text
stringlengths 1.55k
332k
| label
class label 9
classes |
|---|---|
referring now to the drawings , and more specifically to fig1 in particular , a seed planting implement 10 is shown . seed planting implement 10 has a frame that includes a tow bar assembly 12 having a tow bar 14 and a connection assembly 16 at the longitudinally forward end thereof configured for mating with a corresponding hitch of a tractor or other work vehicle ( not shown ) for pulling seed planting implement 10 through a field . a laterally extending toolbar 18 is generally transverse to tow bar 14 and thereby generally transverse to the direction implement 10 is towed during planting operations . a plurality of seed planting units ( or row units ) 20 are connected to toolbar 18 in a side by side relationship , each of the seed planting units ( row units ) being substantially identical to the others . in the exemplary embodiment shown , seed planting implement 10 includes sixteen seed planting units 20 , only some of which are identified with reference numbers ; however , it should be understood that more or fewer seed planting units can be provided on a particular seed planting implement . each seed planting unit 20 is connected to toolbar 18 by upper and lower arms . each seed planting unit 20 extends rearward from toolbar 18 to plant a row of seeds as seed planting implement 10 is towed across a field by tractor 22 . the individual planting units 20 are spaced along toolbar 18 to provide planted seed rows of a desired spacing . during a planting operation , forward movement of seed planting implement 10 causes each seed planting unit 20 to form a seed trench , deposit equally spaced seeds in the seed trench and close the seed trench over the deposited seeds . a seed metering system receives seeds from a seed hopper and provides individual seeds at a controlled rate to a seed tube for deposit in the bottom of the seed trench . bulk tanks 42 contain seed and perhaps fertilizer or chemicals that are metered to , or proximate to , the seed trench . a vacuum system includes a fan / motor 40 that provides vacuum to a seed metering system for the operation of the seed metering system . a seed trench closing mechanism 50 at the trailing end of each seed planting unit 20 closes the seed trench after the seeds have been deposited in the seed trench . seed trench closing mechanism 50 may include a pair of pinch wheels that operate on opposite sides of the seed trench to move soil back into the seed trench and over the seeds deposited in the bottom of the seed trench . a trailing press wheel travels along the top of the closed seed trench and firms the soil replaced in the seed trench . now , additionally referring to fig2 and 3 there are shown schematical representations of two hydraulic load sensing systems 24 and 124 that resolve the highest load requirement and conveys that information to tractor 22 , which supplies pressurized hydraulic fluid to implement 10 based on the information . now looking at fig2 , there is illustrated a hydraulic load sensing system 24 where a transducer 26 senses a load by having pressurized fluid from multiple parts of planter 10 conveyed thereto , through valves 34 . illustrated here , there are seed drive motors 38 , and fan motors 40 in two different sections and a bulk fill fan 46 located at another section of implement 10 . these separate sections will have a load that requires a determinable amount of hydraulic fluid flow at a specific pressure to fulfil their individual load requirements . this load requirement is conveyed to transducer 26 by way of valves 34 , which may be shuttle valves or other suitable valves that will allow the highest load need to be conveyed to transducer 26 . transducer 26 generates a signal representative of the load requirement and conveys the information by way of a communications means 36 represented here as a signal line 36 , to tractor 22 . the output of signal line 36 may be a synthesized hydraulic pressure that serves as the signal , particularly for the sake of compatibility with legacy tractor control systems . in turn tractor 22 receives the signal from signal line 36 and uses that information to compensate the pressure and flow of the hydraulic fluid generated by a hydraulic pump coupled to an engine in tractor 22 , to thereby produce adequate power to run implement 10 . an advantage of the present invention is that the hydraulic needs of implement 10 can be met without the need to generate , by default , a constant higher pressure fluid supply . this reduces the energy losses that are experienced by less robust control systems . now , additionally looking at fig3 , there is illustrated a hydraulic load sensing system 124 that has many of the same elements as system 24 . here instead of having one transducer 26 , there are three transducers 28 , 30 and 32 , each respectively assigned to one of the sections previously discussed . in this embodiment of the present invention , each transducer 28 , 30 and 32 generates an individual signal , with them being electronically resolved to ultimately present one signal , by way of signal line 36 , to tractor 22 . the resolution of the signal is to present the highest result as the signal on signal line 36 . signal line 36 may be an electronic signal conveyed by a wire , a wireless electronic signal , or the signal may be presented in some other medium , such as a fluid or air . more specifically , the signal from the transducer ( s ) is converted into a current command to a duplicator valve 48 at the front of planter 10 or on tractor 22 . the duplicator valve 48 uses supply oil from the power beyond line to create a duplicated hydraulic pressure signal the same as the highest load signal on the planter . with the prior art the distance between the planter and the tractor is too long to provide a hydraulic hose between the load and the source to properly control a pressure compensated load sense system . in contrast the present invention uses pressure transducer ( s ) 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 , depending upon the embodiment , to capture the highest load pressure , and convert that to an electronic signal that is sent to a valve either on the front of planter 10 or on tractor 22 which can convert / duplicate that hydraulic pressure into the hydraulic load sense signal circuit . these long distances between a prior art planter and tractor 22 make it difficult to use a hydraulic hose to effectively communicate the load signals between the planter and tractor . this prevents the signal being used to control the tractor and therefore taking advantage of the efficiencies available from a pressure flow compensating ( pfc ) load sensing system . in the present invention pressure transducer 26 or a group of pressure transducers 28 , 30 and 32 are used by hydraulic load sensing system 24 or 124 at the toolbar of implement 10 . depending on the pressure transducer used , the system pressure can be resolved hydraulically thru a chain of load sense check valves 34 which communicate to one transducer 26 , as in system 24 or a group of transducers 28 , 30 , 32 may be used , as in system 124 , with the highest pressure signal is resolved electronically at the controller . the oil supplied to the transducer controlled circuits on implement 10 will come from the power beyond connection on tractor 22 . the power beyond connections are a grouping of pump supply , return , and load sense signal inputs . the pressure transducer ( single or multiple arrangement ) provides an electronic signal to the implement 10 controller 56 . controller 56 converts the signal into a current command to the duplicator valve 48 at the front of planter 10 or on tractor 22 . the duplicator valve 48 uses supply oil from the power beyond line , or pump supply , to create a duplicated pressure signal the same as the highest load signal on the planter . the duplicated signal ( if higher than the load sense signal circuit on the tractor ) will communicate back to the pfc pump , thereby altering the hydraulic fluid pressure presented to implement 10 . duplicator valve 48 may be located in a valve manifold 52 coupled to implement 10 , or duplicate valve 48 may be located on tractor 22 . valve manifold 52 is used to control power beyond flow . when tractor 22 is running power beyond is always pressurized and is able to flow oil . a solenoid operated check valve in valve manifold 52 blocks flow from getting out to the planter and running continuously . while this invention has been described with respect to at least one embodiment , the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure . this application is therefore intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention using its general principles . further , this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims . | 0Human Necessities
|
the current invention provides an electrical feedthrough suited to have a cermet material portion used therein . in the cross section view of apportion of an electrical feedthrough shown in fig3 , a cermet material lead - through 34 is shown connected to a conductive outer wire 35 having a diameter that is larger than the diameter of cermet lead - through 34 , but smaller than the outer diameter of the associated arc tube capillary part 36 . in this figure , a mo coil 33 takes up some of the interior volume in the capillary part in a flexible fashion so as to prevent the salts from entering too far into the capillary part to there become too cooled . in addition , a glass frit ring 37 is shown surrounding the bottom of outer wire 35 and supported on the portion of the end of capillary part 36 remaining exposed after outer wire 35 is positioned thereon . similarly , in fig4 where the mo coil 33 of fig3 has been omitted , an outer wire 44 has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of a cermet lead - through 43 to which it is affixed , and that is smaller than the outer diameter of the arc tube capillary part 45 . if the diameter of outer wire 44 is larger than the outer diameter of the capillary part 45 ( the situation shown in fig4 b before a frit ring 46 b between outer wire 44 b and the end of capillary part 45 b is melted in completing the construction of the feedthrough ), then , after frit ring 46 b melts ( the result of which is shown in fig4 c ), the seal obtained as a result from such melted glass frit is typically not very strong since the subsequently solidified frit does not cover a portion of the outer sides of outer wire 44 b as it covers the outer sides of outer wire 44 in fig4 a . therefore , it is desireable to have outer lead wire 44 and frit ring 46 with the relative diameters as shown in fig4 in attaching wire 44 to cermet lead - through 43 . that is , outer wire 44 should be slightly larger than the internal diameter of capillary part 45 and slightly smaller than the external diameter of that capillary part in such a manner it can accommodate frit ring 46 sized to surround the lower end of outer wire 44 while being positioned on top of exposed portion of the end of capillary part 45 as shown in fig4 . thus , internal diameter 41 d of frit ring 46 , shown in the cross section view thereof in fig4 d , should be slightly larger than the diameter of outer wire 44 in fig4 , and the outer diameter 42 d of that ring should be about the same size as the outer diameter of the pca capillary part 45 in fig4 . if diameter 42 d is considerably larger than the outer diameter of capillary part 45 in fig4 , part of the frit when melted flows over the end and onto the outside of the capillary 45 , and this leads to a number of problems during the remaining part of the lamp manufacturing process which will then adversely affect lamp operational life . a suitable upper limit for the extent of diameter 42 d is 35 % greater than the outer diameter of the pca capillary 45 . in other words , if outer diameter 42 d of frit ring 46 is designated frod and the outer diameter of capillary part 45 is designated cod , then satisfying the following inequality will result in good seals . failure to follow this inequality leads to manufacturing problems for such a cmh product often diminishing the lamp operational life . these problems can include insufficient frit flowing inside the capillary and therefore providing a poor seal and external frit drops just outside the capillary leading to different thermal profiles for capillaries which will lead to poor performance of the lamps . in the electrical feedthrough arrangements of fig3 through 6 , there are several other aspects shown which typically can influence the performance of the lamp . one of these aspects is that there is a transition region of axial length x as shown in fig5 , designated 53 . in this figure , 52 marks the outer wire ( usually made out of nb ) and 51 marks the lead - through cermet material portion . if this region is not controlled in length along the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the electrical feedthrough carefully , it affects the arc length in the main discharge chamber and thereby affects the voltage drop across the lamp during lamp operation and so the performance of the lamp . the voltage across the lamp , v , during operation is determined by the arc length between the two electrical feedthroughs therein which length is shortened by increases in the transition regions lengths x of the two feedthroughs , and by the amount of hg and salt provided in the arc tube during manufacture thereof . this lamp voltage drop in turn affects the lamp current in maintaining a constant wattage ballast by increasing the current required for smaller voltages to achieve that wattage . this lamp current in turn affects the ohmic heating of the w electrodes to thereby raise temperatures thereof for increased lamp current which in turn affects the salts vapor pressures and thereby the performance of the lamps . this feedthrough transition region typically can be as much as 0 . 5 mm in length which , in a small power cmh lamp dissipating on the order of 20 w or 35 w , is a substantial fraction of the typical arc length ( the transition region axial length has to be multiplied by 2 in subtracting from the arc length , since there is one transition region for each electrical feedthrough in the arc discharge tube ). variance in this transition region length in the manufacturing process leads to substantial performance variation in the resulting lamps . therefore , to have a narrow distribution of lamp performances , the transition region length x of the feedthrough region 53 has to be minimized and controlled carefully . that is , the length x has to be reproducible in the manufacture of electrical feedthroughs form one to the next . the transition region 53 is a junction region resulting from the welding together of lead - through 51 and outer wire 52 , and so typically comprises the cermet material ( often mo and pca ) in lead - through 51 and the wire material in outer wire 52 ( often nb , but other compatible metals could also be used ). the pca in the cermet material typically leaches to the surface of the transition region x during welding so as to give it a somewhat different color appearance compared to cermet lead - through 51 and outer wire 52 . in addition , when the pca leaches to the surface of the transition region , that region becomes a nonconductive surface portion . in addition to transition region 53 between the outer wire and the cermet material lead - through in fig5 , there is another transition region in the electrical feedthrough marked 63 in fig6 of axial length y in addition to the transition region there marked 66 that corresponds to region 53 in fig5 . here 65 marks the external lead or outer wire ; 64 marks the cermet lead - through ; 62 marks the w or mo main electrode shaft ; and 61 marks the w electrode coil . the transition region 66 is the result of welding cermet lead - through 64 to main shaft 62 . to the degree that the axial lengths x and y of the transition regions 66 and 63 obey the following inequality , the effect on lamp performance is minimized and a narrow distribution of performance variation (& lt ;± 10 % in various lamp operation parameters ) can be achieved without difficulty : where x is the axial length of transition region 66 and y is the axial length of transition region 63 . here a is the distance from the tip of electrode 61 to the far end of transition region 66 as shown in fig6 . in this equation , the coefficient 2 is used in view of the arc length between the feedthrough electrodes being affected by the axial lengths x and y of each the transition regions 66 and 63 in each of the arc tube electrical feedthroughs . typically , the diameter of the w main shaft 62 is kept smaller than the diameter of cermet lead - through 64 . if the diameter of w shaft 62 obeys the following inequalities , where dc is the diameter of lead - through 64 and dw is the diameter of the w main shaft 62 in fig6 a and 6b , then the axial extent of transition region 63 need not be taken into consideration since it has a relatively minor effect . the reason is that the transition region 63 becomes smaller and smaller in axial length y as dw approaches dc . on the other hand , if dw is smaller than 0 . 5 dc , then the axial length of transition region 63 must obey the inequality of equation 2 to obtain satisfactory lamp performance results . furthermore , under the conditions of dw & lt ; 0 . 5 dc , the concentricity of w shaft 62 and lead - through 64 becomes important , because , if the situation as shown in fig6 b occurs then there is a large opening on one side of w shaft 52 . this opening provides a pocket for the salts thereby leading to performance variations . as the size of such a pocket increases , more and more of the salt dispensed into the arc tube starts filling that pocket and thereby acquires the lower temperature of the capillary so as to result in lower vapor pressures and a corresponding lamp performance which is less than optimum . in which z is the distance from the center of the w wire to the center of the cermet wire in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the feedthrough ( see fig6 c ) and dw is again the diameter of the w main shaft results in acceptable lamp performance . in fig6 c , 68 is the center of the cermet lead - through and 67 is the center of the w main shaft . of course , the best result is to have z = 0 . as indicated above , the region 66 shown in fig6 is usually covered with a layer of alumina ( al 2 o 3 ) due to leaching which makes it somewhat difficult to weld other items thereto ( for example , if a stopping cross wire like that shown in fig2 is to be provided ). therefore , having a feedthrough step diameter change at transition region 66 , because of the diameter of outer wire 65 being greater than that of cermet lead - through 64 so as to also be greater than that of the interior passageway of capillary part 45 in fig4 to thereby provide a stopping point for the insertion of the electrical feedthrough through that passageway into the arc tube , is very convenient for practical manufacturability . not only is the keeping the nb outer wire 65 outside the capillary part of the pca assured , but there is also the advantage of not using manufacturing process time trying to weld a stopping cross wire to an alumina covered surface which would be difficult to accomplish . the welds in fig5 and 6 are made by resistance welding . this kind of welding results in a uniform and cylindrically symmetric bond which gives considerable strength to the joint . these joints have the corresponding transition region x , in going from nb outer wire 65 to cermet lead - through 64 , and the corresponding transition region y in going from cermet lead - through 64 to w main shaft 62 . joints made instead with a few applications of a pulsed laser beam have the appearance shown in fig7 for a typical x transition region joint . here , 71 marks the cermet lead - through and 72 marks the outer lead wire ( which could be of nb , ta , or mo ). the hatched regions 73 basically show evaporated material and craters . such joints are somewhat weaker than the resistance welded joints shown in fig5 and 6 . in fig8 , we show the same feedthrough portion arrangement as shown in fig6 except that a mo coil 87 is added about and at the top of w main shaft 82 . here 84 marks the cermet lead - through , 85 marks the outer lead wire , 82 marks the mo or w main electrode shaft , and 81 marks the w electrode coil . the distance from the tip of electrode coil 81 to the far end of the transition region x is designated by the letter a . the advantage of mo coil 87 is , as stated above , to occupy some of the interior volume space in the capillary part so that the salts cannot otherwise be in that same space and thereby become too cooled during lamp operation . mo coil 87 is shown extending from axial location 89 in fig8 a at the near end of transition region y and not from axial location 88 at the far end thereof in that figure ( here axial location 88 is an end of the larger diameter cermet lead - through 84 ). usually , the sum of twice the mo coil 87 strand diameter and the w main shaft 82 diameter are very close to the internal diameter ( id ) of the capillary part , i . e . within about 10 % of the id of the capillary part . that is , where dmo is the diameter of the mo wire strand , dw is the diameter of w shaft 82 , and cid is the internal diameter of the pca capillary . if winding the mo coil 87 extends from axial location 88 , then eq . 4 is not obeyed and the sum of 2dmo + dw becomes greater than cid to result in the electrode not being able to slide through the opening in the capillary part and so getting stuck therein . an example arc discharge tube , based on a single body 70 w arc tube having electrical feedthroughs like that shown in fig8 , has an outer electrode wire 85 made out of an nb wire having a diameter of 0 . 85 mm and a length of 12 . 0 mm . the cermet lead - through 84 has a 0 . 7 mm diameter and a length of 6 . 25 mm . the w electrode main shaft 82 is 0 . 4 mm in diameter and 2 . 5 mm long . the mo coil electrode 87 is 5 . 5 mm long and the wire has a diameter of 0 . 15 mm . each completed feedthrough is inserted into a corresponding capillary part of the arc tube at opposite ends of the main discharge chamber and each has an internal diameter of 0 . 75 mm . the arc tube is filled with five component rare earth and nai and t1i salt mixture as well as hg and a rare gas for starting purposes . the resulting finished arc discharge tube was then mounted in glass envelope 5 of lamp 4 of fig1 in place of tube 10 shown there . the resulting lamp 4 was burned for 100 hours continuously and then measured in an integrating sphere . the performance of the lamp is shown in the following table : the relative ease of construction of the resulting arc discharge tube compared to that of the alternative approach of inserting a cross wire to a surface covered with alumina and somewhat brittle cermet is striking , and also avoids a considerable yield loss of many electrodes occurring with the cross wire arrangement . the method of constructing electrical feedthroughs of the present invention for cmh lamps is highly accurate and advantageous for a low cost manufacturing operation at high production rates . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7Electricity
|
as shown in fig1 - 3 , a golf ball is generally designated 20 . the golf ball has a cover 25 and an interior chamber 50 , which contains a fluid material 80 . in a preferred embodiment shown in fig1 , the cover 25 defines the interior chamber 50 . in an alternative embodiment shown in fig2 , the golf ball 20 has a core 30 with a shell 35 that defines the interior chamber 50 . the cover 25 is disposed over the core 30 . in yet another alternative embodiment , the golf ball has a core 30 with a shell 35 that defines the interior chamber 50 , a mantle layer 40 , and a cover 25 disposed over the mantle layer 40 . preferably , the fluid material 80 occupies 50 % to 100 % of the available space of the interior chamber 50 . the fluid material 80 is preferably selected from the group consisting of corn syrup , alcohol , water , propylene , glycol and mineral oil . other fluids that may be used in the present invention are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 193 , 618 , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 244 , 977 , and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 480 , 155 , all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety . as noted , the preferred embodiment golf ball may include a liquid core . in one variant , the liquid filled core disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 480 , 155 and 5 , 150 , 906 , both herein incorporated by reference , is suitable . suitable liquids for use in the present invention golf balls include , but are not limited to , water , alcohol , oil , combinations of these , solutions such as glycol and water , or salt and water . other suitable liquids include oils or colloidal suspensions , such as clay , barytes , or carbon black in water or other liquid . a preferred liquid core material is a solution of inorganic salt in water . the inorganic salt is preferably calcium chloride . the preferred glycol is glycerine . all of the liquids noted in the previously - mentioned , &# 39 ; 155 and &# 39 ; 906 patents are suitable . the density of the liquid can be adjusted to achieve the desired final weight of the golf ball . the most preferred technique for forming a ball having a liquid core is to form a thin , hollow polymeric sphere by blow molding or forming two half shells and then joining the two half shells together . the hollow sphere is then filled with a suitable liquid and sealed . these techniques are described in the &# 39 ; 155 and &# 39 ; 906 patents . a wide array of polymeric materials can be utilized to form the thin hollow sphere or shell 35 . thermoplastic materials are generally preferred for use as materials for the shell . typically , such materials should exhibit good flowability , moderate stiffness , high abrasion resistance , high tear strength , high resilience , and good mold release , among others . synthetic polymeric materials which may be used for the thin hollow sphere include homopolymeric and copolymer materials which may include : ( 1 ) vinyl resins formed by the polymerization of vinyl chloride , or by the copolymerization of vinyl chloride with vinyl acetate , acrylic esters or vinylidene chloride ; ( 2 ) polyolefins such as polyethylene , polypropylene , polybutylene , and copolymers such as polyethylene methylacrylate , polyethylene ethylacrylate , polyethylene vinyl acetate , polyethylene methacrylic or polyethylene acrylic acid or polypropylene acrylic acid or terpolymers made from these and acrylate esters and their metal ionomers , polypropylene / epdm grafted with acrylic acid or anhydride modified polyolefins ; ( 3 ) polyurethanes , such as are prepared from polyols and diisocyanates or polyisocyanates ; ( 4 ) polyamides such as poly ( hexamethylene adipamide ) and others prepared from diamines and dibasic acids , as well as those from amino acid such as poly ( caprolactam ), and blends of polyamides with surlyn , polyethylene , ethylene copolymers , edpa , etc ; ( 5 ) acrylic resins and blends of these resins with polyvinyl chloride , elastomers , etc . ; ( 6 ) thermoplastic rubbers such as the urethanes , olefinic thermoplastic rubbers such as blends of polyolefins with epdm , block copolymers of styrene and butadiene , or isoprene or ethylene - butylene rubber , polyether block amides ; ( 7 ) polyphenylene oxide resins , or blends of polyphenylene oxide with high impact polystyrene ; ( 8 ) thermoplastic polyesters , such as pet , pbt , petg , and elastomers sold under the trademark hytrel by e . i . dupont de nemours & amp ; company of wilmington , del . ; ( 9 ) blends and alloys including polycarbonate with abs , pbt , pet , sma , pe elastomers , etc . and pvc with abs or eva or other elastomers ; and ( 10 ) blends of thermoplastic rubbers with polyethylene , polypropylene , polyacetal , nylon , polyesters , cellulose esters , etc . the fluid cavity or center can be filled with a wide variety of materials including air , water solutions , gels , foams , hot - melts , other fluid materials and combinations thereof . the fluid or liquid material 80 can be varied to modify the performance parameters of the ball , such as the moment of inertia . preferably , the fluid or liquid material 80 is comprised of a material that has a high specific gravity for high spin rate golf balls and a material that has a low specific gravity for a low spin rate golf ball . preferably , the specific gravity of the fluid or liquid is below or equal to 1 . 2 for low specific gravity centers and above 1 . 2 for high specific gravity centers . more preferably , the specific gravity is approximately 1 . 15 - 1 . 2 for low specific gravity centers and approximately 1 . 3 - 1 . 