12 and also receives , from each amplifier cell 12 , information about the electrical output ( i . e . voltage and current ) of that cell 12 . the amplifier cells 12 receive power via a shared positive rail 24 and a shared negative rail 26 . referring to fig2 , a power supply 28 maintains each of these rails 24 , 26 at an operating voltage . in the embodiment shown , the operating voltages are + 80 volts and − 80 volts . in particular , first and third rectifier transistors 44 a , 44 c process power on the positive rail 24 , while second and fourth rectifier transistors 44 b , 44 d process power on the negative rail 26 . the power supply 28 features a power factor correction block 30 that eliminates non - sinusoidal components from an ac input and outputs a boosted dc voltage across a capacitor 32 . this dc voltage becomes the input to a four quadrant isolation converter 34 , the details of which are shown in more detail in fig3 . the isolation converter 34 maintains a voltage across the positive and negative rails 24 , 26 , shown in fig3 with their respective intrinsic capacitances , 25 , 27 . a controller 36 controls operation of the power factor correction block 30 based on monitored values of its input and output . in the typical embodiment shown , the power factor correction block 30 accepts an ac input between 90 and 264 vac and provides a 400 v dc signal across the capacitor 32 . referring next to fig3 , the isolation converter 34 features an input inverter 38 having four inverter field - effect transistors ( fets ) 40 a - d that switch on and off in a coordinated way to convert the dc voltage provided by the power factor correction block 30 into an ac voltage . this ac voltage couples to an output rectifier 42 having four rectifier transistors 44 a - d across a transformer 46 having a primary winding 47 and two secondary windings 49 a - b . the four rectifier transistors 44 a - d likewise switch on and off in a coordinated manner to place an output dc voltage across the positive and negative rails 24 , 26 . in particular , first and third rectifier transistors 44 a , 44 c process power on the positive rail 24 and second and fourth rectifier transistors 44 b , 44 d process power on the negative rail 26 . a difficulty that arises in certain configurations of the amplifier cells 12 impose considerable thermal stress on the four rectifier transistors 44 a - d . for example , in a sensible configuration , low frequency sources would be driven across a pair of amplifier cells 12 connected as a bridge - tied load (“ btl ”) pair . however , because the amplifier 10 is freely configurable by a user , nothing in principle would prevent the user from configuring the amplifier cells 12 as shown in fig1 and applying a bass - rich signal long enough to overheat the output rectifier 42 . fig4 illustrates the difficulty that can arise in one example . the vertical axis of fig4 represents the sum of all currents drawn by the amplifier 10 as a function of output amplifier voltage . when driving a worst - case load ( about 2 . 7 ohms ). with the output amplifier voltage at approximately 50 volts , an 80 volt positive rail 24 would source approximately 125 amps , while at the same time , approximately an additional 25 amps is sunk on the negative rail 26 . thus , the output rectifier 42 would process approximately 12 kilowatts of power . if high frequencies dominate the spectrum of the audio signal , much of the current would be sourced by bus capacitances downstream from the output rectifier 42 . however , as discussed below in connection with fig9 , in the event that low frequencies dominate the spectrum , much of this current would pass through the rectifier transistors 44 a - d . this current can overheat , and possibly damage , the rectifier transistors 44 a - d . one approach to overcoming this difficulty would be to simply design the rectifier 42 to handle larger currents with ease . this can be done by using rectifier transistors 44 a - d with higher current ratings , larger heat sinks , fans , and even liquid cooling systems . on the other hand , the configuration shown in fig1 would not be regarded as good practice to begin with . under these circumstances , it would seem wasteful to accommodate this and other unusual configurations using expensive and bulky components . another approach to overcoming the foregoing difficulty would be to measure the rectifier current and to provide some mechanism for limiting dangerously high values of that current . however , rectifier currents can be quite large , on the order of hundreds of amperes . current sensors for measuring such currents would be large and expensive . yet another approach to overcoming the above difficulty is to exploit the information already being provided to the control system 16 concerning the electrical output at each of the amplifier cells 12 , as shown in fig1 . given an appropriate model , this information can be used to obtain a real time estimate of current supplied by the rectifier 42 . as shown in fig5 , the individual output voltage and current measurements 48 provided to the control system 16 are used to calculate the current drawn from the output rectifier 42 ( step 50 ). based on this estimate , a prediction is made ( step 52 ) concerning the power dissipated by the output rectifier 42 . this prediction is then used , in conjunction with a model of the rectifier &# 39 ; s properties and those of its associated power dissipation system , to predict the rectifier &# 39 ; s operating temperature ( step 54 ). using both the prediction of the rectifier &# 39 ; s power dissipation and that of its operating temperature , a decision is made ( step 56 ) concerning whether or not to control or limit the audio input signal 19 to limit current drawn from the output rectifier 42 . this decision is then provided to a limiter 58 as needed . fig6 shows a nested feedback loop implemented by the control system 16 to regulate the temperature of the output rectifier 42 . the feedback loop outputs an audio gain reduction factor 60 to be applied to all