55 for high specific gravity centers . still further , the fluid is preferably comprised of a material with a low viscosity for a golf ball having a high spin rate and a material having a high viscosity for a golf ball having a low spin rate . preferably , the viscosity of the fluid or liquid center is less than 100 cps for low viscosity centers and greater than or equal to 100 cps for high viscosity centers . more preferably , the viscosity of the fluid or liquid center is less than or equal to 10 cps for low viscosity centers and is between 100 and 1500 cps for high viscosity centers . most preferably , the fluid or liquid center viscosity is approximately 500 cps for high viscosity centers . examples of suitable liquids include either solutions such as salt in water , corn syrup , salt in water and corn syrup , glycol and water or oils . the liquid can further include pastes , colloidal suspensions , such as clay , barytes , carbon black in water or other liquid , or salt in water / glycol mixtures . examples of suitable gels include water gelatin gels , hydrogels , water / methyl cellulose gels and gels comprised of copolymer rubber based materials such a styrene - butadiene - styrene rubber and paraffinic and / or naphthenic oil . examples of suitable melts include waxes and hot melts . hot - melts are materials which at or about normal room temperatures are solid but at elevated temperatures become liquid . a high melting temperature is desirable since the liquid core is heated to high temperatures during the molding of the second mantle layer and the cover . the liquid material 80 may be a reactive liquid system which combine to form a solid . examples of suitable reactive liquids are silicate gels , agar gels , peroxide cured polyester resins , two part epoxy resin systems and peroxide cured liquid polybutadiene rubber compositions . it is understood by one skilled in the art that other reactive liquid systems can likewise be utilized depending on the physical properties of the mantle layer and the physical properties desired in the resulting finished golf balls . the core 30 is preferably 60 to 95 % of the total ball weight and more preferably , 75 to 86 % of the ball weight . as stated above , the weight distribution within the core 30 can be varied to achieve certain desired parameters such as spin rate , compression and initial velocity . for example , by increasing the diameter of the fluid or liquid filled interior chamber 50 , and increasing the specific gravity of any mantle layer 40 , the weight distribution of the core is moved toward the outer diameter for a lower spin rate ball . in contrast , the diameter of the fluid or liquid filled interior chamber 50 can be decreased and the specific gravity of the mantle layer 40 decreased to move the weight distribution of the ball towards the ball center for a high spin rate ball . similarly , the specific gravity of the fluid or liquid filled center can be decreased and the specific gravity of the mantle layer 40 increased for a low spin rate ball . alternatively , the specific gravity of the fluid or liquid filled interior chamber 50 can be increased and the specific gravity of the mantle layer 40 decrease for a high spin rate ball . in a preferred embodiment , the cover 25 is composed of a rim polyurethane material such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no ., which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference . in an alternative embodiment , the golf ball 20 is constructed with a cover 25 composed of a polyurethane material as set forth in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 117 , 024 , for a golf ball with a polyurethane cover , which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference . the golf ball 20 preferably has a coefficient of restitution at 143 feet per second greater than 0 . 7964 , and an usga initial velocity less than 255 . 0 feet per second . the golf ball 20 more preferably has a cor of approximately 0 . 8152 at 143 feet per second , and an initial velocity between 250 feet per second to 255 feet per second under usga initial velocity conditions . a more thorough description of a high cor golf ball is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 443 , 858 , which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference . the cover 25 of the golf ball 20 may be any suitable material . a preferred cover for a three - piece golf ball is composed of a thermoset polyurethane material . alternatively , the cover 25 is composed of a thermoplastic polyurethane , ionomer blend , ionomer rubber blend , ionomer and thermoplastic polyurethane blend , or like materials . those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that other cover materials may be utilized without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention . the golf ball 20 may have a finish of one or two basecoats and / or one or two top coats . in an alternative embodiment of a golf ball 20 , the mantle layer 40 or cover layer 25 is comprised of a high acid ( i . e . greater than 16 weight percent acid ) ionomer resin or high acid ionomer blend . more preferably , the mantle layer 40 is comprised of a blend of two or more high acid ( i . e . greater than 16 weight percent acid ) ionomer resins neutralized to various extents by different metal cations . in an alternative embodiment of a golf ball 20 , the mantle layer 40 or cover layer 25 is comprised of a low acid ( i . e . 16 weight percent acid or less ) ionomer resin or low acid ionomer blend . preferably , the mantle layer 40 is comprised of a blend of two or more low acid ( i . e . 16 weight percent acid or less ) ionomer resins neutralized to various extents by different metal cations . the mantle layer 40 compositions of the embodiments described herein may include the high acid ionomers such as those developed by e . i . dupont de nemours & amp ; company under the surlyn brand , and by exxon corporation under the escor or iotek brands , or blends thereof . examples of compositions which may be used as the mantle layer 28 herein are set forth in detail in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 688 , 869 , which is incorporated herein by reference . of course , the mantle layer 40 high acid ionomer compositions are not limited in any way to those compositions set forth in said patent . those compositions are incorporated herein by way of examples only . the high acid ionomers which may be suitable for use in formulating the mantle layer 28 compositions are ionic copolymers which are the metal ( such as sodium , zinc , magnesium , etc .) salts of the reaction product of an olefin having from about 2 to 8 carbon atoms and an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid having from about 3 to 8 carbon atoms . preferably , the ionomeric resins are copolymers of ethylene and either acrylic or methacrylic acid . in some circumstances , an additional comonomer such as an acrylate ester ( for example , iso - or n - butylacrylate , etc .) can also be included to produce a softer terpolymer . the carboxylic acid groups of the copolymer are partially neutralized ( for example , approximately 10 - 100 %, preferably 30 - 70 %) by the metal ions . each of the high acid ionomer resins which may be included in the inner layer cover compositions of the invention contains greater than 16 % by weight of a carboxylic acid , preferably from about 17 % to about 25 % by weight of a carboxylic acid , more preferably from about 18 . 5 % to about 21 . 5 % by weight of a carboxylic acid . examples of the high acid methacrylic acid based ionomers found suitable for use in accordance with this invention include , but are not limited to , surlyn 8220 and 8240 ( both formerly known as forms of surlyn ad - 8422 ), surlyn 9220 ( zinc cation ), surlyn sep - 503 - 1 ( zinc cation ), and surlyn sep - 503 - 2 ( magnesium cation ). according to dupont , all of these ionomers contain from about 18 . 5 to about 21 . 5 % by weight methacrylic acid . examples of the high acid acrylic acid based ionomers suitable for use in the present invention also include , but are not limited to , the high acid ethylene acrylic acid ionomers produced by exxon such as ex 1001 , 1002 , 959 , 960 , 989 , 990 , 1003 , 1004 , 993 , and 994 . in this regard , escor or iotek 959 is a sodium ion neutralized ethylene - acrylic neutralized ethylene - acrylic acid copolymer . according to exxon , ioteks 959 and 960 contain from about 19 . 0 to about 21 . 0 % by weight acrylic acid with approximately 30 to about 70 percent of the acid groups neutralized with sodium and zinc ions , respectively . furthermore , as a result of the previous development by the assignee of this application of a number of high acid ionomers neutralized to various extents by several different types of metal cations , such as by manganese , lithium , potassium , calcium and nickel cations , several high acid ionomers and / or high acid ionomer blends besides sodium , zinc and magnesium high acid ionomers or ionomer blends are also available for golf ball cover production . it has been found that these additional cation neutralized high acid ionomer blends produce mantle layer 40 compositions exhibiting enhanced hardness and resilience due to synergies which occur during processing . consequently , these metal cation neutralized high acid ionomer resins can be blended to produce substantially higher c . o . r .&# 39 ; s than those produced by the low acid ionomer mantle layer 40 compositions presently commercially available . the mantle layer 40 compositions may include the low acid ionomers such as those developed and sold by e . i . dupont de nemours & amp ; company under the surlyn and by exxon corporation under the brands escor and iotek , ionomers made in - situ , or blends thereof . another embodiment of the mantle layer 40 comprises a non - ionomeric thermoplastic material or thermoset material . suitable non - ionomeric materials include , but are not limited to , metallocene catalyzed polyolefins or polyamides , polyamide / ionomer blends , polyphenylene ether / ionomer blends , etc ., which preferably have a shore d hardness of at least 60 ( or a shore c hardness of at least about 90 ) and a flex modulus of greater than about 30 , 000 psi , preferably greater than about 50 , 000 psi , or other hardness and flex modulus values which are comparable to the properties of the ionomers described above . other suitable materials include but are not limited to , thermoplastic or thermosetting polyurethanes , thermoplastic block polyesters , for example , a polyester elastomer such as that marketed by dupont under the brand hytrel , or thermoplastic block polyamides , for example , a polyether amide such as that marketed by elf atochem s . a . under the brand pebex , a blend of two or more non - ionomeric thermoplastic elastomers , or a blend of one or more ionomers and one or more non - ionomeric thermoplastic elastomers . these materials can be blended with the ionomers described above in order to reduce cost relative to the use of higher quantities of ionomer . additional materials suitable for use in the mantle layer 40 or cover layer 25 of the present invention include polyurethanes . these are described in more detail below . in one embodiment , the cover layer 25 is comprised of a relatively soft , low flex modulus ( about 500 psi to about 50 , 000 psi , preferably about 1 , 000 psi to about 25 , 000 psi , and more preferably about 5 , 000 psi to about 20 , 000 psi ) material or blend of materials . preferably , the cover layer 25 comprises a polyurethane , a polyurea , a blend of two or more polyurethanes / polyureas , or a blend of one or more ionomers or one or more non - ionomeric thermoplastic materials with a polyurethane / polyurea , preferably a thermoplastic polyurethane or reaction injection molded polyurethane / polyurea ( described in more detail below ). the cover layer 25 preferably has a thickness in the range of 0 . 005 inch to about 0 . 15 inch , more preferably about 0 . 010 inch to about 0 . 050 inch , and most preferably 0 . 015 inch to 0 . 025 inch . in one embodiment , the cover layer 24 has a shore d hardness of 60 or less ( or less than 90 shore c ), and more preferably 55 or less ( or about 80 shore c or less ). in another preferred embodiment , the cover layer 25 is comparatively harder than the mantle layer 40 . in one preferred embodiment , the cover layer 25 comprises a polyurethane , a polyurea or a blend of polyurethanes / polyureas . polyurethanes are polymers which are used to form a broad range of products . they are generally formed by mixing two primary ingredients during processing . for the most commonly used polyurethanes , the two primary ingredients are a polyisocyanate ( for example , 4 , 4 ′- diphenylmethane diisocyanate monomer (“ mdi ”) and toluene diisocyanate (“ tdi ”) and their derivatives ) and a polyol ( for example , a polyester polyol or a polyether polyol ). a wide range of combinations of polyisocyanates and polyols , as well as other ingredients , are available . furthermore , the end - use properties of polyurethanes can be controlled by the type of polyurethane utilized , such as whether the material is thermoset ( cross linked molecular structure not flowable with heat ) or thermoplastic ( linear molecular structure flowable with heat ). cross linking occurs between the isocyanate groups (— nco ) and the polyol &# 39 ; s hydroxyl end - groups (— oh ). cross linking will also occur between the nh 2 group of the amines and the nco groups of the isocyanates , forming a polyurea . additionally , the end - use characteristics of polyurethanes can also be controlled by different types of reactive chemicals and processing parameters . for example , catalysts are utilized to control polymerization rates . depending upon the processing method , reaction rates can be very quick ( as in the case for some reaction injection molding systems (“ rim ”)) or may be on the order of several hours or longer ( as in several coating systems such as a cast system ). consequently , a great variety of polyurethanes are suitable for different end - uses . polyurethanes are typically classified as thermosetting or thermoplastic . a polyurethane becomes irreversibly “ set ” when a polyurethane prepolymer is cross linked with a polyfunctional curing agent , such as a polyamine or a polyol . the prepolymer typically is made from polyether or polyester . a prepolymer is typically an isocyanate terminated polymer that is produced by reacting an isocyanate with a moiety that has active hydrogen groups , such as a polyester and / or polyether polyol . the reactive moiety is a hydroxyl group . diisocyanate polyethers are preferred because of their water resistance . the physical properties of thermoset polyurethanes are controlled substantially by the degree of cross linking and by the hard and soft segment content . tightly cross linked polyurethanes are fairly rigid and strong . a lower amount of cross linking results in materials that are flexible and resilient . thermoplastic polyurethanes have some cross linking , but primarily by physical means , such as hydrogen bonding . the crosslinking bonds can be reversibly broken by increasing temperature , such as during molding or extrusion . in this regard , thermoplastic polyurethanes can be injection molded , and extruded as sheet and blow film . they can be used up to about 400 degrees fahrenheit , and are available in a wide range of hardnesses . polyurethane materials suitable for the present invention may be formed by the reaction of a polyisocyanate , a polyol , and optionally one or more chain extenders . the polyol component includes any suitable polyether - or polyester polyol . additionally , in an alternative embodiment , the polyol component is polybutadiene diol . the chain extenders include , but are not limited to , diols , triols and amine extenders . any suitable polyisocyanate may be used to form a polyurethane according to the present invention . the polyisocyanate is preferably selected from the group of diisocyanates including , but not limited to , 4 , 4 ′- diphenylmethane diisocyanate (“ mdi ”); 2 , 4 - toluene diisocyanate (“ tdi ”); m - xylylene diisocyanate (“ xdi ”); methylene bis -( 4 - cyclohexyl isocyanate ) (“ hmdi ”); hexamethylene diisocyanate (“ hdi ”); naphthalene - 1 , 5 ,- diisocyanate (“ ndi ”); 3 , 3 ′- dimethyl - 4 , 4 ′- biphenyl diisocyanate (“ todi ”); 1 , 4 - diisocyanate benzene (“ ppdi ”); phenylene - 1 , 4 - diisocyanate ; and 2 , 2 , 4 - or 2 , 4 , 4 - trimethyl hexamethylene diisocyanate (“ tmdi ”). other less preferred diisocyanates include , but are not limited to , isophorone diisocyanate (“ ipdi ”); 1 , 4 - cyclohexyl diisocyanate (“ chdi ”); diphenylether - 4 , 4 ′- diisocyanate ; p , p ′- diphenyl diisocyanate ; lysine diisocyanate (“ ldi ”); 1 , 3 - bis ( isocyanato methyl ) cyclohexane ; and polymethylene polyphenyl isocyanate (“ pmdi ”). one additional polyurethane component which can be used in the present invention incorporates tmxdi (“ meta ”) aliphatic isocyanate ( cytec industries , west paterson , n . j .). polyurethanes based on meta - tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate ( tmxdi ) can provide improved gloss retention uv light stability , thermal stability , and hydrolytic stability . additionally , tmxdi (“ meta ”) aliphatic isocyanate has demonstrated favorable toxicological properties . furthermore , because it has a low viscosity , it is usable with a wider range of diols ( to polyurethane ) and diamines ( to polyureas ). if tmxdi is used , it typically , but not necessarily , is added as a direct replacement for some or all of the other aliphatic isocyanates in accordance with the suggestions of the supplier . because of slow reactivity of tmxdi , it may be useful or necessary to use catalysts to have practical demolding times . hardness , tensile strength and elongation can be adjusted by adding further materials in accordance with the supplier &# 39 ; s instructions . the cover layer 25 preferably comprises a polyurethane with a shore d hardness ( plaque ) of from about 10 to about 55 ( shore c of about 15 to about 75 ), more preferably from about 25 to about 55 ( shore c of about 40 to about 75 ), and most preferably from about 30 to about 55 ( shore c of about 45 to about 75 ) for a soft cover layer 25 and from about 20 to about 90 , preferably about 30 to about 80 , and more preferably about 40 to about 70 for a hard cover layer 25 . the polyurethane preferably has a flex modulus from about 1 to about 310 kpsi , more preferably from about 3 to about 100 kpsi , and most preferably from about 3 to about 40 kpsi for a soft cover layer 25 and 40 to 90 kpsi for a hard cover layer 25 . non - limiting examples of a polyurethane suitable for use in mantle layer 40 include a thermoplastic polyester polyurethane such as bayer corporation &# 39 ; s texin polyester polyurethane ( such as texin dp7 - 1097 and texin 285 grades ) and a polyester polyurethane such as b . f . goodrich company &# 39 ; s estane polyester polyurethane ( such as estane x - 4517 grade ). the thermoplastic polyurethane material may be blended with a soft ionomer or other non - ionomer . for example , polyamides blend well with soft ionomer . other soft , relatively low modulus non - ionomeric thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethanes may also be utilized , as long as the non - ionomeric materials produce the playability and durability characteristics desired without adversely affecting the enhanced travel distance characteristic produced by the high acid ionomer resin composition . these include , but are not limited to thermoplastic polyurethanes such as the pellethane thermoplastic polyurethanes from dow chemical co . ; and non - ionomeric thermoset polyurethanes including but not limited to those disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 334 , 673 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . typically , there are two classes of thermoplastic polyurethane materials : aliphatic polyurethanes and aromatic polyurethanes . the aliphatic materials are produced from a polyol or polyols and aliphatic isocyanates , such as h 12 mdi or hdi , and the aromatic materials are produced from a polyol or polyols and aromatic isocyanates , such as mdi or tdi . the thermoplastic polyurethanes may also be produced from a blend of both aliphatic and aromatic materials , such as a blend of hdi and tdi with a polyol or polyols . generally , the aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethanes are lightfast , meaning that they do not yellow appreciably upon exposure to ultraviolet light . conversely , aromatic thermoplastic polyurethanes tend to yellow upon exposure to ultraviolet light . one method of stopping the yellowing of the aromatic materials is to paint the outer surface of the finished ball with a coating containing a pigment , such as titanium dioxide , so that the ultraviolet light is prevented from reaching the surface of the ball . another method is to add uv absorbers , optical brighteners and stabilizers to the clear coating ( s ) on the outer cover , as well as to the thermoplastic polyurethane material itself . by adding uv absorbers and stabilizers to the thermoplastic polyurethane and the coating ( s ), aromatic polyurethanes can be effectively used in the outer cover layer of golf balls . this is advantageous because aromatic polyurethanes typically have better scuff resistance characteristics than aliphatic polyurethanes , and the aromatic polyurethanes typically cost less than the aliphatic polyurethanes . other suitable polyurethane materials for use in the present invention golf balls include reaction injection molded (“ rim ”) polyurethanes . rim is a process by which highly reactive liquids are injected into a mold , mixed usually by impingement and / or mechanical mixing in an in - line device such as a “ peanut mixer ,” where they polymerize primarily in the mold to form a coherent , one - piece molded article . the rim process usually involves a rapid reaction between one or more reactive components such as a polyether polyol or polyester polyol , polyamine , or other material with an active hydrogen , and one or more isocyanate - containing constituents , often in the presence of a catalyst . the constituents are stored in separate tanks prior to molding and may be first mixed in a mix head upstream of a mold and then injected into the mold . the liquid streams are metered in the desired weight to weight ratio and fed into an impingement mix head , with mixing occurring under high pressure , for example , 1 , 500 to 3 , 000 psi . the liquid streams impinge upon each other in the mixing chamber of the mix head and the mixture is injected into the mold . one of the liquid streams typically contains a catalyst for the reaction . the constituents react rapidly after mixing to gel and form polyurethane polymers . polyureas , epoxies , and various unsaturated polyesters also can be molded by rim . further descriptions of suitable rim systems is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 663 , 508 , which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference . non - limiting examples of suitable rim systems for use in the present invention are bayflex elastomeric polyurethane rim systems , baydur gs solid polyurethane rim systems , prism solid polyurethane rim systems , all from bayer corp . ( pittsburgh , pa . ), spectrim reaction moldable polyurethane and polyurea systems from dow chemical usa ( midland , mich . ), including spectrim mm 373 - a ( isocyanate ) and 373 - b ( polyol ), and elastolit sr systems from basf ( parsippany , n . j .). preferred rim systems include bayflex mp - 10000 , bayflex mp - 7500 and bayflex 110 - 50 , filled and unfilled . further preferred examples are polyols , polyamines and isocyanates formed by processes for recycling polyurethanes and polyureas . additionally , these various systems may be modified by incorporating a butadiene component in the diol agent . another preferred embodiment is a golf ball in which at least one of the mantle layer 40 and / or the cover layer 25 comprises a fast - chemical - reaction - produced component . this component comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane , polyurea , polyurethane ionomer , epoxy , and unsaturated polyesters , and preferably comprises polyurethane , polyurea or a blend comprising polyurethanes and / or polymers . a particularly preferred form of the invention is a golf ball with a cover comprising polyurethane or a polyurethane blend . the polyol component typically contains additives , such as stabilizers , flow modifiers , catalysts , combustion modifiers , blowing agents , fillers , pigments , optical brighteners , and release agents to modify physical characteristics of the cover . polyurethane / polyurea constituent molecules that were derived from recycled polyurethane can be added in the polyol component . the surface geometry of the golf ball 20 is preferably a conventional dimple pattern such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 213 , 898 for a golf ball with an aerodynamic surface on a polyurethane cover , which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference . alternatively , the surface geometry of the golf ball 20 may have a non - dimple pattern such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 290 , 615 for a golf ball having tubular lattice pattern , which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference . from the foregoing it is believed that those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize the meritorious advancement of this invention and will readily understand that while the present invention has been described in association with a preferred embodiment thereof , and other embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings , numerous changes , modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention which is intended to be unlimited by the foregoing except as may appear in the following appended claims . therefore , the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following appended claims . | 0Human Necessities
|
before beginning a detailed description of the subject invention , mention of the following is in order . when appropriate , like reference numerals and characters may be used to designate identical , corresponding , or similar components in differing drawing figures . furthermore , in the detailed description to follow , example sizes / models / values / ranges may be given , although the present invention is not limited thereto . in addition , well - known elements have been omitted from the drawing figures for simplicity of illustration and discussion and so as not to obscure the invention . still furthermore , arrangements may be shown in simplified block diagram form to avoid obscuring the invention and also view of the fact that specifics with respect to such block diagram arrangements are highly dependent upon the platform within which the present invention is to be implemented . that is , such specifics should be well within the purview of one skilled in the art . where specific details are set forth in order to describe example embodiments of the invention , it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced without or with variations of the specific details . lastly , it should be apparent that differing combinations of hard - wired circuitry and software instructions can be used to implement embodiments of the present invention . that is , the present invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software . in the protocol of the present invention , rate adjustment mechanisms are effected in each receiver and the bandwidth on the reverse path back to the bottleneck is immediately adapted appropriately in accordance with the outcome of the adjustment process . in contrast to the rlm schemes described in the articles cited above , the adjustment is not limited to adding or dropping exactly one layer to avoid bad convergence effects . rather , the rate adjustment is realized by immediately enabling or disabling as many layers is as necessary to achieve the desired rate . this usually results in enabling or disabling several layers in one adjustment operation . the assumption has been made that for this kind of adjustment , each layer is transmitted at a nearly constant rate . this can be realized by using variable encoding , thereby ensuring cbr ( constant bit rate )- like traffic , or by appropriately smoothing the traffic at the sender . furthermore , it has been assumed that each receiver is aware of the distribution of the bandwidth among the different layers . this can be effected by means of sdp ( session description protocol ) or sap ( session announcement protocol ) as respectively discussed in the standard rfc 2327 , entitled : sdp : session description protocol , april 1998 , by m . handley and v . jacobson and in the standard rfc 2974 , entitled : session announcement protocol , october 2000 , by m . handley , c . perkins , and e . whelan . these standards are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety . fig1 is a receiver state transition diagram which illustrates the state transitions in a receiver operating in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 illustrates the protocol used by a very simple state machine to be implemented in each receiver . it consists of only one state ra running any kind of rate adjustment process , for example , a window or timer based rate adjustment process . in fig1 , r corresponds to the reception of local adjustment messages while nr corresponds to a new rate estimation available . the state noted above usually represents a more complex machine implementing a specific rate adaptation algorithm . if a new rate estimation is available , and adjustment procedure is started by enabling or disabling one or more layers to reach the desired rate . the realization of the adjustment procedure usually depends on the rate adaptation process used . the resulting adjustment messages are only sent out to the local subnet and the messages are forwarded by the upstream multicast router . if there is a reception of local adjustment messages , the local rate adjustment process is reset to avoid overlapping adjustment experiments on the same link . the details with regard to the reset operation have been omitted since they depend on the realization of the adaptation process used . it is apparent that the protocol in accordance with the present invention is to be used as a framework for a receiver - driven layered multicast rate control arrangement which is independent of the specific rate adjustment algorithm being used . for the realization of fast enable / disable operations in the protocol in accordance with the present invention , an extension to the igmp is proposed which realizes a simple switch within the upstream router , the switch enabling the transmission if it is on and discarding the packets if it is off . the required extension adds to messages to the current igmp protocol . namely , an igmp_pause message and an igmp_resume message are added . these messages are used to command the upstream multicast router to either pause or resume the forwarding process by changing the internal router state for this multicast group . fig2 is a router state transition diagram for a router state machine . there are three different states to be realized for each multicast group . in the forward state , the transmission for the specific group is enabled while the transmission is disabled , that is , halted , in the pause state . fig3 is a message sequence chart which shows how the additional igmp messages are routed within the system . the first sequence represents the messages when being in the forward state at the upstream router while the second message sequence is valid when being in the pause state at the upstream router . after at least one user has joined the appropriate multicast group , the router enters the forward state and starts transmission for this group at shown by trigger 1 of fig2 . the igmp_pause messages are usually sent by any local receiver to the upstream , that is , local , multicast router to pause the forwarding process as shown by sequence 1 of fig3 . when receiving an igmp_pause message in the forward state at shown by trigger 2 of fig2 , this router enters the pause state and the message is directly forwarded to the upstream router if there is no interest in any other local downstream link to pause the appropriate forwarding process in this router as shown by sequence 1 of fig3 . thus , the disabling functionality is essentially a write through functionality . the forwarding sequence of igmp_pause messages finally ends in the last multicast router on the route between the sender and receiver and the forwarding latency corresponds to the sum of the link and local forwarding latencies up to the bottleneck router , resulting in a minimal response time for the adjustment . if there is an incoming igmp_resume message at a multicast router in a pause state ( as initially sent by any local receiver at shown by sequence 2 of fig3 ), the local forwarding process is immediately resumed by entering the forward state as shown by trigger 3 of fig2 . furthermore , the upstream router is notified immediately by sending an igmp_resume message at shown by sequence 2 of fig3 to also resume the upstream forwarding process . this forwarding sequence finally ends in the last multicast router on the route between the sender and receiver . thus , the response time latency for this bandwidth increase is bounded by the sum of the link and forwarding latencies from the initiating receiver up to the router providing the requested layer . the additional igmp_pause and igmp_resume messages can easily be integrated into the igmp standard by merely defining to additional message types , for example , 0x18 and 0x19 in compliance with the previously cited rfc 2236 standard . thus , the present invention improves responsiveness and reduces the complexity as compared to earlier schemes . using the proposed igmp extensions for receiver - driven layered multicast rate control allows the adjustment of the bandwidth locally without unnecessary igmp timeout delays . hence , the rate is adjusted from the receiver of to the appropriate router with a delay which is approximately equal to the sum of the link latencies from the receiver up to the router and thus , the response latency is minimized . the large delays in the earlier schemes are caused by different timers within igmp when leaving a multicast group locally . the local multicast router sends an igmp query message to obtain at least one remaining member after receiving a leave operation by a local member . if there is no local member left , the group is released and the message forwarding stopped . for this query operation , a large delay , on the order of seconds , is used which directly influences the responsiveness of the system , since the congestion is not stopped until the timer has expired . thus , the earlier schemes encounter a specific response delay , known as the join / leave latency , which is avoided by the protocol in accordance with the present invention . that is , the earlier schemes use join / leave messages to stop or restart transmission of layers . as a consequence thereof , the entire multicast group is released in the case of congestion , thereby requiring the group to be reestablished at the local router when the bandwidth is again available . this results in large delays leading to poor responsiveness as well as a large overhead . furthermore , complex spanning tree operations at the local routers are not necessary due to the avoidance of igmp join / leave operations in the protocol in accordance with the present invention . that is , routing table and spanning tree updates are not necessary . lastly , the generic character of the protocol in accordance with the present invention allows the use of any kind of rate adjustment mechanism , such as probing or estimation based rate adjustment mechanisms . this concludes the description of the example embodiment . although the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrative embodiment , it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this invention . more particularly , reasonable variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and / or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the foregoing disclosure , the drawings , and the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention . in addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and / or arrangements , alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art . | 7Electricity
|
fig1 a illustrates an extended finite state machine architecture ( efsma ) such as might be used to model a system under test . efsma are described in the above mentioned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 394 , 347 and other patents and applications listed above . the efsma representation of a system under test is developed in accordance with the techniques described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 394 , 347 and other documents mentioned above . as is described in that patent , a test for the system is generated in a computerized system by first determining a set of paths through the efsma . each path in the set is converted to a test by associating a test statement with transitions in the path . thus , the number of tests generated for the system depends on the number of paths traced through the efsma . fig1 a shows a relatively simple efsma with just three models . models a , b and c are illustrated , with model a appearing twice at 110 and 116 . each time model a appears in the efsma , it is referred to as a &# 34 ; call &# 34 ; of that model . for example , if the efsma represents a computer program , model a might represent a subprogram that is called from two different places in the program . even for a relatively simple efsma , numerous paths might be generated in an all paths coverage because there are numerous paths through each model . in addition , there is a loop that includes model b such that model b might be traversed multiple times . if the efsma represents a software program with model b a procedure , fig1 a represents the case where the procedure is called from a loop as well as being called directly after model a . fig1 b shows that each model is made up of numerous states . though not shown in the simple example of fig1 each model might also include further calls to other models or other transfer of control structures , such as a go to statement . fig1 b illustrates model a , which has three states s1 , s2 and s3 . these three states are joined by four edges t1 , t2 , t3 and t4 . edge t2 creates a loop such that state s2 within model a might be entered multiple times . fig1 illustrates that even a simple efsma can generate many paths when in all paths mode . the prior art test generation systems allowed the total number of paths generated to be restricted by generating tests with transition coverage mode . in that mode , test generation stops when each edge in the efsma is included in at least one test . according to the invention , a hybrid level of test coverage is possible for the efsma to provide more thorough testing than transition coverage but less tests than all paths coverage . a hybrid test coverage is possible by allowing the coverage level of each model to be specified . in a preferred embodiment , the coverage level to be used for each call of a model might be specified . for example , in fig1 a , transition coverage might be specified for call 110 of model a while all paths coverage might be specified for call 116 of model a . alternatively , a different coverage level might be specified for each model at every call . the modifications to the prior art test generation system needed to implement a hybrid coverage mode are described below in conjunction with fig2 . while the flexibility to specify the coverage level of each model is highly desirable in tailoring the level of fault detection of the tests generated while controlling the number of tests generated , it can be a very difficult task to determine which coverage level should be assigned to each model . in the case where there are n models in an efsma , the number of combinations of coverage levels is 2 n . an efsma representing a software system might typically have between 20 and 50 models . there are literally millions of combinations of coverage levels that are possible . to make effective use of the flexibility to specify coverage levels on a per model basis , an automated tool , which is called &# 34 ; autobatch ,&# 34 ; is provided to select a coverage level meeting specified parameters . a user of the autobatch provides an input parameter , called the &# 34 ; deviation ,&# 34 ; specifying the level of coverage desired . higher numbers for the deviation will result in more tests and greater coverage . lower numbers will result in less coverage but fewer tests . the autobatch uses the deviation to recognize which models in the efsma significantly increase the total number of paths generated when set to all paths coverage . these models are identified as &# 34 ; high path producers .&# 34 ; those paths that are not high path producers can be set to all paths coverage . combinations of the coverage levels of the high path producers can then be generated and the total number of paths for each combination can be determined . the combination generating the highest coverage level while not exceeding the desired maximum number of tests can then be selected from this set . by breaking the problem up in this fashion , the number of coverage level combinations that need to be considered by a human user can be reduced to a manageable level . the autobatch feature of the invention is described below in conjunction with fig4 . turning now to the details of the implementation , enhancements made to the system described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 394 , 347 are described . fig2 shows a modification to the model stack frame 210 as discussed in the above mentioned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 394 , 347 . these modifications allow the coverage level of each model to be specified . in particular , that patent describes that paths through the efsma are traced in a depth first search . as each transition or state is traversed , an entry is pushed on a path stack . as each model is entered in the search , a frame 210 is added to a model stack . the stack frame represents an &# 34 ; instance of the model .&# 34 ; frame 210 includes a model field 212 which identifies the model . information describing each model is separately recorded in a database . in addition , frame 210 includes fields 214 which store information about the model or about the instance of the model . fields 212 and 214 are as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 394 , 347 fig2 shows additional fields not described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 394 , 347 . these fields include coverage level field 216 and hit count list pointer field 218 . coverage level field 216 stores the coverage level of the model for this instance . in a preferred embodiment , this field takes on a value indicating transition coverage level or an all paths coverage level . the coverage level value in coverage level field 216 might be set by a user of the test generation system . as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 394 , 347 , the test generation system is implemented using a computer with a human interface . a human operator provides the inputs which control test generation . the human operator could input a coverage level for each model . for example , the models of the efsma could represent subprograms in a large graphical user interface program . a user might desire a set of tests be generated to verify correct operation of the graphical user interface following modifications of only some of the subprograms . in this scenario , the user might set the models representing the modified subprograms to an all paths coverage level while leaving the other models at a transition coverage level . a second way that the coverage levels might be set is adaptively by the test system . fig4 a illustrates the process by which coverage level for each model is determined adaptively . fig4 a illustrates the flow of software in the computer which is programmed to automatically generate tests . returning to fig2 a preferred embodiment of the memory structure needed for traversing the efsma with different coverage levels is illustrated . for each instance of a model , as represented by model stack frame 210 , a hit count list 220 might be established . such a list might reside in the memory of a computer , such as memory 40 illustrated in fig1 of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 394 , 347 . hit count list pointer 218 is given a value representing the start address of the edge list 220 . it will be appreciated that organizing a list in memory requires that some indication of the end of the list or the length of the list also be stored . for clarity , such an indication is not explicitly shown . hit count list 220 is only used when the coverage level in field 216 is set to transition coverage . it is used to keep track of whether each edge in the instance of the model represented by the stack frame 210 has been included in a path used to generate a test program . hit count list 220 is allocated when frame 210 is placed on the model stack . it is deallocated when the frame is removed from the model stack . if a all paths coverage level is indicated in field 216 , then hit count list 220 is not needed . various memory allocation techniques are known to cover this situation . for example , no memory might be allocated for field 218 or list 220 when the coverage level field 216 contains a value of all paths coverage . alternatively , the hit count pointer in field 218 might simply indicate a null address so that no memory is allocated for hit count list 220 . fig2 also shows a global new -- perm variable 228 is added to enable the test generation system to implement hybrid coverage . a global variable is a variable that might be accessed at any time during the process of tracing a path through the efsma . in contrast , hit count list 220 is a local , or context sensitive , variable . the list is associated with a record in the model stack frame and is only accessed when that model stack frame is being used . new -- perm variable 228 can be implemented as a specific location in computer memory . it is set as a path is traced forward through the efsma . it is checked and cleared once the path has been traced through to the end . if new -- perm variable 228 is set , it indicates that the path just traced includes a new permutation of edges in a model set to all paths coverage . fig5 summarizes a prior art method for tracing through the paths in a efsma and serves as a basis for explaining how the new data structures of fig2 fit into the path generation process . fig5 shows a portion of the efsma of fig1 drawn out in a tree diagram . states s1 , s2 , and s3 of call 110 to model a are shown as nodes of the tree labeled a1 , a2 , a3 . the transitions t1 , t2 , t3 , t4 and t5 are shown as branches interconnecting the nodes . the first state in call 112 to model b is shown as b1 . for simplicity , the other nodes and the edges within call 112 to model b , call 114 to model c or call 116 to model a are not shown . also , for simplicity , it is shown that edge t2 in model a is executed only twice . however , because that edge forms a loop it might be executed any number of times , based on the model of the system under test or user supplied constraints . fig5 a shows that there are three paths , path 1 , path 2 , path 3 and path 4 , through the portion of the tree diagram in fig5 a . it will be appreciated that if the rest of the efsma of fig1 a were included in the tree diagram , paths 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 would likely each split into many more paths . as described in the prior art , paths through the efsma are generated by doing a depth first search through the tree structure . the search is kept track of by use of a model stack and a path stack . as each transition is traced out , an indication of that node and transition is pushed onto the path stack . as the path crosses from one model into the next , a new frame is pushed onto the model stack . fig5 b shows path stack 510b as the portion of path 1 indicated in fig5 a has been traced out . each entry on the path stack is a pair of values , representing a state and transition from that state . the entries in the path stack indicate that the path was traced in the following order : ( a1 , t1 ), ( a2 , t3 ), ( a3 , t5 ), ( b1 , x ). model stack 512b shows that the path 1 goes through models a and b . once a complete path has been generated through the efsma , the next path is generated by popping a frame from the path stack and , if the transition popped from the path stack was to the entry state of a model , a frame is popped from the model stack as well . once a frame is popped from the top of the path stack , the new frame at the top of the stack includes value representing a transition into one of the states in the efsma , if there is an &# 34 ; acceptable &# 34 ; transition out of that state , another frame is pushed on the path stack indicating that transition . items are again pushed on the stack until a complete path has been generated . where there is no acceptable transition , another frame is popped from the path stack , leaving a transition to a different state at the top of the path stack . once again , a check is made of whether there is an acceptable transition out of this state . frames are popped from the stack until there is a transition is at the top of the stack that leads to a state from which there is another &# 34 ; acceptable &# 34 ; transition . once an &# 34 ; acceptable &# 34 ; transition is reached , items are then pushed onto the stack until a terminal state of the efsma is reached . at this point , the path stack contains a new path . the process continues in this fashion , pushing and popping items onto the path stack until , at some point , all the transitions are popped from the path stack without reaching a state that has an &# 34 ; acceptable &# 34 ; transition . an &# 34 ; acceptable &# 34 ; transition is identified by selecting a transition from that state that has not been used at that point in a path . for example , when state a2 is placed on the stack at point 550 , there must be some way to keep track of the two transitions , t3 and t2 from that state . transition t3 is included in path 1 . when the stack frame represented by point 550 is pushed on the stack , a data structure could be set - up to show that there are transitions t2 and t3 from that state . when path 1 is traced out , the data structure would be update to show that transition t3 had been taken from point 550 . thus , when the path stack is popped again to point 550 , the data structure shows that transition t2 has not been taken from that point . in this way , all paths are traced out without duplication , of course , if a particular transition violates a user specified constraint , it is not considered &# 34 ; acceptable .&# 34 ; likewise , when the model specifies that only certain transitions are allowed in certain circumstances , a check must be made whether those circumstances exist before a transition is considered acceptable . fig5 c shows the state of the path stack 510c when frames have been popped off until transition t1 is at the top of the stack . transition t1 points to state t2 . transition t2 leaving state a2 is an acceptable transition . with the path stack as shown in fig5 c , more transitions are pushed on the path stack until another path is traced out . fig5 d shows path stack 510d and model stack 512d when path 2 has been traced out . the next path is made by again popping items off the stack until transition at top of the stack points to a state from which there is another acceptable transition . fig5 e shows the top of the stack after it has been popped to a point where there is an acceptable transition . from this state , more items would be pushed on the stack to trace out path 3 . the steps of pushing and popping would be repeated until the entire efsma was traced out . after a path is traced out , it is tested to see if it should be accepted . acceptance will be different depending on whether all paths or transition coverage was specified . any new path generated will meet the all paths acceptance criteria because the process of pushing and popping on the path stack always generates a new path . in transition coverage , a check is made as to whether any of the transitions has not been previously included in an accepted path . if there is a new transition , the path is accepted . of course , there might be other acceptance criteria applied as well . path acceptance criteria might be derived from information in the model or user supplied constraints . the process of tracing out paths is similar for the invention . however , various modifications to the process , explained more fully in conjunction with fig3 a to 3c , are required . fig3 a shows the process of pushing forward to build a path on the path stack . this process applies when starting at the root of the efsma or when pushing forward after popping items off the path stack . execution starts at step 312 at which a transition or &# 34 ; edge &# 34 ; is selected from the starting state . in the first pass , the starting state is the root of the efsma . in later iterations , the starting state is the state to which the transition at the top of the stack leads . at step 318 , the selected edge is pushed onto the path stack . this step is as in the prior art and could include such other steps as updating a variable stack or other steps . also as in the prior art , if the edge pushed onto the path stack is a transition between one model and the next , the model stack is updated . a model transition is identified as in the prior art at step 320 . the model stack is also updated similar to the prior art at step 322 . however , the revised model stack frame , as shown in fig2 is used . the coverage level associated with the particular model call of the model being entered is filled in field 216 . if that coverage level is set to transition coverage , a hit count list 220 is allocated . that list is initially set to be empty . if , as determined at step 320 , there is no model transition , step 322 is skipped . at step 310 , a check is made to determine the coverage level for the currently active model . in the prior art , the coverage level was constant . according to the invention , the coverage level is determined by reading field 216 ( fig2 ) at the top of the model stack . this step allows different coverage levels to be in effect at different places in the efsma . if the coverage level is set to full , execution proceeds to step 314 . at step 314 , the new -- perm flag is set . this flag indicates that a new permutation of edges within a model requiring all paths coverage has been included in the path being built on the stack . on the other hand , if the coverage level indicated by field 216 is set to transition coverage , execution proceeds to step 316 . at step 316 the count field associated with the selected edge in the hit count list at the top of the model stack is incremented . the count value is used later to determine whether an acceptable path has been created . fig3 a does not show the test generator of the invention being operated in a mode in which homogeneous coverage levels are implemented as in the prior art . if a homogeneous coverage level of transition coverage is used , the variable count is not associated with a frame of the model stack . rather , it is , as in the prior art , in a global data structure and there is only one count variable for each transition in the efsma . execution then proceeds to step 324 . if the edge pushed on the path stack leads to a terminal state , then the path stack contains a complete path and pushing items onto the stack ends at this phase . however , if the last item pushed onto the stack is not a terminal state , then execution proceeds to step 326 where the next edge is selected . the next edge is selected as in the prior art . the process of selecting new edges is repeated until the a terminal node is reached . once a complete path is traced out according to fig3 a , the acceptance process of fig3 b is performed . at step 330 , a check is made as to whether the program generator is operating in a hybrid coverage mode . if not , execution proceeds to step 332 . processing from this step is very similar to the prior art , which also lacked hybrid coverage . step 332 determines whether the entire model is being operated in a all paths coverage mode . if so , execution proceeds to step 336 where the path is accepted . if the entire model is not operated in all paths coverage mode , execution proceeds to step 334 . when execution proceeds to step 334 , the entire model is being operated in transition coverage . a path is accepted in transition coverage if some edge in the path stack has not been previously included in a path . this check involves reading each frame on the path stack in turn and correlating that edge to an entry in a global hit count structure . the hit count structure has a count and flag field for each edge . if the count is 1 and the flag is 0 , or cleared , it indicates that the edge has not been used in a previous path . if the count is 1 and the flag is 0 for any edge on the path stack , the path is accepted and execution proceeds to step 336 . when operating in hybrid coverage , execution proceeds to step 338 . step 338 checks whether the new -- perm variable is set . if so , the path is accepted and execution proceeds to step 336 . if the new -- perm flag is not set , a check is made whether there is some edge from some instance of a model which has not been previously included in a path . this check involves reading each frame on the path stack in turn . the edge in the stack frame is correlated to the model stack frame at the top of the model stack when that edge was pushed on the stack . the hit count list associated with that model stack frame is read , to get the correct count and flag variables . in this way , each transition in the path stack is matched to the correct count and flag variables . if any of the edges has both a count value equal to 1 and a flag value equal to 0 , then the path is accepted and execution proceeds to step 336 . at step 336 the path is accepted . the actions taken during path acceptance depend on the way the path will be used . the path might be stored in a computer file for later use . alternatively , it might be converted in to a test program and stored . in addition , the acceptance step might include application of additional acceptance criteria . for example , constraints might be evaluated before path acceptance . once a path has been accepted , execution proceeds to step 342 . at step 342 , the flag variables associated with each edge in that path must be updated to indicate that the edge was used in an accepted path . when operating in hybrid cover , the flag variables are those associated with the model stack frame . when not in hybrid mode , the flags are those associated with the global hit -- count data structure . at step 344 , the new -- perm flag is cleared . at step 346 , the count variables are all reset to zero . when operating in a mode that has the entire model set to transition coverage , the count variables are those in the global hit -- count structure . when operating in a hybrid coverage , the count variables are those associated with the hit -- count structures on the model stack . once these variables are reset , some frames are popped off the path stack according to the steps in fig3 c . at step 360 , the first frame of the path stack is popped . step 362 checks whether the transition popped off the path stack was a transition into a new model . if so , execution proceeds to step 364 . at step 364 , the top frame is popped from the model stack . the hit -- count list associated with that frame is not longer needed , and it can be also removed . then , execution proceeds to step 366 . step 366 checks whether there is another transition from the state which has been popped from the top of the stack . as described above , the path stack includes a mask field , with one entry for each transition leaving the state . this mask field is used to keep track of the transitions leaving a state which have been included in a path at that point in the path . step 366 reads this mask field to determine whether there are any transitions not marked in the mask field . if there are more transitions leaving that state , one of those transitions is pushed onto the path stack in accordance with the processing in fig3 a . however , when there are no further transitions , execution proceeds to step 368 . step 368 determines whether there are more frames on the stack . if so , execution loops back to step 360 , where the next frame is popped . if there are no further frames on the stack , then all paths through the efsma have been traced out and execution terminates . the processing of fig3 a , 3b and 3c is repeated until all the paths necessary to meet the specified coverage level for each model are generated . the number of paths that are generated will depend on the coverage levels specified for each model . in the preferred embodiment , the coverage levels can be tailored on a per model call basis to provide good coverage without requiring too many test cases . for example , the invention might be used in a test generator for software programs . software is generally written in modules , such as functions or procedures . these modules might be used multiple times in the program . using a hybrid coverage level , one call of each module would be set to a all paths coverage level . every other call of that module might be set to transition coverage . with these settings , a subprogram called at many places in the program will have every possible permutation of paths through it tested once . for every other situation in which it is called , each transition in the subprogram will be included in at least one test . however , not all permutations of transitions associated with the other calls will be generated testing each transition in a subprogram for each situation in which it is called is often highly desirable . in the prior art in which the entire efsma was set to transition coverage , each edge was guaranteed to be exercised only once at some point during the efsma , not once at every call . in many situations , this difference will be a significant benefit . many software systems have a file subsystem which can be accessed from a menu bar in many different operating modes . the file subsystem includes many choices , such as print , delete or save . such a system would be represented by an efsma with the file subsystem being one model and each choice being a state or submodel within the file model . each operating mode which might access the file subsystem would be represented by an object with a call to the file model . for example , the file subsystem might be accessed from what is sometimes called the &# 34 ; desk top &# 34 ; section of the software system . it might alternatively be accessed from a file editor portion of the software system . in testing the software system , it would be desirable to test every permutation of