amplifier cells 12 simultaneously . this audio gain reduction factor 60 is calculated based on both the power dissipated 62 by the output rectifier 42 and on a predicted die temperature 64 of the rectifier transistors 44 a - d . in the illustrated feedback loop , measurements 48 of voltage and current from each amplifier cell 12 are provided to a rectifier power dissipation model 66 . based on these measurements , the rectifier power dissipation model 66 determines the total electrical power being processed by the rectifier transistors 44 a - 44 d and estimates the thermal power , pd , being dissipated by the rectifier transistors 44 a - 44 d during the course of processing that electrical power . this estimate is provided to a thermal model 68 that estimates the junction temperatures at each of the rectifier transistors 44 a - d . the highest of these temperatures , t j , is the output of the thermal model 68 . this output is provided to a first summing node 69 that compares it with a maximum temperature , t max . the difference between the two , t e , is provided to a temperature controller 70 , which calculates based on that difference the maximum power , p max , that should be dissipated by the rectifier 42 . the thermal model 68 , the first summing node 69 , and the temperature controller 70 thus form the outer loop . this outer loop ensures that an estimate of the highest junction temperature , t j , within a rectifier transistor 44 a - d never exceeds a specified upper limit , t max . the estimate 62 of power dissipated from the rectifier power dissipation model 66 is also provided to a second summing node 72 , where it is compared with the maximum permissible power dissipation , as calculated by the outer loop . the difference between the two provides a basis for a power dissipation controller 74 to choose a gain reduction factor 60 to apply to all amplifier cells 12 . this gain reduction factor 60 ranges from zero to one . it takes on the value of unity when the power being dissipated is less than the maximum permitted power dissipation . the second summing node 72 and the power dissipation controller 74 thus define an inner loop . this inner loop does not directly control temperature . it simply ensures that the rectifier 42 always dissipates an amount of power that is less than an allowable maximum value . this maximum value , meanwhile , comes from the outer loop . a variety of ways can be used to implement the rectifier power dissipation model 66 shown in fig6 . however , in at least one embodiment , shown in fig7 , the individual voltage and current measurements 48 are combined to generate a “ slow ” current and a “ fast ” current . the sum of the slow and fast currents is the total current provided by the rectifier 42 on the positive rail 24 ; the difference between the slow and fast components is the total current provided by the rectifier 42 on the negative rail 26 . the terms “ slow ” and “ fast ” arise from the dynamics of energy transfer within the four quadrant isolation converter 34 , shown in fig3 . in particular , the fast time constant arises from energy transferred between the positive and negative rails 24 , 26 , whereas the slow time constant arises from energy transferred across the transformer 46 from the primary winding 47 to the secondary windings 49 a , 49 b . as discussed below and shown in fig7 , the slow time constant is used to derive the slow current and the fast time constant is used to derive the fast current . the slow current is proportional to the amplifier &# 39 ; s total power output . this slow current causes real power to be drawn from the rectifier 42 . the fast current corresponds to the total current output of all amplifier cells 12 . this fast current circulates through the rectifier 42 and causes heating of the rectifier transistors 44 a - d and the transformer 46 , but not of the power supply 28 as a whole . it is this current that is reduced when a speaker 14 is driven in a full bridge configuration rather than a half bridge configuration , and it is primarily for this reason that rectifier heating tends to be lower when a speaker 14 is driven by a fully bridged amplifier . referring now to fig7 , the rectifier power dissipation model 66 includes multipliers 76 , one for each amplifier cell 12 , for multiplying voltage and current from each amplifier cell 12 to obtain that cell &# 39 ; s power output . the resulting individual powers from each amplifier cell 12 are summed together at a first summer 78 to generate a total power . meanwhile , the individual currents at each amplifier cell 12 are summed together at a second summer 80 to generate a total current . the total power and total current are each weighted by different time constants . in particular , the total power is weighted by the slow time constant 82 whereas the total current is weighted by the fast time constant 84 . in a typical embodiment , the slow time constant is approximately 5 . 8 ms and the fast time constant is approximately 0 . 8 ms . details concerning where these time constants originate are provided below . first and second scaling modules 86 , 88 then scale the weighted total power and current to yield the slow and fast currents respectively . the first scaling module 86 scales its input by the inverse of the voltage difference between the negative and positive rail , 2b , to convert power back into current . a first summer 90 then combines the slow and fast currents to determine the current , i pos , on the positive rail 24 . meanwhile , a second summer 92 evaluates a difference between the slow and fast currents to determine the current , i neg , on the negative rail 26 . the first and second time constants can be derived from consideration of fig9 , which models the dynamics of the four - quadrant isolation converter 34 shown in fig3 . in fig9 , the current ib 1 represents the sum of the currents drawn from the positive rail 24 by all of the amplifier cells 12 , and the current ib 2 represents the sum of the currents drawn from the negative rail 26 by all of the amplifier cells 12 . capacitances c 1 and c 2 represent the total bus filter capacitance on the rails 24 , 26 . the resistances r 1 , r 2 and r 3 represent the effective coupling impedance imposed by the resistance and leakage inductance of the transformer 46 and the resistance of the transistors in the isolation converter 34 . the real resistances combine with the leakage inductances of the transformer which , at the typical operating frequency of 350 khz , look like lossless resistors ( i . e ., a component in which voltage is proportional to current , but no power is dissipated ). these impedances and capacitances act together to produce a system with a slow and a fast time constant . because of large bypass capacitors c 1 and c 2 between the rails 24 , 26 and ground , and because of the effective coupling impedances r 1 , r 2 and r 3 , associated with the transformer 46 , the rail currents supplied by the rectifier transistors 44 a - d , ipos and ineg are filtered versions of the currents actually on the rails 24 , 26 , namely ib 1 and ib 2 . at low frequencies , ipos and ineg are almost the same as ib 1 and ib 2 . this means that most of the current will be supplied from the rectifier transistors 44 a - d . at high frequencies , most of the current will be supplied from the intrinsic rail capacitances c 1 and c 2 . it is in part for this reason that sustained low frequency audio signals pose difficulty for the rectifier transistors 44 a - d . the fast time constant comes from the loop in fig9 that includes the rail capacitances c 1 and c 2 , and the impedances coupling the two rails , r 1 and r 2 . assuming a total resistance of 0 . 05 ohms and a capacitance of 0 . 0167 farads , the time constant is ( r1 + r2 )*( c1 * c2 /( c1 + c2 )), or 0 . 8 ms . the slow time constant comes from a loop in fig9 that also includes r 3 , the impedance coupling the secondary windings 49 a , 49 b to the primary winding 47 . this time constant is ( r1 * r21 ( r1 + r2 )+ r3 )*( c1 + c2 ), which , for r 3 = 0 . 075 ohms , yields a time constant of 5 . 8 ms . these time constants are long enough so that frequency components above about 1 khz contribute very little to the peak currents , thus reducing the rate at which computations need to be performed . referring again to fig7 , two power loss models 94 , 96 model the power dissipated in the rectifier transistors 44 a - d as a sum of conduction losses and switching losses . the conduction loss is modeled as the product of the square of the current magnitude and a first constant , c 1 . the switching loss is modeled as the product of a second constant , c 2 , and the magnitude of the current . the first constant depends on the drain - source resistance rds ( on ) of the rectifier transistors 44 a , 44 b , 44 c , 44 d and is corrected for duty cycle , which is usually about 40 % on and 60 % off . the second constant depends on switching frequency , rail voltage , and switching time , with switching time usually being obtained from measurements . the conduction loss and switching loss for the first and third rectifier transistors 44 a , 44 c , which are associated with the positive rail 24 , and similar losses for the second and fourth rectifier transistors 44 b , 44 d associated with the negative rail 26 , are combined at corresponding third and fourth summers 98 , 100 . the power dissipated by the transistors on the positive rail 24 and the power dissipated by the transistors on the negative rail 26 are then compared at a comparator 102 . the larger of the two becomes the output of the rectifier dissipation model 66 shown in fig6 . the overall transfer function of the rectifier power dissipation mode 66 is a decidedly nonlinear one . the nonlinearity has a multiplicative component that affects the amplitude of the signal and an absolute component that shifts frequency up by a factor of two or higher . the first component can be dealt with by small signal modeling at different operating points , but the second component cannot . one approach to determining the overall transfer function is to assume that the frequency nonlinearity amounts to only a doubling of frequency , and to continue to use small signal models for different operating points subject to that assumption . this would provide a corresponding transfer function at each operating point . if the dynamic response does not change significantly within a 6 - 12 db frequency range , such a model can then be used as a reasonable starting point for conservative controller design , which can then be further tuned in simulations with a full nonlinear model . referring back to fig6 , the power dissipation controller 74 that ultimately relies on the output of the power dissipation model 66 is typically a proportional - integral controller . to ensures that it also works for the lower operating points , the power dissipation controller 74 is designed for the highest of the foregoing operating points . the power dissipation controller rectifier 74 can then be further tuned in full scale nonlinear simulations for optimal performance ( i . e . a higher bandwidth and higher open loop gain at low frequencies ). the resulting controller 74 can be expected to achieve over 100 hz of 3 db bandwidth . the thermal model 68 can be modeled as an equivalent electric circuit , as shown in fig1 . in the thermal model 68 shown in fig1 , power corresponds to current and voltage corresponds to temperature . the capacitance c fet and inductance theta fet - hs are first order approximations of the thermal impedance between the junction in a rectifier transistor 44 a - d and its corresponding heat sink . this thermal impedance is obtained from the transistor &# 39 ; s device data sheet . referring back to fig6 , for simplicity , the temperature controller 70 can be a proportional controller since the maximum temperature t max is fixed , and can be set to account for dc error arising from limited low frequency gain . the temperature controller 70 can thus be tuned for a narrow bandwidth of 2 - 3 hz . | 7 |
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