transitions through the file management system once . for example , the save menu choice might have various states corresponding to different actions to be taken at different times such as : a dialog box asking for a file name ; an error state in the event an improper file name is entered ; another dialog box in the event a duplicate file name is entered ; etc . these states might be entered in any order in actual use of the program and a full test would need to exercise these states in all possible orders , i . e . every possible permutation of transitions between the states . it is not necessary , and generally not desirable , to generate a full suite of tests with every possible permutation of paths within the file subsystem for each operating mode that could call to the file subsystem . a test suite would likely be contain too many tests if every possible permutation were generated for access of the file management subsystem from the desk top section , a file editor and every other possible operating mode of the system which could access the file management subsystem . for that reason , the prior art coverage level of all paths coverage will generate too many tests . on the other hand , it is often desirable for the generated test to do more than test every edge within the file management subsystem just once . it is important to test that the save portions of the file management subsystem work when the subsystem is invoked from a file editor as well as from a desk top portion of the program . the prior art coverage level setting of &# 34 ; transition cover &# 34 ; would not generate a test of the required thoroughness . for example , if all transitions within the save portion of the file subsystem were exercised in a call to the file management subsystem from the desk top , they might not be exercised at all during calls from the file editor . because the file management subsystem might work differently when called from the file editor than when called from the desk top , the test would be insufficient with an edge cover setting . we have recognized this deficiency with the prior art . the hybrid coverage scheme according to the invention provides a test coverage which will be very useful to software developers . it can be used to set one call to the file management subsystem to all paths coverage . every other call would be set to transition coverage . with coverage level determined on a model call basis in accordance with the preferred embodiment , the desired test thoroughness will be achieved . every permutation through the file management system will be exhaustively tested once . this portion of the test will detect most faults associated with the order of state execution within the file management subsystem . every transition within the file management subsystem will also be tested for every call . the test would verify that the functions such as print , delete or save &# 34 ; basically work &# 34 ; regardless of whether the file management subsystem was called from the desk top , file editor , etc . this check likely requires far fewer tests than a full test of all the permutations . however , the software developer can , in a relatively short time , get information to conclude with a high degree of confidence that the software works . such a test might be used during the development process . a final test , with all calls of all models set to all paths coverage , might be run at the very end of the development cycle to increase certainty . the above example shows one way that fault coverage might be set manually . in some systems the choice of which models to set to all paths coverage and which to set to transition coverage might not be as apparent . often , it will be desirable to test as many paths as possible in a set amount of time . as described above , it is often difficult to figure out the number of paths that will be generated with various coverage level settings of various models and model calls . therefore , one feature of the invention is an automated process for aiding in the selection of coverage levels of each model . the process is shown in fig4 . the process is initiated with user input at step 410 . the user specifies a deviation . higher deviations result in more tests being generated . lower deviations result in fewer tests being generated . the deviation is selected by the user to control the tradeoff between the time it takes to execute the generated tests and the thoroughness of the testing . at step 412 , a baseline is generated . the baseline represents the number of paths generated with the coverage level of all models set to transition coverage . this step is performed as described above . however , rather than store each path as it is generated , a program variable is simply incremented so that a count of the total number of paths generated is available once the efsma has been traversed . at step 414 , the process is repeated but with one model set to the all paths coverage level . selection of models for all paths coverage can be performed in any order . in a preferred embodiment , a database with one entry for each model is created . the models might be selected simply in the order in which they appear in the database . at step 416 , the increase in the number of paths generated with the selected model set to all paths coverage level is determined . this number is determined by traversing the efsma and counting the number of paths generated . the baseline is then subtracted from this count to yield the increase . at step 418 , the increase in the number of paths is compared to the deviation . if the increase exceeds the deviation , the model set to all paths coverage is recorded at step 420 as a high path producer . if the increase is below the deviation , step 420 is skipped and execution proceeds directly to step 422 . at step 422 , a check is made whether each model has been set to the all paths coverage level . if more models remain , execution returns to step 414 where a different model is selected to be set to the all paths coverage level . when step 414 is repeated , the models previously set to the all paths coverage level are reset to all edges coverage level . the loop involving steps 414 , 416 , 418 , 420 and 422 is repeated until no models remain . then execution proceeds to step 424 . the process for automating selection of coverage levels is a two pass process . fig4 a shows the first pass during which &# 34 ; high path producing &# 34 ; model calls are identified . the second pass is shown in fig4 b . during the second path , certain high path producing model calls are selected for transition coverage . when step 424 is entered , a record has been made of all models that are identified as high path producers . the remaining models , the low path producers , are set to have a coverage level of all paths coverage . at step 426 , the coverage level of the high path producing models are set . because all combinations of coverage levels for the high path producers are eventually tried , the order in which the combinations of coverage levels are set at step 426 in the first pass are not important . at step 428 , the number of paths through the efsma with the coverage levels set at steps 424 and 426 is determined . this number is determined by traversing the efsma as described above with the model calls set to the specified coverage levels . the number of paths , along with the specific permutation of coverage levels which generated that number are reported . in the preferred embodiment , these values are reported through a display on a computer screen for a human operator to read . at step 430 , a check is made whether all permutations of coverage levels for the high path generating models have been tried . as stated above , the order in which various permutation are tried is not important , but the permutations are preferably generated in an orderly fashion so that a check can be easily made whether all permutations have been tried . if more permutations remain to be tried , execution returns to step 426 , where a different permutation of coverage levels for the high path generating models is selected . once all permutations of coverage levels have been used , the process moves from step 430 to step 432 . at step 432 , one of the permutations is selected . in a preferred embodiment , the number of tests generated for each permutation of high path producing models is presented to a human user . the human user then selects the desired permutation based on subjective factors . it is important to note that the number of coverage level permutations has been greatly reduced by focusing only on high path producing models . processing according to the invention has focused the number of choices to a number that a human user can , in most cases , select among . the selection process at step 432 could also be automated . if a user has specified a maximum usable number of tests , the permutation having the most number of models set to all paths coverage but still generating less than the maximum number of tests might be automatically selected . the processing of fig4 might also be simplified if the user has input a maximum number of paths in an acceptable test . step 326 might be modified such that , while processing a specific permutation of fault coverage settings , if the number of permutations exceeded the maximum , processing would stop on that permutation . that permutation would then be rejected as producing too many paths . similarly , if a maximum number of paths were specified , and the number of paths generated at step 416 for every model selected at step 414 exceeded the maximum , then it can be known that the second pass will not yield acceptable coverage levels . having described one embodiment , numerous alternative embodiments or variations might be made . for example , it is not necessary that the edges associated with each instance of a model be stored in a list pointed to by a field in the model stack frame . lists or tables of edges might be set up in memory and appropriately labeled so that they can be associated with the required instance of each model . as another example , it was described that the variable new -- perm was a flag . that variable might for example be implemented as a counter . as a new permutation of edges was placed in a path , the counter could be incremented . at the end of the path , if the counter has been incremented over its prior value , it would signify that a new permutation was encountered in that path . the counter could be used in other ways when it is necessary to know the total number of permutations generated . however , if the counter is incremented while tracing out a path that is not used , the counter must then be returned to its prior value once it is determined that the path is not to be used . also , it was described that each call of a model had the same coverage level for each instance . such a limitation is not required . model data fields 214 in model stack frame 210 could contain a value indicating which instance of the model is currently being executed . alternatively , the model database could contain a counter field which is incremented for each instance of the model . the coverage level of each model could vary with the instance of the model . for example , the coverage level might be set to all paths coverage for the first instance of a model and transition coverage for subsequent instances . alternatively , the coverage level might be set to all paths coverage for a subsequent instance of the model . also , the preferred application of the invention is in a system for automatically generating tests for software . the invention might also be used in other automatic test generation processes . in addition , it might also be used in other applications in which an item is represented as a efsma . for example , it could be used in documentation generation or specification generation as well . further , it was described that coverage level was set for each model . the coverage level might be set for any portion of an efsma . for example , portions of the efsma might be selected which contain loops or contain recursion . in generating tests , it might be desirable to set the coverage level of these portions to transition coverage . such portions might be a portion of a model or a collection of models . also it was described that the deviation level input into the process of fig4 a is a fixed number . no such limitation is required . the deviation might be specified as a percentage of the baseline value . alternatively , the deviation might be determined by a statistical analysis of the impacts of the various models after the impact of using all paths coverage for all of the models has been measured . also , though not expressly described , features of the prior art can be used with the invention . for example , constraints can be associated with various edges . as in the prior art , when the constraints were not satisfied , the edge would not be used in a path . therefore , the invention should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 6Physics
|
an unbalance correction device for a high - speed rotary apparatus according to the present invention is utilized , in the high - speed rotary apparatus having a rotating portion which relatively rotates at high speed , such as a turbocharger provided with an automobile engine , for correcting the unbalance in the rotating portion thereof . specifically , in the unbalance correction device for the high - speed rotary apparatus , the rotating portion of the high - speed rotary apparatus is rotated at the given rotation number and the vibration acceleration with rotation of the rotating portion thereof is measured . the unbalance in the rotating portion is measured , based on the measured vibration acceleration . the unbalance in the rotating portion of the high - speed rotary apparatus is corrected , based on the measured value of the unbalance . the first embodiment of the unbalance correction device for the high - speed rotary apparatus according to the present invention ( hereinafter , simply referred to as “ the unbalance correction device ” will be described with reference to fig1 and 2 . incidentally , in the present embodiment , the high - speed rotary apparatus that the unbalance is corrected by using the unbalance correction device is defined as the turbocharger provided with the automobile engine . as shown in fig1 , an unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment is used for correcting the unbalance correction of a turbocharger 2 . the turbocharger 2 includes a rotating portion . in the present embodiment , the rotating portion in the turbocharger 2 has a rotating shaft 21 , a turbine rotor 22 provided on one end ( on the left end in fig1 ) of the rotating shaft 21 and a compressor rotor 23 on the other end ( on the right end in fig1 ) of the rotating shaft 21 . in other words , in the present embodiment , the rotating portion in the turbocharger 2 is constituted as a rotating body comprising of the rotating shaft 21 , the turbine rotor 22 and the compressor rotor 23 , which they integrally rotates . the rotating shaft 21 is rotatably supported on a center housing 24 that is approximately cylindrically constructed as a whole . the rotating shaft 21 is supported via a bearing ( not shown ) on the center housing 24 . when the turbocharger 2 is used as an actual product , the turbine rotor 22 is incorporated into a turbine housing attached to one side ( the left side in fig1 ) of the center housing 24 . similarly , when the turbocharger 2 is used as the actual product , the compressor rotor 23 is incorporated into a compressor housing attached to the other side ( the right side in fig1 ) of the center housing 24 . due to the turbocharger 2 including the above - described construction , the exhaust air from the engine is recovered and compressed , so that it is supplied to the engine as an intake air once again . briefly , in the turbocharger 2 , the turbine rotor 22 in the turbine housing is rotated with the exhaust air from the engine . the compressor rotor 23 in the compressor housing is rotated via the rotating shaft 21 with rotation of the turbine rotor 22 . the exhaust air from the engine , which is recovered in the turbocharger 2 , is compressed and supplied to the engine as the intake air once again , with rotation of the compressor rotor 23 . in the turbocharger 2 , the construction including the rotating portion thereof and the center housing 24 is formed as a work 20 in the unbalance correction device 1 . in other words , the center housing 24 , which rotatably supports the rotating portion having the rotating shaft 21 , the turbine rotor 22 and the compressor rotor 23 , becomes the work 20 in the unbalance correction device 1 . therefore , the work 20 becomes the turbocharger 2 on the partially assembled condition . the unbalance in the rotating portion of the work 20 is corrected , during the unbalance correction for the turbocharger 2 . hereinafter , the rotating portion in the turbocharger 2 , i . e ., the rotating body comprising of the rotating shaft 21 , the turbine rotor 22 and the compressor rotor 23 is also referred to as “ the work rotating portion ”. the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment supports the work 20 having the rotating portion and has a turbine housing portion 3 , as a jig having an acceleration pickup 4 as a vibration detecting means . the turbine housing portion 3 is made up of the same member as the turbine housing incorporating the turbine rotor 22 in the turbocharger 2 as the product as described previously . the turbine housing portion 3 is used as a common jig for plurality of works 20 that the unbalance correction is performed by the unbalance correction device 1 . therefore , in the unbalance correction device 1 , the center housing 24 is supported on the turbine housing portion 3 , so that the work 20 is supported on the turbine housing portion 3 . the turbine housing portion 3 is provided at the predetermined position on a trestle 5 . in the present embodiment , the turbine housing portion 3 is provided on the condition that a direction of the rotating shaft line of the rotating portion in the work 20 , which the turbine housing portion 3 supports , becomes the approximately horizontal one . therefore , the work 20 , which is supported by the turbine housing portion 3 , is disposed so that the direction of the rotating shaft line of the rotating portion thereof becomes the approximately horizontal one ( the lateral direction in fig1 ). the turbine housing portion 3 is supported and fixed at the predefined position on a supporting wall 6 which is vertically provided on the trestle 5 , whereby it is provided at the given position on the trestle 5 the trestle 5 is provided so that it is prevented from vibrating and supported via a rubber mount 8 on a floor surface 7 . the acceleration pickup 4 is provided at the given position on the turbine housing portion 3 . the acceleration pickup 4 is comprised of an acceleration sensor or the like and detects ( picks up ) the vibration acceleration at the given position of the turbine housing 3 . the unbalance in the work rotating portion is measured , based on the value of the vibration acceleration detected by the acceleration pickup 4 in other words , the acceleration pickup 4 is connected to an arithmetic device ( not shown ), and a detection signal output from the acceleration pickup 4 is input into the arithmetic device . in the arithmetic device , measuring the unbalance and calculation for correcting it in the work 20 is performed . in the unbalance correction device 1 , the work 20 is fixed on the turbine housing portion 3 , with the work rotating portion rotatable , and the work rotating portion is rotated at the predefined rotation number . the unbalance in the work rotating portion is corrected , based on the detected value by the acceleration pickup 4 with the work rotating portion rotated at the predefined rotation number . more specifically , the unbalance correction in the unbalance correction device 1 is performed as follows . in the unbalance correction in the unbalance correction device 1 , first , the work 20 is attached to the turbine housing portion 3 . in the assembly of the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 , the center housing 24 is fixed on the turbine housing portion 3 . with the work 20 attached to the turbine housing portion 3 , the same air as the exhaust air from the engine ( a compressed air having a pressure corresponding to the exhaust air pressure ) is supplied from the air source to the turbine housing portion 3 , whereby the work rotating portion including the turbine rotor 22 is rotated via the rotor 22 . in case of the unbalance correction , the work rotating portion is rotated at the predetermined rotation number ( for example , 70 , 000 rpm , hereinafter , referred to as “ an unbalance correction rotation number ). in other words , the vibrational acceleration on condition that the work rotating portion rotates at the unbalance correction rotation number is detected by the acceleration pickup 4 . the unbalance in the work rotating portion is measured , based on the value of the detected vibrational acceleration . the unbalance in the work rotating portion is corrected , based on the measured value of the unbalance . the correction for the unbalance in the work rotating portion is performed by grinding the given portion such as a portion of a nut used for fixing the compressor rotor 23 to the rotating shaft 21 using a grinding machine , for example , in the work rotating portion . the unbalance correction device 1 used for correcting the unbalance in the turbocharger 2 as described above includes plurality of pawl structures 10 for fixing the work 20 to the turbine housing portion 3 , during the unbalance correction . the pawl structure 10 is one embodiment of clamping member that clamps and fixes the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 . the pawl structure 10 is biased toward the predetermined direction where the work 20 is fixed on the turbine housing portion 3 , on the engaged condition that it is engaged on the work 20 supported on the turbine housing portion 3 ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the engaged condition ”), thereby clamping and fixing the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 . in the present embodiment , as shown in fig1 , the pawl structure 10 has a pawl portion 11 and a rod portion 12 . the pawl portion 11 has a locking portion 13 that locks the work 20 supported on the turbine housing portion 3 . briefly , in the present embodiment , the locking portion 13 locks the work 20 , so that the pawl structure 10 is on the engaged condition . the locking portion 13 is a plate - like portion which is projected and formed on one end portion ( the apical end ) of a body portion 11 a that is comprised in the form of approximately rectangular solid in the pawl portion 11 the rod portion 12 is extended from the side that the locking portion 13 is provided in the pawl portion 11 ( on the front end side , on the right side in fig1 ) and from the opposite side thereof ( on the rear end portion , on the left side in fig1 ). the rod portion 12 is constituted as a rod - like portion having a smaller diameter than that of the pawl portion 11 . the work 20 supported on the turbine housing portion 3 is fixed thereon by the pawl structure 10 having above - mentioned construction . the turbine housing portion 3 has a supporting surface 3 a as the surface in the approximately perpendicular direction to the rotating shaft line of the work rotating portion . the supporting surface 3 a is formed as the surface of the bottom side ( the back side ) of a supporting recessed portion 3 b formed on the side supporting the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 . the work 20 is supported on the supporting surface 3 a of the turbine housing portion 3 . the center housing 24 in the work 20 is provided on one end thereof ( on the side to which the turbine housing is attached ) with a annular flange portion 24 a . the flange portion 24 a of the center housing 24 is in contact with the supporting surface 3 a of the turbine housing portion 3 , with the work 20 supported . in other words , the supporting recessed portion 3 b in the turbine housing portion 3 has a circular geometry along the shape of the flange portion 24 a of the center housing 24 , and the flange portion 24 a contacts the supporting surface 3 a , with a part of the flange portion 24 a fixed on the supporting recessed portion 3 b . under the circumstances , the flange portion 24 a is pressed on the supporting surface 3 a by the pawl structure 10 , so that the work 20 is fixed on the turbine housing portion 3 . the pawl structure 10 presses the flange portion 24 a on the supporting surface 3 a of the turbine housing portion 3 , with the locking portion 13 engaged on the flange portion 24 a of the center housing 24 . briefly , the flange portion 24 a of the center housing 24 in the work 20 works as a portion engaged on the locking portion 13 of the pawl structure 10 . in this regard , in case of pressing the flange portion 24 a by the locking portion 13 , as described above , the surface on one end of the locking portion 13 as the plate - like portion works as a pressing surface 13 a to the flange portion 24 a . in other words , the pressing surface 13 a of the locking portion 13 is formed as the surface parallel to the supporting surface 3 a of the turbine housing portion 3 . when the work 20 is fixed on the turbine housing portion 3 by the pawl structure 10 , the flange portion 24 a of the center housing 24 is interposed between the supporting surface 3 a of the turbine housing portion 3 and the pressing surface 13 a of the locking portion 13 . in this way , the pressing surface 13 a contacts the flange portion 24 a , so that the pawl structure 10 is on the engaged condition . therefore , in the unbalance correction device 1 , the pawl structure 10 is provided so that the pressing surface 13 a of the locking portion 13 is opposed to the flange portion 24 a that contacts the supporting surface 3 a of the turbine housing portion 3 . in the present embodiment , in the unbalance correction device 1 , the pawl structure 10 is provided so that the extending direction of the rod portion 12 is approximately parallel to the direction of the rotating shaft line of the work rotating portion . the pawl structure 10 is provided so that the projecting direction of the locking portion 13 in the pawl portion 11 from the body portion 11 a is along the radial direction of the work rotating portion ( the radial direction of the rotating shaft 21 or the like ) ( so that the projecting direction is the direction to the rotating shaft line of the work rotating portion . the pawl structure 10 is provided so that the pressing surface 13 a thereof is movable to the direction moving to or from the flange portion 24 a ( to the lateral direction in fig1 ). the pawl structure 10 is provided so that it can be biased to the direction pressing the flange portion 24 a by the locking portion 13 , with the pressing surface 13 a contacting the flange portion 24 a , i . e ., with the locking portion 13 engaged on the work 20 . in other words , in the present embodiment , the pawl structure 10 is provided so that it can be biased in the extending direction of the rod portion 12 from the pawl portion 11 ( in the left direction in fig1 ). thus , in the present embodiment , the predetermined direction where the work 20 is fixed on the turbine housing portion 3 , to which the pawl structure 10 is biased is the direction where the pawl structure 10 presses the flange portion 24 a by the pressing surface 13 a of the locking portion 13 . hereinafter , the predetermined direction to which the pawl structure 10 is biased is defined as “ the work fixing direction ”. the moving direction including the work fixing direction as the direction , to which the pawl structure 10 is moved ( the direction moving to or from the flange portion 24 a , is simply referred to as “ the moving direction ”. the biases of the pawl structures 10 toward the work fixing direction are performed by cylinder mechanisms 30 . the cylinder mechanisms 30 are provided in each of plurality of pawl structures 10 equipped with the unbalance correction device 1 as mentioned previously . specifically , the cylinder mechanisms 30 are provided on the respective pawl structures 10 and functions as moving and biasing means that move the pawl structures 10 to the moving direction and bias the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition to the work fixing direction . the cylinder mechanisms 30 are constituted as hydraulic cylinders . the cylinder mechanisms 30 have cylinder cases 31 which movably incorporate the rod portions 12 of the pawl structures 10 as cylinder rods . specifically , the rod portions 12 , which is incorporated into the cylinder cases 31 via the piston portions 14 , have piston portions 14 as diameter expanding portions , and are slidably provided in the cylinder cases 31 . the piston portions 14 are disposed on the side opposite to the side of the pawl portion 11 in the rod portion 12 ( on the left side in fig1 ). the piston portions 14 are plug - like portions having shapes slidable to inner walls of the cylinder cases 31 . the cylinder cases 31 are fixed and supported on cylinder plates 9 . the cylinder plates 9 , which are plate - like members , are fixed on the opposite sides to the sides of the supporting surfaces 3 a in the turbine housing portions 3 , so that the plate surfaces thereof are the surfaces approximately perpendicular to the directions of the rotating shaft lines of the work rotating portions . the cylinder cases 31 are supported on the plate surface portions on the opposite sides to the sides of the turbine housing portions 3 in the cylinder plates 9 , so that the sliding directions of the rod portions 12 therein are the corresponding ones to the moving directions of the aforementioned pawl structures 10 . incidentally , through - holes 9 a are provided so as to allow the movements of the pawl structures 10 in the cylinder plates 9 , with the rod portions 12 penetrating therethrough in the cylinder mechanisms 30 having the above - mentioned construction , the pressure oils having the given pressure are supplied from oil tanks via oil pumps or the like to the cylinder cases 31 , in case of biasing the pawl structures 10 to the work fixing direction . the pawl structures 10 are pulled to the work fixing direction due to the given biasing forces via the piston portions 14 , by adjusting the hydraulic pressure in the cylinder cases 31 . in this way , the pawl structures 10 are biased to the work fixing direction due to the thrust forces in the cylinder mechanisms 30 . thus , the pawl structures 10 are biased to the work fixing direction , and the flange portions 24 a , which are interposed between the pressing surfaces 13 a of the locking portions 13 and the supporting surfaces 3 a of the turbine housing portions 3 , are pressurized so as to contact the supporting surfaces 3 a by the predefined pressing forces from the locking portions 13 , so that the works 20 are fixed on the turbine housing portions 3 . in this regard , the cylinder mechanisms 30 are constructed as hemi - rod typed double - acting cylinder projecting the rod portions 12 of the pawl structures 10 from one side of the cylinder cases 31 . briefly , in the cylinder mechanisms 30 , cylinder chambers in the cylinder cases 31 are divided into two cylinder chambers 31 a , 31 b via the piston portions 14 of the rod portions 12 in the pawl structures 10 . the respective cylinder chambers 31 a , 31 b have doorways for the oils . the doorways for the oils in the respective cylinder chambers alternately become inlets or outlets for the oils by circuit switching such as changeover valves , thereby reciprocating in the moving directions of the pawl structures 10 . therefore , when the pressure oils are supplied in the cylinder chambers 31 on the projecting sides of the rod portions 12 ( the right side in fig1 ), the pawl structures 10 are pulled , so that the pawl structures 10 are moved to the work fixing directions and accordingly the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition are biased to the work fixing directions . meanwhile , when the pressure oils are supplied in cylinder chambers 31 b on opposite side to the projecting sides of the rod portions 12 ( the left side in fig1 ), the pawl structures 10 are pushed outward , so that the pawl structures 10 are moved to the opposite directions to the work fixing directions and the engaged condition of the pawl structures 10 are canceled ( the pawl structures 10 are biased to the opposite directions to the work fixing directions ). in the following descriptions , the cylinder chambers 31 a on the sides that the pawl structures 10 are pulled due to the supplies of the pressure oils ( on the projecting side of the rod portions 12 ) are defined as “ the first cylinder chambers 31 a ”, and the cylinder chambers 31 b on the sides that the pawl structures 10 are pushed outward due to the supplies of the pressure oils are defined as “ the second cylinder chambers 31 b ”. incidentally , in the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment , the cylinder mechanisms 30 are provided as hydraulic cylinders , but the moving and biasing means , which move the pawl structures 10 to the moving directions and bias the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition to the work fixing directions , are not limited to the aforementioned mechanisms . in other words , another fluid pressure cylinder mechanisms such as air cylinders may be utilized as the moving and biasing means provided with the unbalance correction device according to the present invention . as seen from the above , in the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment , the pawl structures 10 press the flange portions 24 a of the center housings 24 on the supporting surfaces 3 a of the turbine housing portions 3 , by the locking portions 13 in the pawl portions 11 , thereby clamping and fixing the works 20 on the turbine housing portions 3 . therefore , in the pawl structures 10 , the pawl portions 11 as the portions comprising the locking portions 13 become portions having intensities and rigidities enough for fixing the works 20 by the locking portions 13 ( without damages or deformations due to the biasing by the cylinder mechanisms 30 . in the present embodiment , three pawl structures 10 are used for fixing the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 . in other words , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes three pawl structures 10 . the flange portions 24 a of the center housing 24 is pressed at three points , whereby the work 20 is fixed on the turbine housing portion 3 ( see fig2 ). in the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment , three pawl structures 10 are provided as follows . the annular flange portion 24 a is provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction thereof with three pawl structures 10 . thus , as shown in fig2 , angular intervals between ( the central positions of ) the respective pawl structures 10 are 120 ° on the circumference centered at the position of the rotating shaft line , in the directional vision of the rotating shaft line of the work rotating portion ( hereinafter , referred to as “ in the directional vision of the rotating shaft line ”). as shown in fig2 , one pawl structure 10 a out of three pawl structures 10 is disposed at the position where it is along the radial direction of the aforementioned work rotating portion in the circumferential direction of the flange portion 24 a and the projecting direction of the locking portion 13 from the body portion 11 a becomes the approximately vertical direction . briefly , in the pawl structure 10 a , the locking portion 13 thereof is engaged on the upper end portion of the flange portion 24 a with reference to the floor surface 7 ( see fig1 ). accordingly , the other two pawl structures 10 b , 10 c out of three pawl structures 10 provided at equal intervals in the aforementioned circumferential direction are located so that the pawl portions 11 are approximately symmetric in the circumferential direction of the flange portion 24 a in the directional vision of the rotating shaft line as shown in fig2 ( in the directional vision of the rotating shaft line when the floor surface 7 is on the down side ). in this respect , the cylinder mechanisms 30 are provided corresponding to the respective pawl structures 10 a , 10 b and 10 c . three cylinder cases 31 corresponding to the respective pawl structures 10 a , 10 b and 10 c are supported and fixed on the cylinder plate 9 . hereinafter , when three pawl structures 10 are distinctly described based on the provided positions , the pawl structure 10 a , which is disposed at the position where the projecting direction of the locking portion 13 from the body portion 11 a becomes the approximately vertical direction as stated previously , is defined as “ the first pawl structure 10 a ”. in the other two pawl structures 10 b , 10 c out of three pawl structures 10 , the pawl structure 10 b at the position next to the first pawl structure 10 a in the counterclockwise direction in the directional vision of the rotating shaft line as shown in fig2 is defined as “ the second pawl structure 10 b ”, and the remaining pawl structure 10 c ( the pawl structure 10 c on the right side in fig2 ) is defined as “ the third pawl structure 10 c ”. by the same token , when three cylinder mechanisms 30 are distinctly described based on the pawl structure 10 supported in a moving and biasing manner , the cylinder mechanism 30 supporting the first pawl structure 10 a in a moving and biasing manner is defined as “ the first cylinder mechanism 30 a ”, and the cylinder mechanism 30 supporting the second pawl structure 10 b in a moving and biasing manner is defined as “ the second cylinder mechanism 30 b ”, as well as the cylinder mechanism 30 supporting the third pawl structure 10 c in a moving and biasing manner is defined as “ the third cylinder mechanism 30 c ”. in the unbalance correction device 1 , the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 are provided with the solenoid valves 35 . in other words , the unbalance correction device 1 includes three solenoid valves 35 . the solenoid valves 35 are provided with pipings so as to supply the pressure oils to the first cylinder chambers 31 a in the cylinder mechanisms 35 . in other words , the pressure oils supplied from the oil tanks to the first cylinder chambers 31 a of the cylinder mechanisms 30 by the oil pumps are supplied via the solenoid valves 35 . therefore , the distances of the pawl structures 10 to the work fixing directions and the biasing forces of the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition to the work fixing directions are adjusted , by adjusting the switching or the opening degree of the solenoid valves 35 , i . e ., by controlling the switching of the solenoid valves 35 . thus , the solenoid valves 35 are provided with the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 and function as clamp controlling means for controlling the distances of the pawl structures 10 to the moving directions by the cylinder mechanisms 30 and the biasing forces for biasing the pawl structures 10 to the work fixing directions . hereinafter , when three solenoid valves 35 are distinctly described based on the cylinder mechanisms 30 with which they are provided , the solenoid valve 35 provided with the first cylinder mechanism 30 a is defined as “ the first solenoid valve 35 a ”, and the solenoid valve 35 provided with the second cylinder mechanism 30 b is defined as “ the second solenoid valve 35 b ”, as well as the solenoid valve 35 provided with the third cylinder mechanism 30 c is defined as “ the third solenoid valve 35 c ”. the unbalance correction device 1 includes position sensors 37 in the respective pawl structures 10 . in other words , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes three position sensors 37 . the position sensors 37 detect the positions of the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions . the position sensors 37 are constituted as contact - free gap sensors ( displacement sensors ) that detect the positions ( the displacements ) of the pawl structures 10 to be measured in the moving directions , by detecting gaps between the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions . in the embodiment , the position sensors 37 use apical surfaces 11 s which are end faces on one ends of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions and which are end faces of the pawl portions 11 , as detection target surfaces . in other words , the position sensors 37 detect the positions ( the displacements ) of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions , by detecting gaps g 1 between the apical surfaces 11 s of the pawl structures 10 ( see fig1 ). as the position sensors 37 which are gap sensors , for example , eddy current type sensors , capacitance type sensors , laser sensors , ultrasonic sensors or the like can be utilized . thus , the position sensors 37 are provided with the respective pawl structures 10 and function as position detecting means that detect the positions of the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions . hereinafter , when three position sensors 37 are distinctly described based on the pawl structures 10 with which the they are provided , the position sensor 37 provided with the first pawl structure 10 a is defined as “ the first position sensor 37 a ”, and the position sensor 37 provided with the second pawl structure 10 b is defined as “ the second position sensor 37 b ”, as well as the position sensor 37 provided with the third pawl structure 10 c is defined as “ the third position sensor 37 c ”. a controlling construction for the attitude control of the work 20 , in the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment equipped with the above - mentioned construction , will be described with reference to fig3 . as shown in fig3 , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes a control portion 39 for performing the attitude control of the work 20 . the control portion 39 controls the respective solenoid valves 35 , on the basis of detection signals output from the respective position sensors 37 . accordingly , the position of the pawl structure 10 in the moving direction is controlled , and the attitude of the work 20 toward the turbine housing portion 3 is controlled . the control portion 39 is connected to the respective solenoid valves 35 and the respective position sensors 37 via signal lines or the like . the control portion 39 issues signals so as to adjust the switching or the opening degrees of the solenoid valves 35 , i . e ., to perform the switching operation of the solenoid valves 35 to the respective solenoid valves 35 . accordingly , the control portion 39 performs the switching controls of the respective solenoid valves 35 . the control portion 39 receives signals on the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions , detected by the respective position sensors 37 . in this way , the control portion 39 obtains information on the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions . the control portion 39 independently controls the respective solenoid valves 35 , based on the detection signals from the respective position sensors 37 . specifically , the control portion 39 controls the first solenoid valve 35 a , based on the detection signal from the first position sensor 37 a , and the second solenoid valve 35 b , based on the detection signal from the second position sensor 37 b , as well as the third solenoid valve 35 c , based on the detection signal from the third position sensor 37 c . accordingly , the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions are independently controlled , whereby the attitude of the work 20 toward the turbine housing portion 3 is controlled . the control portion 39 includes a storage portion which stores a program or the like , an expanding portion which expands the program or the like , a calculating portion which performs the predefined calculation according to the program or the like , a filing portion which files the calculated results or the like by calculation , a measuring portion which measures the position ( the displacement ) or the like of the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving direction based on the detection signal output from the position sensor 37 and so on . the program or the like stored in the storage portion include the after - mentioned attitude control program . as the control portion 39 , specifically , the construction that a cpu , a rom , a ram , a hdd or the like are connected together with a bus , or the configuration making up of one - chip lsi or the like are utilized . the control portion 39 of the present embodiment , which is exclusive goods , is also substitutable for the one which the aforementioned program or the like are stored in the commercially available personal computer , workstation and so forth . the control portion 39 controls the respective solenoid valves 35 so that the shift lengths of the positions of the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions detected by the position sensors 37 from the preset reference positions are smaller than the given acceptable amounts preliminary determined for the shift lengths . the control portion 39 controls the solenoid valve 35 by carrying out the given calculation or the like in accordance with the attitude control program stored in the storage portion as described above . in other words , in the attitude control of the work 20 , the respective solenoid valves 35 are controlled by the control portion 39 based on the detection signals from the respective position sensors 37 , so that the attitude of the work 20 clamped on the turbine housing portion 3 is controlled . in the attitude control of the work 20 , with reference to the positions of the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving direction detected by the position sensors 37 , the preset reference position ( hereinafter , simply referred to as “ the reference position ” on the pawl structure 10 ), is determined as follows . in the present embodiment , as mentioned previously , the position sensors 37 detect the gaps g 1 between the apical surfaces 11 s of the pawl structures 10 ( see fig1 ), thereby detecting the positions ( the displacements ) of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions . consequently , the reference positions of the respective pawl structures 10 are determined by the largeness of the gap g 1 . specifically , the given values on the largeness of the gaps g 1 between the apical surfaces 11 s and the position sensors 37 are preliminary determined , in the respective pawl structures 10 , whereby the reference positions of the respective pawl structures 10 are established . hereinafter , the reference position of the first pawl structure 10 a is defined as a reference value la on the gap g 1 between the first position sensor 37 a and the apical surface 11 s of the first pawl structure 10 a ( see fig3 ). more specifically , the condition that the gap g 1 between the first pawl structure 10 a moving to the moving direction and the first position sensor 37 a in place at the same time is the reference value la is the one that the first pawl structure 10 a is at the reference position . similarly , the reference position of the second pawl structure 10 b is defined as the reference value lb on the gap g 1 between the second position sensor 37 b and the apical surface 11 s of the second pawl structure 10 b , and the reference position of the third pawl structure 10 c is defined as the reference value lc on the gap g 1 between the third position sensor 37 c and the apical surface 11 s of the third pawl structure 10 c ( see fig3 ). the reference positions of the respective pawl structures 10 , i . e ., the respective values of the reference values , la , lb and lc are set up based on the prescribed reference attitude with reference to the attitude of the work 20 toward the turbine housing portion 3 ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the work attitude ”), with the work 20 clamped on the turbine housing portion 3 ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the clamped condition ”). in other words , the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 in the moving directions ( the values of the gaps g 1 ) are set up as the reference positions of the respective pawl structures 10 ( the reference values , la , lb and lc ), when the there are the given reference attitudes in the work attitudes on the clamped condition and the work attitudes become the given reference attitudes . accordingly , the respective pawl structures 10 are located at the reference positions , so that the work attitudes become the given reference attitudes . for example , the reference positions of the respective pawl structures 10 are set up as follows . specifically , as the present embodiment , in the construction that the work 20 is supported in the turbine housing portion 3 so that the direction of the rotating shaft line of the work rotating portion is the approximately horizontal direction , the reference positions of the respective pawl structures 10 are established , so that the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 in the moving direction ( the direction of the rotating shaft line of the work rotating portion ) are approximately the same among three pawl structures 10 . in the attitude control of the works 20 , the solenoid valves 35 are controlled in such a way that the shift lengths of the pawl structures 10 from the reference positions are smaller than the given acceptable values that are preliminarily set up . the shift lengths ( the differences ) of the pawl structures 10 from the reference positions are the shift lengths of the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition from the reference values , la , lb and lc from the moving directions . the predetermined acceptable values are preliminarily set up , with respect to the shift lengths of the pawl structures 10 from the reference positions in the moving directions ( hereinafter , simply referred to as “ the shift lengths in the pawl structures 10 ). specifically , when each of the shift lengths of the respective pawl structures 10 from the reference values la , lb and lc are defined as δla , δlb and δlc , the respective solenoid valves 35 are controlled so that the values of the respective shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc are smaller than the above - mentioned predetermined acceptable values , whereby the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions are controlled . briefly , in the attitude control of the work 20 , the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions are controlled , via the respective solenoid valves 35 , so that the attitude of the work 20 clamped by three pawl structures 10 is controlled . consequently , when all of the predetermined acceptable values on the respective pawl structures 10 are δlx , each of the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions , in the attitude control of the work 20 , are allowable in the range of the reference value la ± δlx , the reference value lb ± δlx and the reference value lc ± δlx . the shift lengths of the pawl structures 10 are set up as much smaller values than the moving ranges of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions ( for example , about a few μm to a few dozens μm ). as seen from the above , the respective values used in the attitude control of the work 20 , i . e ., the reference values la , lb and lc so as to define the reference positions of the respective pawl structures 10 , and the acceptable values on the shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc from the respective reference values are preliminarily set up and memorized in the storage portion or the like in the control portion 39 . the attitude control of the work 20 will be described with reference to a flow diagram of the attitude control of the work 20 as shown in fig4 . incidentally , in the attitude control of the work 20 as described below , all of the acceptable values on the shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc of the respective pawl structures 10 are defined as 10 μm . in the attitude control of the work 20 , first , the work 20 is set ( step s 100 ). more specifically , the flange portion 24 a of the center housing 24 in the work 20 is fixed on the supporting recessed portion 3 b forming the supporting surface 3 a in the turbine housing portion 3 , whereby the work 20 is supported on the supporting surface 3 a . in this regard , at this stage , the pawl structures 10 are at the given waiting positions moving to the direction opposite to the work fixing direction , so as not to oppose the fixing of the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 . when the work 20 is set up , the solenoid valves 35 provided in each of the cylinder mechanisms 30 are opened ( step s 110 ). specifically , the pressure oils supplied from the oil tanks by the oil pumps are supplied to the first cylinder chambers 31 a in the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 via the solenoid valves 35 on the opened conditions . accordingly , the respective pawl structures 10 are pulled from the aforementioned given waiting positions , and are moved to the work fixing directions so as to be engaged on the set work 20 . the respective pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition are biased to the work fixing directions due to the pressure oils supplied from the first cylinder chambers 31 a . accordingly , the work 20 is on the clamped condition ( step s 120 ). when the work 20 is on the clamped condition , the respective solenoid valves 35 are occasionally closed for the meantime . the clamped condition of the work 20 in this case is referred to as “ the tentative clamped condition ”. in the tentative clamped condition of the work 20 , sensor outputs from the respective position sensors 37 are performed , and the shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc of the respective pawl structures 10 are measured , based on the sensor outputs ( step s 130 ). in other words , after the work 20 is on the tentative clamped condition , the largeness of the gaps g 1 in the respective pawl structures 10 are measured based on the detection signals from the respective position sensors 37 . the shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc of the respective pawl structures 10 from the reference values la , lb and lc are measured , on the basis of the measurements of the gaps g 1 of the respective pawl structures 10 . subsequently , the shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc of the respective pawl structures 10 measured in the step s 130 are evaluated where all of them are smaller 10 μm as the acceptable values ( step s 140 ). in other words , the shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc of the respective pawl structures 10 are evaluated whether they meet all the conditions of δla & lt ; 10 μm , δlb & lt ; 10 μm , and δlc & lt ; 10 μm . in the step s 140 , when the shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc of the respective pawl structures 10 are evaluated that all of them are smaller than 10 μm as the acceptable values , the clamped condition of the work 20 is completed ( step s 160 ). briefly , in this case , as the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving direction are within error ranges allowed for the reference positions and the work attitude is the one within the error ranges allowed for the aforementioned given reference attitude , the clamped condition of the work 20 is completed . accordingly , the attitude control of the work 20 is terminated . meanwhile , in the step s 140 , when the shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc of the respective pawl structures 10 are not evaluated that all of them are smaller than 10 μm as the acceptable values , the switching controls of the solenoid valves 35 are performed ( step s 150 ). specifically , when the shift length δla of the first pawl structure 10 a is not evaluated that it is smaller than 10 μm , the position of the first pawl structure 10 a in the moving direction is adjusted so that the shift length δla becomes smaller , by controlling the switching of the first solenoid valve 35 a . similarly , when the shift length δlb of the second pawl structure 10 b is not evaluated that it is smaller than 10 μm , the position of the second pawl structure 10 b in the moving direction is adjusted so that the shift length δlb becomes smaller , by controlling the switching of the second solenoid valve 35 b . when the shift length δlc of the third pawl structure 10 c is not evaluated that it is smaller than 10 μm , the position of the third pawl structure 10 c in the moving direction is adjusted so that the shift length δlc becomes smaller , by controlling the switching of the third solenoid valve 35 c . in the step s 150 , when the switching control in any of the solenoid valves 35 are performed and the position of the corresponding pawl structure 10 in the moving direction is adjusted , the other pawl structures 10 may be displaced . briefly , the positioning of the pawl structures 10 by the switching controls of the solenoid valves 35 may mutually affect each other among three pawl structures 10 . for this reason , in the step s 140 , the switching controls of the solenoid valves 35 in the step s 150 and the evaluation in the step s 140 are repeated , until the shift lengths δla , δlb and δlc of three pawl structures 10 are evaluated that all of them are smaller than 10 μm . thus , the control portion 39 functions as the attitude control means so as to control the solenoid valves 35 , so that the shift lengths of the positions of the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving direction from the reference positions , which is detected by the position sensors 37 , based on the detected values from the respective position sensors 37 , are smaller than the given acceptable values that is preliminarily determined for the shift lengths . specifically , the control portion 39 functions as the attitude control means , by performing the prescribed calculations or the like in accordance with the attitude control program stored in the storage portion . as seen from the above , the reduction of the productivity in the production line of the turbocharger 2 can be prevented , and the variations in the attitudes of the work 20 supported on the turbine housing portion 3 can be reduced , by performing the attitude control of the work 20 , thereby improving the accuracy of the unbalance correction . specifically , as the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment , the clamp method by the pawl structures 10 is used for fixing the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 , whereby the reduction of the productivity in the production line of the turbocharger 2 can be prevented , compared with the case where the bolt fixation is used for fixing the work 20 . since the accident errors of the movements of three pawl structures 10 in the moving direction are sufficiently small values , in the attitude control of the work 20 , the variations in the work attitudes can be decreased , in the construction that the turbine housing portion 3 is used as a common jig for plurality of works 20 . accordingly , the variations in the locking positions ( the clamped positions ) of the works 20 by the pawl structures 10 can be reduced , thereby lowering the variations in the largeness of the vibrations of the works 20 themselves , the vibrations transmitted to the acceleration pickup 4 via the turbine housing portion 3 or the like . consequently , the accuracies in the unbalance corrections of the works 20 can be advanced . incidentally , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes the solenoid valves 35 provided with the pipings so as to supply the pressure oils into the first cylinder chambers 31 a , as clamping control means provided in the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 , but the above - mentioned clamping control means are not limited to them . the above - mentioned clamping control means may be the ones , which are provided in the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 , so as to control the distances moving the pawl structures 10 to the moving directions by the cylinder mechanisms 30 and the biasing forces so as to bias the pawl structures 10 to the work fixing directions . as the above - mentioned clamping control means , for example , two solenoid valves provided on the pipings so as to supply the pressure oils to each of the first cylinder chambers 31 a and the second cylinder chambers 31 b , may be used , in the cylinder mechanisms 30 constructed as the double - acting cylinders described above . also , another valve systems or the like , performing the switching of supplying / disengaging , the adjusting of the flow volumes , in the pressure oils supplied to at least any of the or the first cylinder chambers 31 a and the second cylinder chambers 31 b or the like , may be used , as the above - mentioned clamping control means . the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes the position sensors 37 comprised as the contact - free gap sensors , as the position detecting means provided in the respective pawl structures 10 , but the above - mentioned position detecting means are not limited to them . the above - mentioned position detecting means may be the ones , which are provided in the respective pawl structures 10 , detecting the positions of the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition in the moving directions . as the above - mentioned position detecting means , for example , another straight line position sensors , such as proximity switch or contact gap sensors may be used , as long as they have the enough accuracies to detect the shift lengths of the pawl structures 10 in the tentative clamped condition of the work 20 ( for example , the accuracies in the order of a few μm to a few dozens μm ). in the meantime , in the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment , the work 20 are clamped and fixed on the turbine housing portion 3 by three pawl structures 10 . as described above , in the unbalance correction device 1 comprising the construction that the clamp method by the pawl structures 10 are used for fixing the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 , the pawl structures 10 as the members clamping the work 20 are vibrated to the turbine housing portion 3 ( at natural frequency different from the device body including and integral with the turbine housing portion 3 ), with rotation of the work rotating portion . more specifically , in the unbalance correction device 1 including the construction that the clamp method is used as mentioned previously , the pawl structures 10 are vibrated to the device body that the respective members including the trestle 5 and the turbine housing portion 3 provided thereon are integrally comprised , with rotation of the work rotating portion . basically , the device body and the pawl structures 10 have different natural frequencies , in the unbalance correction device 1 . in the pawl structures 10 , the pawl portions 11 need to be portions that have sufficient intensities and rigidities for fixing the work 20 , so as to fix the work 20 by the locking portions 13 as mentioned before . thus , as shown in the pattern diagram of fig5 , the pawl structure 10 has the pawl portion 11 as a heavy load on the other end side ( the apical end ) of the thin ( small - diameter ) rod portion 12 provided in the approximately horizontal direction and supported on one end thereof by the cylinder mechanism 30 . due to this construction , the pawl portion 11 is vibrated via the rod portion 12 , with rotation of the work rotating portion , thereby causing the relative vibration of the pawl structure 10 , to the cylinder mechanism 30 included in the above - mentioned device body in the unbalance correction device 1 ( see an arrow a 1 ). accordingly , the pawl structure 10 vibrates at the natural frequency different from the device body . the vibration of the pawl structure 10 caused due to the rotation of the work rotating portion in the unbalance correction device 1 will be described with reference to fig6 and 7 . in the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment , the pawl structure 10 can be said to be floating by the fluid ( the air in the present embodiment ) in the cylinder case 31 of the cylinder mechanism 30 . in other words , the pawl structure 10 can be said to be floating relative to the device body of the unbalance correction device 1 . in this regard , the unbalance correction device 1 includes a mass as the device body which is one large mass ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the body mass ”), and a mass as the pawl structure 10 which is comprised of three small masses ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the pawl mass ”, as the mass ( the mass body ). specifically , in the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment , as shown in fig7 ( a ), the body mass includes a trestle 5 , a supporting wall 6 , a turbine housing portion 3 , a work 20 , a cylinder plate 9 and a cylinder case 31 , and is formed as one mass that they are integrally constructed by the bolt fixation or the like . the pawl mass , as shown in fig7 ( b ), has a pawl portion 11 and a rod portion 12 , and becomes the mass as one pawl structure 10 that they are integrally constructed . therefore , the unbalance correction device 1 has three pawl masses comprising of the pawl mass as the first pawl structure 10 a ( the first pawl mass ), the pawl mass as the second pawl structure 10 b ( the second pawl mass ) and the pawl mass as the third pawl structure 10 c ( the third pawl mass ). thus , by using the concept that the unbalance correction device 1 includes one body mass and three pawl masses , in the unbalance correction device 1 , the respective pawl structures 10 can be replaced by the single - degree - of - freedom vibration model in the device body . specifically , as shown in fig6 , the unbalance correction device 1 which is modeled as mentioned above has mass m 1 of the first pawl mass 41 , mass m 2 of the second pawl mass 42 and mass m 3 of the third pawl mass 43 , with reference to mass m 0 of the body mass 40 . the first pawl mass 41 is connected via a spring constant k 1 of spring 41 a and a damping constant c 1 of damper 41 b to the body mass 40 . similarly , the second pawl mass 42 is connected via a spring constant k 2 of spring 42 a and a damping constant c 2 of damper 42 b to the body mass 40 , and the third pawl mass 43 is connected via a spring constant k 3 of spring 43 a and a damping constant c 3 of damper 43 b to the body mass 40 . incidentally , the body mass 40 is connected to the floor surface 7 ( see fig1 ) at the given spring constant and damping constant . in this respect , in the first pawl mass 41 , the spring constant k 1 shows a total rigidity in the system of the mass m 1 . similarly , in the second pawl mass 42 , the spring constant k 2 shows a total rigidity in the system of the mass m 2 , and in the third pawl mass 43 , the spring constant k 3 shows a total rigidity in the system of the mass m 3 . incidentally , the total rigidity in the respective pawl masses 41 to 43 include the rigidity against the reaction force acting on the pressing surface 13 a ( see fig1 ), during the clamp by the pawl structures 10 , with the work 20 fixed on the turbine housing portion 3 ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the clamp rigidity ”). the clamp rigidity varies depending on the largeness in the force that the pawl structure 10 is biased by the cylinder mechanism 30 ( the pressing force from the locking portion 13 ). in the first pawl mass 41 , the damping constant c 1 shows a total damping in the system of the mass m 1 . similarly , in the second pawl mass 42 , the damping constant c 2 shows a total damping in the system of the mass m 2 , and in the third pawl mass 43 , the damping constant c 3 shows a total damping in the system of the mass m 3 . in this regard , the total mass of the respective pawl structures 10 , the total rigidity and the total mass will be described . as shown in fig8 , the total mass of the pawl structure 10 means a sum of the mass of the pawl portion 11 in the pawl structure 10 and that of the rod portion 12 . briefly , if the total mass of the pawl structure 10 is mall , the mass of the pawl portion 11 , m t the mass of the rod portion 12 , m r , m all = m t + m r . the total rigidity ( the spring constant ) of the pawl structure 10 includes the rigidity of the pawl portion 11 , the rigidity of the rod portion 12 in the pawl structure 10 and the clamp rigidity ( see an arrow d 1 ). when the total rigidity of the pawl structure 10 is k all , the rigidity of the pawl portion 11 , k t , the rigidity of the rod portion 12 , k r , the clamp rigidity , k f , the following formula ( 1 ) is established : the total damping of the pawl structure 10 means the damping coefficient of the pawl structure 10 supported in the moving and biasing manner , by the cylinder mechanism 30 constituted as the hydraulic cylinder . specifically , the pawl structure 10 supported via the oils in the cylinder case 31 receives the viscous resistance ( the viscous damping ) caused by the relative movement to the oils when it is vibrated . the viscous resistance converts the kinetic energy of the pawl structure 10 into the thermal energy , so as to exert the pawl structure 10 on the damping force ( the viscous damping force ). the damping force acting on the pawl structure 10 is in proportion to the vibration velocity of the pawl structure 10 . the proportional constant to the velocity of the damping force is the damping coefficient ( the viscous coefficient ) of the pawl structure 10 having the pawl portion 11 and the rod portion 12 in an integrated manner as mentioned before , thereby forming the total damping of the pawl structure 10 . in the aforementioned vibration model of the pawl structure 10 ( see fig6 ), the mass m 1 shows the total mass of the first pawl structure 10 a , and the mass m 2 shows the total mass of the second pawl structure 10 b , as well as the mass m 3 the total mass of the third pawl structure 10 c , respectively . the spring constant k 1 shows the total rigidity of the first pawl structure 10 a , and the spring constant k 2 shows the total rigidity of the second pawl structure 10 b , as well as the spring constant k 3 the total rigidity of the third pawl structure 10 c , respectively . the damping coefficient c 1 shows the total damping of the first pawl structure 10 a , and the damping coefficient c 2 shows the total damping of the second pawl structure 10 b , as well as the damping coefficient c 3 , the total damping of the third pawl structure 10 c , respectively . as seen from the above , the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 in the moving directions with rotation of the work rotating portion can be considered as single - degree - of - freedom system forced vibration having the damping ( the viscous damping ) for the device body . in other words , the periodical external force as the forced vibration force acts on the respective pawl structures 10 represented by the respective pawl masses 41 to 43 ( the pawl system ), with rotation of the work rotating portion , whereby the respective pawl structures 10 vibrate to the device body represented as the body mass 40 ( the body system ) with damping in the moving directions . therefore , when the coordinate ( the displacement to the reference position ) in the moving direction of the pawl structure 10 is x , and the periodical external force as the forced vibration force acting on the pawl structure 10 with rotation of the work rotating portion is f sin ωt ( ω : the angular frequency , t : time ), the following formula ( 2 ) is established as a common motion equation showing single - degree - of - freedom system vibration with damping . incidentally , in the formula ( 2 ), the m corresponds to the total mass of the pawl structure 10 , and the c corresponds to the total damping ( the damping coefficient ) of the pawl structure 10 , as well as the k corresponds to the total rigidity ( the spring constant ) of the pawl structure 10 . in the formula ( 2 ), when the total mass , the total damping and the total rigidity of the pawl structure 10 are preliminarily showed by the measurement or the line , the excitation force ( the largeness / direction ) acting on the pawl structure 10 with rotation of the work rotating portion is derived due to the displacement x of the pawl structure 10 from the reference position . specifically , when excitation force acting on the first pawl structure 10 a is fa , and the excitation force acting on the second pawl structure 10 b is fb , as well as the excitation force acting on the third pawl structure 10 c is fc , with reference to the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 with rotation of the work rotating portion , the following formulas ( 3 ) to ( 5 ) are established , based on the above - mentioned formula ( 2 ). m 1 { umlaut over ( x )}+ c 1 { dot over ( x )}+ k 1 x = f a ( 3 ) m 2 { umlaut over ( x )}+ c 2 { dot over ( x )}+ k 2 x = f b ( 4 ) m 3 { umlaut over ( x )}+ c 3 { dot over ( x )}+ k 3 x = f c ( 5 ) thus , the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 are derived from the aforementioned formulas ( 3 ) to ( 5 ), with respect to the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 in the moving directions on the device body with rotation of the work rotating portion . in this regard , in the unbalance correction device 1 , the forces negating the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 with rotation of the work rotating portion are exerted on the respective pawl structures 10 as the damping forces , for the unbalance correction , whereby the active damping controls restraining the natural vibrations ( behavior ) of the respective pawl structures 10 to the device body are performed . the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes the following construction , so as to perform the damping controls for the respective pawl structures 10 . incidentally , with regard to the following description , in the damping controls of the respective pawl structures 10 , the vibration direction of the pawl structure 10 as the damping object is defined as the moving direction of the pawl structure 10 ( the lateral direction in fig1 ), and the direction is defined as the direction of the x - axis . briefly , in the following description , the “ vibration ” on the pawl structure 10 means the one in the moving direction of the pawl structure 10 ( in the direction of the x axis ). as shown in fig9 , the unbalance correction device 1 is provided in the respective pawl structures 10 with displacement sensors 50 . in other words , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes three displacement sensors 50 . incidentally , in the fig9 , for convenience of explanation , the position of the third cylinder mechanism 30 c in the unbalance correction device 1 is represented by displacing from the original position as shown in fig2 . the displacement sensor 50 detects the displacement ( the displacement magnitude and the displacement direction ) of the pawl structure 10 with the work 20 clamped on the turbine housing portion 3 , due to the vibration with rotation of the work rotating portion . the displacement sensor 50 is comprised as the contact - free gap sensor , which detects the displacement due to the vibration of the pawl structure 10 as the object to be measured , by detecting the gap between the pawl structures 10 thereof in the moving direction . in the present embodiment , the displacement sensor 50 detects the apical surfaces 11 s , as the end surface of the pawl portion 11 , which is an end face on one end of the pawl structure 10 in the moving direction . in other words , the displacement sensor 50 detects the displacement due to the vibration of the pawl structure 10 , by detecting the gap g 2 between the apical surfaces 11 s of the pawl structure 10 ( see fig9 ). for example , a eddy current sensor , capacitance sensor , a laser sensor or an ultrasonic sensor or the like can be utilized , as the displacement sensor 50 . the displacement sensor 50 detects the displacement due to the relative vibration to the device body , regarding the vibration of the pawl structure 10 . specifically , the displacement sensor 50 is provided so that the sensor 50 itself vibrates integrally with device body , or the vibration of the device body is added to the detection value by the displacement sensor 50 or the like , whereby the sensor 50 detects the displacement due to the relative vibration to the device body of the pawl structure 10 . in the present embodiment , the displacement sensor 50 has a reference position portion 51 in the turbine housing portion 3 . briefly , in the present embodiment , the displacement sensor 50 detects the displacement due to the vibration of the pawl structure 10 , using the turbine housing portion 3 having the reference position portion 51 as a reference position . in other words , the displacement sensor 50 detects the displacement due to the relative vibration of the pawl structure 10 to the turbine housing portion 3 . the reference positions for the displacement sensor 50 are not especially limited , as long as they are any positions in the device body including the turbine housing portion 3 and comprised integral with it . the default position ( the reference position as x = 0 ) of the pawl structure 10 for detecting the displacement due to the vibration of the pawl structure 10 by the displacement sensor 50 becomes the position of the pawl structure 10 , at the time when the clamping of the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 has been finished using the pawl structure 10 . therefore , for example , as mentioned above , when the attitude control of the work 20 is performed , the positions of the respective pawl structures 10 at the time when the clamping for the work 20 has been finished in the attitude control of the work 20 become the default positions of the pawl structures 10 for the respective displacement sensor 50 . as just described , the displacement sensors 50 are disposed in the respective pawl structures 10 and function as the displacement sensing means which detect the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 , with the work 20 clamped on the turbine housing portion 3 , to the device body with rotation of the work rotating portion . hereinafter , when three displacement sensors 50 are distinctly described according to the pawl structures 10 provided thereof , the displacement sensor 50 disposed in the first pawl structure 10 a is defined as “ the first displacement sensor 50 a ”, the displacement sensor 50 disposed in the second pawl structure 10 b is defined as “ the second displacement sensor 50 b ”, as well as the displacement sensor 50 disposed in the third pawl structure 10 c is defined as “ the third displacement sensor 50 c ”. the vibratory displacement of the first pawl structure 10 a detected by the first displacement sensor 50 a is defined as xa , and the vibratory displacement of the second pawl structure 10 b detected by the second displacement sensor 50 b is defined as xb , as well as the vibratory displacement of the third pawl structure 10 c detected by the third displacement sensor 50 c is defined as xb is defined as xc . as shown in fig9 , the unbalance correction device 1 is provided in the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 with solenoid changeover valves 52 . in other words , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes three solenoid changeover valves 52 . the solenoid changeover valves 52 change over the directions to which the pawl structures 10 are moved ( the directions to which the pawl structures 10 are biased ) in the moving directions thereof . the concrete procedure goes as follows . more specifically , as mentioned above , the cylinder mechanism 30 is comprised as the double - acting cylinder having the first cylinder chamber 31 a and the second cylinder chamber 31 b in the cylinder case 31 . as shown in fig9 , the first cylinder chamber 31 a is continuously connected at the doorway of the oil thereof to the first oil passage 53 a . the supply of the pressure oil to the first cylinder chamber 31 a and the discharge ( the retracting ) of the oil from the first cylinder chamber 31 a are performed , through the first oil passage 53 a . similarly , the second cylinder chamber 31 b is continuously connected at the doorway of the oil thereof to the second oil passage 53 b . the supply of the pressure oil to the second cylinder chamber 31 b and the discharge ( the retracting ) of the oil from the second cylinder chamber 31 b are performed , through the second oil passage 53 b . as shown in fig9 , each of the first oil passage 53 a and the second oil passage 53 b provided at the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 are connected to a supplying oil passage 54 a and a detracting oil passage 54 b , via the solenoid changeover valves 52 . these supplying oil passage 54 a and a detracting oil passage 54 b are connected to an oil tank 56 via an oil pump 55 . briefly , the oils stored in the oil tank 56 are supplied from the supplying oil passage 54 a via the solenoid changeover valves 52 to each of the cylinder mechanisms 30 , using the oil pump 55 . the oils retracted from each of the cylinder mechanisms 30 are retracted from the retracting oil passage 54 b via the solenoid changeover valves 52 to the oil tank 56 . in this regard , when the pawl structures 10 are moved and biased in the directions to which they are pulled ( the work fixing directions ), the pressure oils via the solenoid changeover valves 52 are supplied from the first oil passages 53 a into the first cylinder chamber 31 a and the oils in the second cylinder chambers 31 b is retracted from the second oil passages 53 b via the solenoid changeover valves 52 . on the other hand , when pawl structures 10 are moved and biased in the directions to which they are pushed out ( the directions opposite to the work fixing directions ), the pressure oils via the solenoid changeover valves 52 are supplied from the second oil passages 53 b into the second cylinder chambers 31 b and the oils in the first cylinder chambers 31 a are retracted from the first oil passage 53 a via the solenoid changeover valves 52 . in the above - mentioned constructions supplying / discharging the oils for the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 , the solenoid changeover valves 52 change over the supplies of the pressure oils to the first cylinder chambers 31 a ( the retracting of the oils from the second cylinder chambers 31 b ) and the supplies of the pressure oils to the second cylinder chambers 31 b ( the retracting of the oils from the first cylinder chambers 31 a ). the solenoid changeover valve 52 is constituted as so - called solenoid operating four ports changeover valve . specifically , in the solenoid changeover valve 52 , the solenoid ( the electromagnet ) is operated via the relay , based on the given control signal ( the electric signal ), and the spool is moved by the force thereof , thereby changing over the flow passage in the hydraulic circuit . the solenoid changeover valve 52 is comprised as so - called three - position valve . briefly , in the solenoid changeover valve 52 , the spool is changed over at three points and the flow passages corresponding to the positions of the respective spools are formed . the changeover of the flow passage by the solenoid changeover valve 52 in the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig1 . in the solenoid changeover valve 52 comprised as the aforementioned three position valve , three conditions are changed over , the conditions comprising of the continuous connection condition ( the first condition ) of the first oil passage 53 a and the supplying oil passage 54 a as well as the second oil passage 53 b and the retracting oil passage 54 b , and the continuous connection condition ( the second condition ) of the first oil passage 53 a and the retracting oil passage 54 b , as well as the second oil passage 53 b and the supplying oil passage 54 a , and the blocking condition ( the unconnected condition ) of the flow passage ( the third condition ). specifically , the solenoid changeover valve 52 has four ports to which each of the first oil passage 53 a , the second oil passage 53 b , the supplying oil passage 54 a and the retracting oil passage 54 b are continuously connected . in this regard , as shown in fig1 , with respect to four ports in the solenoid changeover valve 52 , the port connected to the first oil passage 53 a is defined as a port pa 1 , and the port connected to the second oil passage 53 b is defined as a port pb 1 , and the port connected to the supplying oil passage 54 a , a port pa 2 , as well as the port connected to the retracting oil passage 54 b , a port pb 2 . fig1 ( a ) shows the above - mentioned first condition in the solenoid changeover valve 52 . in the solenoid changeover valve 52 on this condition , the respective ports are connected so that the port pa 2 is connected to the port pa 1 and the port pb 1 is connected to the port pb 2 . specifically , the supplying oil passage 54 a and the first oil passage 53 a are continuously connected , whereby the pressure oil is supplied into the first cylinder chamber 31 a , and the second oil passage 53 b and the retracting oil passage 54 b are continuously connected , whereby the oil in the second cylinder chamber 31 b is retracted . accordingly , the pawl structure 10 is moved and biased in the direction to which it is pulled ( the work fixing direction ) ( see an arrow b 1 ). fig1 ( b ) shows the aforementioned second condition in the solenoid change over valve 52 . in the solenoid changeover valve 52 on this condition , the port pa 2 is connected to the port pb 1 , and the port pa 1 is connected to the port pb 2 . briefly , the supplying oil passage 54 a and the second oil passage 53 b are continuously connected , whereby the pressure oil is supplied in the second cylinder chamber 31 b , as well as the first oil passage 53 a and the retracting oil passage 54 b are continuously connected , whereby the oil in the first cylinder chamber 31 a is retracted . accordingly , the pawl structure 10 is moved and biased in the pushed direction ( the direction opposite to the work fixing direction ) ( see an arrow b 2 ). fig1 ( c ) shows the aforementioned third condition in the solenoid changeover valve 52 . in the solenoid changeover valve 52 on this condition , the respective ports are covered and blocked by the spools . briefly , all of the first oil passage 53 a , the second oil passage 53 b , the supplying oil passage 54 a and the retracting oil passage 54 b are blocked in the respective ports , and the supply / discharge of the oils are blocked in the cylinder mechanism 30 . therefore , on this condition , the hydraulic pressures in the first cylinder chamber 31 a and the second cylinder chamber 31 b of the cylinder mechanism 30 are retained . since the switching of the flow passages by the solenoid changeover valve 52 are performed by switching the positions of the spools as mentioned above , hereinafter , in the switching of the flow passages by the solenoid changeover valve 52 , the above - mentioned first condition is defined as the position p 1 ( see fig1 ( a )), and the above - mentioned second condition is defined as the position p 2 ( see fig1 ( b )), as well as the above - described third condition , the position pn ( see fig1 ( c )). briefly , the solenoid changeover valve 52 is on any conditions of the positions p 1 , p 2 and pn , so that the switching of the flow passages is performed using the solenoid changeover valve 52 . accordingly , the moving and biasing direction is switched in the moving direction of the pawl structure 10 . as seen from the above , the solenoid changeover valves 52 are provided in the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 and function as the direction switching means for switching the moving and biasing directions in the moving directions of the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 . hereinafter , when three solenoid changeover valves 52 are distinctly described according to the cylinder mechanisms 30 provided , the solenoid changeover valve 52 disposed at the first cylinder mechanism 30 a is defined as “ the first solenoid changeover valve 52 a ”, and the solenoid changeover valve 52 disposed at the second cylinder mechanism 30 b is defined as “ the second solenoid changeover valve 52 b , as well as the solenoid changeover valve 52 disposed at the third cylinder mechanism 30 c , “ the third solenoid changeover valve 52 c ”. in the unbalance correction device 1 , supplying flow control valves 61 and retracting flow control valves 62 are provided in the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 . in other words , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes three supplying flow control valves 61 and three retracting flow control valves 62 . the supplying flow control valves 61 control the flow rates of the pressure oils supplied from the oil tans 56 to the cylinder mechanisms 30 by the oil pumps 55 . specifically , as shown in fig9 , the supplying flow control valves 61 are provided at the supplying oil passages 54 a and control the flow rates of the pressure oils supplied to the cylinder mechanisms 30 between the oil pumps 55 and the solenoid changeover valves 52 . the retracting flow control valves 62 control the flow rates of the oils retracted from the cylinder mechanisms 30 to the oil tanks 56 . specifically , as shown in fig9 , the retracting flow control valves 62 are provided at the retracting oil passages 54 b and control the flow rates of the oils retracted from the cylinder mechanisms 30 between the solenoid changeover valves 52 and the oil pumps 55 . each of the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 are comprised as one - way restrictors having check valves . that is , in the supplying flow control valves 61 the flows in the supplying direction to the cylinder mechanisms 30 become the control flows , and the flows in the opposite directions thereof become the free flows . meanwhile , in the retracting flow control valves 62 , the flows in the retracting directions from the cylinder mechanisms 30 become the control flows , and the flows in the opposite directions thereof become the free flows . as mentioned above , the flow rates of the oils supplied to and discharged from the cylinder mechanisms 30 via the solenoid changeover valves 52 are controlled , by the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 , thereby controlling the largeness of the biasing forces acting on the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 . more specifically , by controlling the flow rates of the oils using the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 , when the solenoid changeover valves 52 are on the positions p 1 , the largeness of the biasing forces acting on the directions pulling the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 is controlled , and when the solenoid changeover valves 52 are on the positions p 2 , the largeness of the biasing forces acting on the directions pushing the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 is controlled . thus , the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 are provided at the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 , and function as the biasing force control means for controlling the biasing forces biasing the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 , in the moving and biasing directions of the pawl structures 10 defined by the solenoid changeover valves 52 . hereinafter , when three supplying flow control valves 61 are distinctly described according to the cylinder mechanisms 30 provided , the supplying flow control valve 61 disposed at the first cylinder mechanism 30 a is defined as “ the first supplying flow control valve 61 a ”, and the supplying flow control valve 61 disposed at the second cylinder mechanism 30 b is defined as “ the second supplying flow control valve 61 b ”, as well as the supplying flow control valve 61 disposed at the third cylinder mechanism 30 c , “ the third supplying flow control valve 61 c ”. similarly , the retracting flow control valve 62 disposed at the first cylinder mechanism 30 a is defined as “ the first retracting flow control valve 62 a ”, and the retracting flow control valve 62 disposed at the second cylinder mechanism 30 b is defined as “ the second retracting flow control valve 62 b ”, as well as the retracting flow control valve 62 disposed at the third cylinder mechanism 30 c , “ the third retracting flow control valve 62 c ”. in the unbalance correction device 1 , the work 20 on the clamped condition is provided with a rotation sensor 57 for detecting the rotation of the work rotating portion thereof . as the rotation sensor 57 , for example , contact - free rotational displacement ( rotational angle ) sensor such as optical sensor or magnetic sensor are utilized . the control construction of the damping control for the pawl structure 10 in the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment equipped with the above - described constitutions will be described with reference to fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes a control system 70 so as to perform the damping control for the pawl structure 10 . the control system 70 controls the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 , the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 , based on the detection signals output from the respective displacement sensors 50 . accordingly , the biasing forces acting on the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 are controlled , thereby damping the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 to the device body ( the turbine housing portion 3 ). the control system 70 is connected to the respective displacement sensors 50 , the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 , the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the respective retracting flow control valves 62 . the control system 70 receives the signals on the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 , detected by the respective displacement sensors 50 . accordingly , the control system 70 obtains the information on the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 . the control system 70 issues the control signals to the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 , the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 . briefly , the control system 70 issues the signals so as to switch the flow passages for the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 ( the positions of the solenoid changeover valves 52 ). accordingly , the control system 70 performs the switching controls of the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 . the control system 70 sends the signals for controlling the flow rates ( the valve opening degrees ) to the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the respective retracting flow control valves 62 . accordingly , the control system 70 performs the conditioned controls for the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the respective retracting flow control valves 62 . the control system 70 independently controls the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 , the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the respective retracting flow control valves 62 , based on the detection signals from the respective displacement sensors 50 . more specifically , the control system 70 controls the first solenoid changeover valve 52 a , the first supplying flow control valve 61 a and the first retracting flow control valve 62 a , based on the detection signal from the first displacement sensor 50 a , and controls the second solenoid changeover valve 52 b , the second supplying flow control valve 61 b and the second retracting flow control valve 62 b , based on the detection signal from the second displacement sensor 50 b , as well as controls the third solenoid changeover valve 52 c , the third supplying flow control valve 61 c and the third retracting flow control valve 62 c , based on the detection signal from the third displacement sensor 50 c . consequently , the cylinder mechanisms 30 acting the biasing forces on the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 are independently controlled , thereby damping the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 to the device body ( the turbine housing portion 3 ). the control system 70 is connected to the rotation sensor 57 . the control system 70 receives the signal on the rotational displacement ( the rotational angle ) of the work rotating portion in the work 20 on the clamped condition , detected by the rotation sensor 57 . accordingly , the control system 70 acquires the information on the rotational displacement ( the rotational angle ) of the work rotating portion in the work 20 on the clamped condition . the control system 70 has a storage portion which stores a program or the like , an expanding portion which expands the program or the like , a calculating portion which performs the predefined calculation according to the program or the like , a filing portion which files the calculated results or the like by calculating portion , a measuring portion which measures the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 or the like , based on the detection signals output from the displacement sensors 50 and so on . the program or the like stored in the aforementioned storage portion include an after - mentioned excitation force calculation program , a damping force calculation program and a damping control program . as the control system 70 , specifically , the construction that a cpu , a rom , a ram , a hdd or the like are connected together with a bus , or the configuration making up of one - chip lsi or the like are utilized . the control system 70 of the present embodiment , which is exclusive goods , is also substitutable for the one which the aforementioned program or the like are stored in the commercially available personal computer , workstation and so forth . the control system 70 has an excitation force calculating portion 71 , a damping force calculating portion 72 and a damping control portion 73 . the excitation force calculating portion 71 calculates the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions with rotation of the work rotating portion , based on the displacements of the pawl structures 10 detected by the displacement sensors 50 , as well as the total mass of the pawl structures 10 , the total damping of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions and the total rigidity of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions . the control system 70 exerts the predetermined calculation or the like according to the excitation force calculation program stored in the storage portion thereof , whereby the calculation of the excitation force by the excitation force calculating portion 71 is performed as mentioned above . briefly , in the damping control of the pawl structure 10 , the excitation forces acting with rotation of the work rotating portion , on the respective pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 are calculated by the excitation force calculating portion 71 . when the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 by the excitation force calculating portion 71 are calculated , the respective values of the displacements due to the vibrations , the total mass , the total damping and the total rigidity of the pawl structures 10 are utilized . in this regard , the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 are detected using the displacement sensors 50 . basically , the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 are the ones ( the x values ) of the pawl structures 10 in the vibration directions ( the x - axis direction , see fig9 ), when the positions of the pawl structures 10 at the time of finishing the clamping of the work 20 are set up as the default positions ( the reference positions as x = 0 ), detected by the displacement sensors 50 as described above . in other words , the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 detected by the displacement sensors 50 become the ones when the pawl structures 10 receive the excitation forces . the total mass of the pawl structures 10 are sum ( m all ) of the masses of the pawl portions 11 and those of the rod portions 12 in the pawl structures 10 . the total damping of the pawl structures 10 are damping coefficients for the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 supported on the cylinder mechanisms 30 comprised as the hydraulic cylinders in a moving and biasing manner . the total rigidity of the pawl structures 10 are the spring constants ( k all ) on the vibrations derived from the above - mentioned formula ( 1 ), based on the rigidities of the pawl portions 11 , those of the rod portions 12 and the clamp rigidities in the pawl structures 10 . the excitation force calculating portion 71 calculates the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 , using the aforementioned formulas ( 3 ) to ( 5 ), based on the above - described respective values on the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 . more specifically , the excitation force calculating portion 71 calculates the excitation force fa acting on the first pawl structure 10 a , using the formula ( 3 ), based on the mass m 1 as the total mass , the damping coefficient c 1 as the total damping and the spring constant k 1 as the total rigidity , regarding the first pawl structure 10 a . similarly , the excitation force calculating portion 71 calculates the excitation force fb acting on the second pawl structure 10 b , using the formula ( 4 ), based on the mass m 2 , the damping coefficient c 2 and the spring constant k 2 , regarding the second pawl structure 10 b . the excitation force calculating portion 71 calculates the excitation force ft acting on the third pawl structure 10 c , using the formula ( 5 ), based on the mass m 3 , the damping coefficient c 3 and the spring constant k 3 , regarding the third pawl structure 10 c . as seen from the above , the respective values used for calculating the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 , i . e ., each values of the displacements due to the vibrations , the total mass , the total damping and the total rigidity of the pawl structures 10 , by the excitation force calculating portion 71 , are preliminarily set up and memorized in the storage portion or the like of the control system 70 . thus , the excitation force calculating portion 71 functions as the excitation force calculating means for calculating the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions with rotation of the work rotating portion , based on the displacements of the pawl structures 10 , as well as the total mass of the pawl structures 10 , the total damping of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions and the total rigidity of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions , detected by the displacement sensors 50 . specifically , the control system 70 functions as the excitation force calculating means by performing the predetermined calculation or the like according to the excitation force calculation program stored in the storage portion thereof . the damping force calculating portion 72 calculates the forces of the opposite directions and the same sizes to the excitation forces calculated by the excitation force calculating portion 71 , as the damping forces acting on the pawl structures 10 . the control system 70 carries out the predetermined calculations or the like according to the damping force calculation program stored in the storage portion thereof , whereby the calculations of the damping forces by the damping force calculating portion 72 are performed . briefly , in the damping control for the pawl structures 10 , the damping forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 that clamps the work 20 and receives the excitation forces with rotation of the work rotating portion are calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 . in the calculations of the damping forces acting on the pawl structures 10 by the damping force calculating portion 72 , the values of the excitation forces calculated by the excitation force calculating portion 71 are utilized . in other words , the damping force calculating portion 72 calculates the forces counteracting the excitation forces calculated by the excitation force calculating portion 71 , i . e ., the forces of the opposite directions and the same sizes to the excitation forces calculated , as the damping forces acting on the pawl structures 10 . therefore , when the values of the excitation forces calculated by the excitation force calculating portion 71 are , for example , fx ( n ), the damping force calculating portion 72 calculates the damping forces acting on the pawl structures 10 as − fx ( n ). more specifically , the damping force calculating portion 72 calculates the damping force (− fa ) to the excitation force fa calculated by the excitation force calculating portion 71 ( see the formula ( 3 )), with respect to the first pawl structure 10 a . similarly , the damping force calculating portion 72 calculates the damping force (− fb ) to the excitation force fb ( see the formula ( 4 )), with respect to the second pawl structure 10 b , and calculates the damping force (− fc ) to the excitation force fc ( see the formula ( 5 )), with respect to the third pawl structure 10 c . as seen from the above , the damping force calculating portion 72 functions as the damping force calculating means for calculating the forces of the opposite directions and the same sizes to the excitation forces calculated by the excitation force calculating portion 71 , as the damping forces acting on the pawl structures 10 . specifically , the control system 70 performs the given calculations or the like according to the damping force calculation program stored in the storage portion thereof , whereby the damping force calculating portion 72 functions as the aforementioned damping force calculating means . the damping control portion 73 controls the solenoid changeover valves 52 , the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 , so that the damping forces calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 exerts the pawl structures 10 . the control system 70 carries out the given calculations or the like according to the damping control program stored in the storage portion thereof , whereby the controls of the solenoid changeover valves 52 , the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 by the damping control portion 73 are performed . briefly , in the damping control of the pawl structures 10 , the directions and the largeness of the biasing forces for the pawl structures 10 by the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 are controlled , so that the damping forces on the respective pawl structures 10 calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 exert the respective pawl structures 10 , by the controls of the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 , the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the respective retracting flow control valves 62 , using the damping control portion 73 . in the controls for the solenoid changeover valves 52 by the damping control portion 73 , the flow passages ( the positions of the solenoid changeover valves 52 ) are switched , so that the directions of the biasing forces acting on the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 become the directions of the damping forces calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 ( the directions opposite to the ones of the excitation forces calculated by the excitation force calculating portion 71 . therefore , when the directions of the damping forces calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 are the ones pulling the pawl structures 10 (− direction in the x - axis ), the damping control portion 73 switches the solenoid changeover valves 52 to the positions p 1 . meanwhile , the directions of the damping forces calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 are the ones pushing the pawl structures 10 (+ direction in the x - axis ), the damping control portion 73 switches the solenoid changeover valves 52 to the positions p 2 . in the controls for the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 by the damping control portion 73 , the valve opening degrees of the respective flow control valves 61 , 62 are controlled , so that the largeness of the biasing forces acting on the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 are the ones of the damping forces calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 ( the same largeness as the excitation forces calculated by the excitation force calculating portion 71 ). the largeness of the biasing forces acting on the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 are the ones of the forces acting on the piston portions 14 of the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 . the values of the forces acting on the piston portions 14 are schematically calculated by the multiplications of the pressures ( the hydraulic pressures ) acting on the piston portions 14 and the effective areas in the piston portions 14 . therefore , when the biasing forces for the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 exert in the directions pulling the pawl structures 10 , the largeness of the biasing forces are calculated by the multiplications of the pressures acting from the first cylinder chambers 31 a to the piston portions 14 and the areas ( the effective areas ) of the surfaces 14 a on the sides forming the first cylinder chambers 31 a of the piston portions 14 ( see fig1 ( a )). when the biasing forces for the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 exert in the directions pushing the pawl structures 10 , the largeness of the biasing forces are calculated by the multiplications of the pressures acting from the second cylinder chambers 31 b to the piston portions 14 and the areas ( the effective areas ) of the surfaces 14 b on the sides forming the second cylinder chambers 31 b of the piston portions 14 ( see fig1 ( a )). briefly , the pressures acting on the piston portions 14 are controlled , so that the largeness of the biasing forces acting on the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 become the ones of the damping forces calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 . the pressures acting on the piston portions 14 are adjusted by controlling the flow rates of the oils due to the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 . hereinafter , with regard to the pressures acting on the piston portions 14 , the pressures that the largeness of the biasing forces acting on the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 become the ones of the damping forces calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 are defined as “ the adjustment pressures ”. in other words , the damping control portion 73 adjusts the valve opening degrees of the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 , so as to exert the adjustment pressures on the piston portions 14 . the adjustment pressures exerting on the piston portions 14 include friction resistances of the piston portions 14 in the cylinder mechanisms 30 , back pressure resistances so as to flow out the oils retracted from one cylinder chamber or the like . in the controls ( the adjustments of the valve opening degrees ) of the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 by the damping control portion 73 , the discharge pressure of the oil pump 55 , the pressure losses in the pipings forming the respective oil passages of the first oil passage 53 a , the second oil passage 53 b , the supplying oil passage 54 a and the retracting oil passage 54 b , the diameters of the pipings forming the respective oil passages or the like are considered . in other words , the damping control portion 73 calculates the valve opening degrees of the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 , based on the respective values of the effective areas of the piston portions 14 ( the areas of the above - mentioned surfaces 14 a , 14 b ), the discharge pressure of the oil pump 55 , the pressure losses and the diameters in the pipings forming the respective oil passages , or the like , and controls the respective flow control valves 61 , 62 so that they have calculated valve opening degrees . incidentally , the respective values of the effective areas of the piston portions 14 or the like are preliminarily set up and memorized at the storage portion thereof or the like in the control system 70 when needed . the controls of the solenoid changeover valves 52 , the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 by the damping control portion 73 as described above are independently performed for the respective valves provided with the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 . more specifically , the damping control portion 73 controls the first solenoid changeover valve 52 a , the first supplying flow control valve 61 a and the first retracting flow control valve 62 a provided with the first cylinder mechanism 30 a , with respect to the damping control for the first pawl structure 10 a . similarly , the damping control portion 73 controls the second solenoid changeover valve 52 b , the second supplying flow control valve 61 b and the second retracting flow control valve 62 b provided with the second cylinder mechanism 30 b , with respect to the damping control for the second pawl structure 10 b . the damping control portion 73 controls the second solenoid changeover valve 52 b , the second supplying flow control valve 61 b and the second retracting flow control valve 62 b provided with the second cylinder mechanism 30 b , with respect to the damping control for the second pawl structure 10 b . the damping control portion 73 controls the third solenoid changeover valve 52 c , the third supplying flow control valve 61 c and the third retracting flow control valve 62 c provided with the third cylinder mechanism 30 c , with respect to the damping control for the third pawl structure 10 c . thus , the damping control portion 73 functions as the damping control means for controlling the solenoid changeover valves 52 , the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 , so that the damping forces calculated by the damping force calculating portion 72 exert the pawl structures 10 . specifically , the control system 70 performs the predetermined calculations according to the damping control program stored in the storage portion thereof , whereby the damping control portion 73 functions as damping control means . the damping control for the pawl structure 10 will be described , with reference to the flow diagram on the damping control for the pawl structure 10 as shown in fig1 . in the damping control for the pawl structure 10 , first the work 20 is set up ( step s 200 ). briefly , the flange portion 24 a of the center housing 24 in the work 20 is fixed into the supporting recessed portion 3 b forming the supporting surface 3 a in the turbine housing portion 3 , so that the work 20 is supported on the supporting surface 3 a . after the work 20 has been set up , the work 20 is on the clamped condition by the respective pawl structures 10 ( step s 210 ). specifically , the pressure oils are supplied from the oil tank 56 to the first cylinder chambers 31 a of the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 using the oil pump , whereby the respective pawl structures 10 are pulled and moved to the work fixing directions , so as to be on the engaged condition on the work 20 set up and to be biased to the work fixing directions . accordingly , the clamping for the work 20 is finished . in this regard , when the attitude control for the work 20 as mentioned above is performed , the clamping for the work 20 at the step s 210 corresponds to that of the step s 160 in the flow diagram as shown in fig4 . in this case , the solenoid valves 35 disposed with the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 ( see fig1 and 3 ) are provided with the first oil passages 53 a or the supplying oil passages 54 a as the pipings so as to supply the pressure oils to the first cylinder chambers 31 a . when the clamping of the work 20 has been finished at the step s 210 , the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 are on the position pn by the control system 70 . in other words , when the clamping of the work 20 has been finished , the supply / discharge of the oils are blocked in the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 and the oil pressures of the first cylinder chambers 31 a and the second cylinder chambers 31 b in the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 are constantly retained . when the clamping of the work 20 has been finished , the rotation of the work rotating portion is started ( step s 220 ). in other word , the same compressed air as the discharge air from the engine is supplied to the turbine housing portion 3 , and , via the turbine rotor 22 , the work rotating portion including it is rotated at the unbalance correction rotation numbers . when the work rotating portion is rotated at the unbalance correction rotation numbers , the sensor outputs are performed from the respective displacement sensors 50 , and the displacements xa , xb and xc due to the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 are measured , based on the sensor outputs ( step s 230 ). in other words , after the work 20 has been on the clamped condition , the largeness of the gaps g 2 in the respective pawl structures 10 are measured based on the detection signals from the respective displacement sensors 50 . the displacements xa , xb and xc due to the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 are measured , based on the measurements on the largeness of the gaps g 2 in the respective pawl structures 10 . subsequently , the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 with the rotation of the work rotating portion are calculated , using the displacements xa , xb and xc due to the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 measured at the step s 230 ( step s 240 ). specifically , the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 are calculated , using the aforementioned formulas ( 3 ) to ( 5 ), based on the displacements xa , xb and xc due to the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 , the total mass m 1 , m 2 , m 3 , the total damping c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , and the total rigidity k 1 , k 2 , k 3 of the respective pawl structures 10 by the excitation force calculating portion 71 . in this regard , the x in the formula ( 3 ) corresponds to the displacement xa due to the vibration of the first pawl structure 10 a , and the x in the formula ( 4 ) corresponds to the displacement xb due to the vibration of the second pawl structure 10 b , as well as the x in the formula ( 5 ) corresponds to the displacement xc due to the vibration of the third pawl structure 10 c . next , the damping forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 are calculated , using the excitation forces calculated at the step s 240 ( step s 250 ). briefly , by the damping force calculating portion 72 , the damping forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 are calculated , as the forces counteracting the excitation forces , based on the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 . the switchings of the flow passages in the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 are performed , so that the damping forces calculated at the step s 250 exert the respective pawl structures 10 ( step s 260 ). that is , the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 are switched at the position p 1 or p 2 by the damping control portion 73 so that the directions of the biasing forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 become the ones of the damping forces calculated , whereby the switchings of the flow passages are performed . the valve opening degrees of the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the respective retracting flow control valves 62 are adjusted , so that the damping forces calculated at the step s 250 exert the respective pawl structures 10 ( step s 270 ). briefly , the valve opening degrees of the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the respective retracting flow control valves 62 are adjusted by the damping control portion 73 , so that the largeness of the biasing forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 become the ones of the damping forces calculated ( so that the pressures acting on the piston portions 14 become the above - mentioned adjustment pressures ), whereby the adjustments of the flow rates are performed . the controls for the respective solenoid changeover valves 52 , the respective supplying flow control valves 61 and the respective retracting flow control valves 62 , based on the detection signals from the displacement sensors 50 as mentioned before ( steps , s 230 to s 270 ), i . e ., the damping controls for the respective pawl structures 10 are performed , until the rotation of the work rotating portion is stopped ( step s 280 ). in this respect , the stopping of the rotation of the work rotating portion is detected by the rotation sensor 57 . thus , by the damping control for the respective pawl structures 10 , the reduction of the productivity in the production line of the turbocharger 2 can be prevented , and the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 as the members for fixing the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 can be restrained , thereby enhancing the accuracy in the unbalance correction . more specifically , as mentioned above , the reduction of the productivity in the production line of the turbocharger 2 can be prevented , using the clamp method by the pawl structures 10 for fixing the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 . the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 as the members for fixing the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 can be reduced , whereby the claming force for the work 20 ( the force that the work 20 is pressed on the turbine housing portion 3 ) can be stabilized , so as to prevent the work 20 from vibrating largely with the rotation of the work rotating portion . as a result , the accuracy in the unbalance correction for the work 20 can be improved . incidentally , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes the displacement sensors 50 comprised as the contact - free gap sensors , as the displacement detecting means provided with the respective pawl structures 10 , but the displacement detecting means are not limited to this . as the displacement detecting means , the means that are provided with the respective pawl structures 10 and detect the displacements in the moving directions due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 on the turbine housing portion 3 to the device body with the rotation of the work rotating portion may be utilized . as the displacement detecting means , for example , the other straight line position sensors , such as proximity switch or contact gap sensors , may be utilized , as long as they have enough accuracies ( for example , the accuracies in the order of a few μm to a few dozens μm ) to detect the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 . the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes the solenoid changeover valves 52 comprised as the solenoid control four ports changeover valves , as the direction switching means provided with the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 , but the direction switching means are not limited to them . as the direction switching means , the means that are provided with the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 and switch the moving and biasing directions in the moving directions of the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 may be utilized . as the direction switching means , for example , the changeover valves having other constructions , such as the pilot operated changeover valves may be utilized . the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment includes the supplying flow control valves 61 and the retracting flow control valves 62 comprised as one - way restrictors having check valves , as the biasing force control means provides with the respective cylinder mechanisms 30 , but the biasing force control means are not limited to them . as the biasing force control means , the means that are provided with the respective clamping members 30 and control the biasing forces biasing the pawl structures 10 by the cylinder mechanisms 30 , in the moving and biasing directions of the pawl structures 10 defined by the solenoid changeover valves 52 may be utilized . as the biasing force control means , for example , the flow control valves having other constructions , such as the flow control valves may be utilized . the second embodiment of the unbalance correction device according to the present invention will be described . incidentally , the descriptions of the portions common to the unbalance correction device 1 of the first embodiment are arbitrarily abbreviated , using the same referential marks or the like . as shown in fig1 , an unbalance correction device 81 according to the present embodiment includes magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 comprised as fluid pressure cylinder mechanisms using magnetic fluid as working fluids , in place of the cylinder mechanisms 30 in the unbalance correction device 1 of the first embodiment as described above . specifically , the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 , which are provided with the respective pawl structures 10 , function as the moving and biasing means for moving the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions and for biasing the pawl structures 10 on the engaged condition to the work fixing directions . in the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 , magnetic fluid 84 are used , as the working fluids filled in the cylinder cases 31 forming the first cylinder chambers 31 a and the second cylinder chambers 31 b via the piston portions 13 of the rod portions 12 in the pawl structures 10 . in this regard , the magnetic fluid means the fluids having both behaviors of liquidities as liquid property and ones as magnetic body . specifically , in the magnetic fluid , magnetic microparticles having approximately 10 nm in diameter , such as magnetite , ferrite such as manganese - zinc ferrite , iron , nickel , cobalt are diffused into solvent such as water , organic solvent , paraffin , by the action of surfactant agent . the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 are constituted as the double - acting cylinders similar to the cylinder mechanisms 30 . more specifically , as shown in fig1 , the first cylinder chambers 31 a in the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 are continuously connected at the doorways of the magnetic fluid thereof to the first flow passages 82 a . the supplies of the magnetic fluid to the first cylinder chambers 31 a and the discharges ( the retractions ) of the magnetic fluid 84 from the first cylinder chambers 31 a are performed , via the first flow passages 82 a . similarly , the second cylinder chambers 31 b are continuously connected at the doorways of the magnetic fluid thereof to the second flow passages 82 b . the supplies of the magnetic fluid to the second cylinder chambers 31 b and the discharges ( the retractions ) of the magnetic fluid 84 from the second cylinder chambers 31 b are performed , via the second flow passages 82 b . as shown in fig1 , the first flow passages 82 a and the second flow passages 82 b provided with the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 are connected via a pump 85 to a tank 86 . in other words , magnetic fluid 86 a are stored in the tank 86 , and the stored magnetic fluid 86 a are supplied via the first flow passages 82 a or the second flow passages 82 b to the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 , using the pump 85 . the magnetic fluid returned from the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 are retracted via the first flow passages 82 a or the second flow passages 82 b to the tank 86 . hereinafter , when three magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 are distinctly described according to the pawl structures 10 supporting in the moving and biasing manner , the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 supporting the first pawl structure 10 a in the moving and biasing manner is defined as “ the first magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 a ”, and the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 supporting the second pawl structure 10 b in the moving and biasing manner is defined as “ the second magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 b ”, as well as the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 supporting the third pawl structure 10 c in the moving and biasing manner is defined as “ the third magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 c ”. thus , in the unbalance correction device 81 equipped with the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 as constructions supporting the pawl structures 10 in the moving and biasing manner , during the unbalance correction , the damping controls for restraining the natural frequencies ( behaviors ) of the respective pawl structures 10 to the device body are performed , by acting the damping forces due to the viscous resistances of the magnetic fluid in the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 on the respective pawl structures 10 , as the forces counteracting the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 with the rotation of the work rotating portion . this is based on the following principle and behaviors of the magnetic fluid . more specifically , the pawl structures 10 supported via the magnetic fluid 84 into the cylinder cases 31 in the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 receive the viscous resistances caused by the relative movements thereof to the magnetic fluid 84 , due to the vibrations thereof . the viscous resistances convert the kinetic energies of the pawl structures 10 into the heat energies , and act the damping forces on the pawl structures 10 . therefore , the viscous resistances to the pawl structures 10 , i . e ., the largeness of the damping forces exerting the pawl structures 10 are varied , by the changes in the viscosities of the magnetic fluid 84 . meanwhile , the magnetic fluid changes the fluidities , i . e ., the viscosities ( the apparent viscosities ) in accordance with the intensities of applied magnetic field , as behaviors thereof . this is based on the fact that when the flowing magnetic fluid receives the actions of magnetic field , the particles move to be chained in the directions of magnetic field , due to the magnetic dipole interaction of the magnetic microparticles . consequently , the unbalance correction device 1 of the present embodiment applies the magnetic field to the magnetic fluid 84 into the cylinder cases 31 in the cylinder mechanisms 83 and changes the intensities of the magnetic field so as to change the apparent viscosities of the magnetic fluid 84 , as well as the device 1 acts the damping forces counteracting the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 with the rotation of the work rotating portion , thereby performing the damping controls for restraining the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 . the unbalance correction device 81 of the present embodiment comprises the following constructions so as to perform the damping controls for the respective pawl structures 10 . as shown in fig1 , in the unbalance correction device 81 , the respective pawl structures 10 are provided with the displacement sensors 50 . in other words , the unbalance correction device 81 of the present embodiment includes three displacement sensors 50 . incidentally , in fig1 , for convenience of explanation , the position of the third magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 c in the unbalance correction device 81 is represented at slightly different spaces from the original position ( see fig2 ). the displacement sensors 50 provided with the unbalance correction device 81 of the present embodiment , which are common portions to the unbalance correction device 1 of the first embodiment , will be not described . as shown in fig1 , in the unbalance correction device 81 , the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 have cylinder coils 87 . in other words , the unbalance correction device 81 of the present embodiment has three cylinder coils 87 . the cylinder coils 87 are so - called solenoid coils and are provided to be wound around the cylinder cases 31 . briefly , when the electric currents are carried on the cylinder coils 87 , the magnetic field are applied to the magnetic fluid 84 into the cylinder cases 31 in the axial directions of the cylinder cases 31 ( in the lateral directions in fig1 ). the largeness of the electric currents ( the current value ) carrying on the cylinder coils 87 are changed , whereby the intensities of magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 into the cylinder cases 31 are varied . accordingly , the apparent viscosities ( the fluidities ) of the magnetic fluid 84 into the cylinder cases 31 are changed , thereby varying the largeness of the damping forces acting on the vibrating pawl structures 10 . thus , the cylinder coils 87 are provided with the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 and function as the magnetic field applying means for applying the magnetic field to the magnetic fluid 84 . hereinafter , when three cylinder coils 87 are distinctly described according to the magnet fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 provided , the cylinder coil 87 provided with the first magnet fluid cylinder mechanism 83 a is defined as “ the first cylinder coil 87 a ”, and the cylinder coil 87 provided with the second magnet fluid cylinder mechanism 83 b is defined as “ the second cylinder coil 87 b ”, as well as the cylinder coil 87 provided with the third magnet fluid cylinder mechanism 83 c is defined as “ the third cylinder coil 87 c ”. the control construction of the pawl structures 10 , in the unbalance correction device 81 of the present embodiment equipped with the above - mentioned constructions , will be described , with reference to fig1 . as shown in fig1 , the unbalance correction device 81 of the present embodiment includes a control system 90 for performing the damping control of the pawl structures 10 . the control system 90 controls the intensities of magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 in the cylinder cases 31 by the respective cylinder coils 87 based on the detection signals output from the respective displacement sensors . substantively , the intensities of magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 in the cylinder cases 31 by the respective cylinder coils 87 are controlled , by adjusting the largeness of electric currents ( the current values ) supplied ( input ) from the control system 90 to the cylinder coils 87 . accordingly , the damping forces acting on the pawl structures 10 in the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 are controlled , thereby damping the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 to the device body ( the turbine housing portion 3 ). the control system 90 is connected to the respective displacement sensors 50 via signal line or the like . the control system 90 is connected to the respective cylinder coils 87 via lead wires or the like . the control system 90 receives signals on displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 , detected by the respective displacement sensors 50 . accordingly , the control system 90 acquires information on the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 . the control system 90 supplies electric currents to the respective cylinder coils 87 and controls the largeness of the electric currents depending on those of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 . the control system 90 independently controls the electric currents supplied to the respective cylinder coils 87 , based on the detection signals from the respective displacement sensors 50 . more specifically , the control system 90 controls the electric currents supplied to the first cylinder coil 87 a , based on the detection signal from the first displacement sensor 50 a , and controls the electric currents supplied to the second cylinder coil 87 b , based on the detection signal from the second displacement sensor 50 b , as well as controls the electric currents supplied to the third cylinder coil 87 c based on the detection signal from the third displacement sensor 50 c . accordingly , the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 , which acts the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 on the damping forces due to the vibrations thereof , are independently controlled , thereby damping the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 to the device body ( the turbine housing portion 3 ). the control system 90 is connected to the rotation sensor 57 . the control system 90 receives a signal on rotational displacement ( rotational angle ) of the work rotating portion in the work 20 on the clamped condition , detected by the rotation sensor 57 . accordingly , the control system 90 acquires information on the rotational displacement ( the rotational angle ) of the work rotating portion in the work 20 on the clamped condition . the control system 90 has a storage portion which stores a program or the like , an expanding portion which expands the program or the like , a calculating portion which performs the predefined calculation according to the program or the like , a filing portion which files the calculated results or the like by the calculating portion , a measuring portion which measures the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 or the like , based on the detection signals output from the displacement sensors 50 , a power supplying portion which supplies ( input ) the electric currents to the cylinder coils 87 . the program or the like stored in the storage portion include after - mentioned damping calculation program , a damping control program and data on the relationship between the intensities of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 by the cylinder coils 87 and the total damping ( the damping coefficient ) of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions . as the control system 90 , specifically , the construction that a cpu , a rom , a ram , a hdd or the like are connected together with a bus , or the configuration making up of one - chip lsi or the like are utilized . the control system 90 of the present embodiment , which is exclusive goods , is also substitutable for the one which the aforementioned program or the like are stored in the commercially available personal computer , workstation and so forth . the control system 90 has a data memorizing portion 91 , a damping calculating portion 92 and a damping control portion 93 . the data memorizing portion 91 memorizes pre - calculated data on the relationship between the intensities of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 by the cylinder coils 87 and the total damping ( the damping coefficient ) ( hereinafter , referred to as “ data on the relationship between the intensities of the magnetic field and the damping ”. the data memorizing portion 91 memorizes data on the relationship between electric current values i supplied to the cylinder coils 87 and viscosity μ of the magnetic fluid 84 , as data on the relationship between the intensities of the magnetic field and the damping . in other words , as mentioned above , the intensities of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 by the cylinder coils 87 depend on the largeness of the electric currents flowing along the cylinder coils 87 . the damping coefficient due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 is a proportional constant to the vibration velocity on the damping forces ( the viscous damping forces ) acting on the vibrating pawl structures 10 , and become the viscous resistance ( the viscous damping ) for the vibrating pawl structures 10 , i . e ., the viscosity ( the viscous coefficient ) μ of the magnetic fluid 84 . in this regard , the data memorizing portion 91 memorizes the data on the relationship between the intensities of the magnetic field and the damping in the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 , as the pre - calculated data on the relationship between the electric current values i supplied to the cylinder coils 87 and the viscosity μ of the magnetic fluid 84 ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosity μ ”. the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosity μ , for example , becomes the one as shown in fig1 . in this example , the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosity μ is the proportional one , and the graph showing the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosity μ becomes in a linear fashion . this is based on the fact that the magnetization curve showing the relationship between the magnetic field and the magnetization of the magnetic fluid 84 , which shows non - ferromagnetic properties , becomes in a linear fashion . in other words , the magnetic field and the magnetization are proportional in the magnetic body , which shows non - ferromagnetic property . the magnetic field is substitutable for the supply currents to the cylinder coils 87 ( the electric current values i ), and the magnetization is substitutable for the viscosity μ of the magnetic fluid 84 . briefly , the magnetic fluid 84 used as the working fluids in the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 of the present embodiment show non - ferromagnetic properties , and the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosity μ becomes the proportional one , as shown in fig1 . the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosity μ in the magnetic fluid 84 is preliminarily calculated , and is memorized as , for example , mapped data in the data memorizing portion 91 . thus , the data on the relationship between the intensities of the magnetic field and the damping are memorized as the ones on the relationship between the electric current value i and the viscosity μ of the magnetic fluid 84 , in the data memorizing portion 91 . in this respect , as shown in fig1 , the viscosity μ 0 when the electric current value i is zero is the one of the magnetic fluid 84 when the magnetic field is not applied to the magnetic fluid 84 in the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 ( during the non - magnetic field ). in other words , the viscosity μ 0 becomes the default value on the viscosity μ of the magnetic fluid 84 . the data memorizing portion 91 memorizes the data on the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosity μ , in the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 . more specifically , the data memorizing portion 91 memorizes the data on the relationship between the electric current value i supplied to the first cylinder coil 87 a and the viscosity μ of the magnetic fluid 84 into the cylinder case 31 in the first magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 a , with respect to the first magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 a . similarly , the data memorizing portion 91 memorizes the data on the relationship between the electric current value i supplied to the second cylinder coil 87 b and the viscosity μ of the magnetic fluid 84 in the second magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 b , with respect to the second magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 b , and the data memorizing portion 91 memorizes the data on the relationship between the electric current value i supplied to the third cylinder coil 87 c and the viscosity μ of the magnetic fluid 84 in the third magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 c , with respect to the third magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 c . as described above , the data memorizing portion 91 functions as the memorizing means for memorizing the pre - calculated data on the relationship between the intensity of the magnetic field and the damping . specifically , the control system 90 memorizes the data on the relationship between the intensity of the magnetic field and the damping in the rom or the like , whereby the data memorizing portion 91 functions as the memorizing means . the damping calculating portion 92 calculates the total damping ( the damping coefficient ) of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions , by which the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions with the rotation of the work rotating portion are counteracted , based on the displacements of the pawl structures 10 detected by the displacement sensors 50 , as well as the total mass of the pawl structures 10 and the total rigidity of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions . the control system 90 performs the given calculations or the like according to the damping calculation program stored in the storage portion thereof , whereby the damping coefficients are calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 . briefly , in the damping control for the pawl structures 10 , the total damping , by which the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 clamping the work 20 with the rotation of the work rotating portion are counteracted , are calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 . in other words , the damping coefficients of the pawl structures 10 correspond to the damping ones calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 , so that the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 are counteracted . the respective values such as the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 detected by the displacement sensors 50 , the total mass and the total rigidity of the pawl structures 10 are utilized for calculating the damping coefficients by the damping calculating portion 92 . that is to say , the damping calculating portion 92 calculates the damping coefficients of the pawl structures 10 , by which the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 with the rotation of the work rotating portion are counteracted ( by which the values of excitation forces become zero ) ( hereinafter , referred to as “ the damping coefficients counteracting the excitation forces ”. therefore , the damping calculating portion 92 calculates the damping coefficients counteracting the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 , assuming that the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 are zero , i . e , if the respective fa , fb , and fc are the following values : fa = 0 , fb = 0 , fc = 0 in each of the aforementioned formulas ( 3 ) to ( 5 ). more specifically , the damping calculating portion 92 calculates the damping coefficients counteracting the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 , according to the following formulas ( 6 ) to ( 8 ) derived if the respective fa , fb , and fc are the following values : fa = 0 , fb = 0 , fc = 0 in each of the aforementioned formulas ( 3 ) to ( 5 ), when the damping coefficient counteracting the excitation forces acting on the first pawl structure 10 a is ca , and the damping coefficient counteracting the excitation forces acting on the second pawl structure 10 b is cb , as well as the damping coefficient counteracting the excitation forces acting on the third pawl structure 10 c is cc . incidentally , since the values of the damping coefficients ca , cb and cc of the respective pawl structures 10 are the ones corresponding to the viscosities ( the viscous coefficients ) of the magnetic fluid 84 as mentioned above , they become absolute values ( positive values ). thus , the damping calculating portion 92 calculates the damping coefficients counteracting the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 , using the above - mentioned formulas ( 6 ) to ( 8 ), based on the respective values such as the displacements due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 detected by the displacement sensors 50 , the total mass and the total rigidity of the pawl structures 10 . more specifically , the damping calculating portion 92 calculates the damping coefficient ca counteracting the excitation forces acting on the first pawl structures 10 a , using the formula ( 6 ), based on the displacement xa detected by the displacement sensor 50 , the mass m 1 as the total mass and the spring constant k 1 as the total rigidity , with respect to the first pawl structure 10 a . similarly , the damping calculating portion 92 calculates the damping coefficient cb counteracting the excitation forces acting on the second pawl structures 10 b , using the formula ( 7 ), based on the displacement xb detected by the displacement sensor 50 , the mass m 2 as the total mass and the spring constant k 2 as the total rigidity , with respect to the second pawl structure 10 b . the damping calculating portion 92 calculates the damping coefficient cc counteracting the excitation forces acting on the third pawl structures 10 c , using the formula ( 8 ), based on the displacement xc detected by the displacement sensor 50 , the mass m 3 as the total mass and the spring constant k 3 as the total rigidity , with respect to the third pawl structure 10 c . the damping coefficients acting on the respective pawl structures 10 that receive the excitation forces with the rotation of the work rotating portion correspond to the damping ones calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 as described above , thereby changing the damping forces acting on the pawl structures 10 and counteracting the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 . as seen from the above , the damping calculating portion 92 functions as the damping calculating means for calculating the total damping ( the damping coefficients ) of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions , which counteract the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions with the rotation of the work rotating portion , based on the displacements of the pawl structures 10 detected by the displacement sensors 50 , as well as the total mass of the pawl structures 10 and the total rigidity of the pawl structures 10 in the moving directions . specifically , the control system 90 performs the given calculations or the like according to the damping calculation program stored in the storage portion thereof , whereby the damping calculating portion 92 functions as the damping calculating means . the damping control portion 93 controls the cylinder coils 87 , so that the intensities of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 become the ones of the magnetic field corresponding to the total damping ( the damping coefficients ) calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 , based on the data on the relationship between the intensities of the magnetic field and the damping memorized in the data memorizing portion 91 . the control system 90 performs the predetermined calculations or the like according to the damping control programs stored in the storage portion thereof , whereby , the aforementioned controls of the cylinder coils 87 by the damping control portion 93 , specifically , the controls of the electric currents flowing along the cylinder coils 87 are performed . in other words , in the damping controls for the pawl structures 10 , the largeness of the electric currents supplied to the respective cylinder coils 87 are controlled by the damping control portion 93 , so that the intensities of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 in the cylinder cases 31 are controlled . accordingly , the viscosities ( the viscous coefficients ) μ of the magnetic fluid 84 , i . e ., the damping coefficients are controlled , thereby controlling the largeness of the damping forces ( the viscous damping forces ) acting on the pawl structures 10 receiving the actions of the excitation forces . when the cylinder coils 87 are controlled by the damping control portion 93 , the data on the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosities μ memorized in the data memorizing portion 91 are utilized , so that the electric current values i supplied to the cylinder coils 87 are calculated . as the viscosities μ corresponding to the electric current values i supplied to the cylinder coils 87 , i . e ., the damping coefficients , the values of the damping coefficients calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 are utilized . specifically , as shown in fig1 , when the viscosities corresponding to the values of the damping coefficients calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 are μx , the electric currents of the electric current values ix corresponding to the viscosities μx are supplied to the cylinder coils 87 , based on the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosities μ memorized in the data memorizing portion 91 . the electric currents of the electric current values corresponding to the values of the damping coefficients ( the values of the viscosities ) calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 flow along the cylinder coils 87 , so that the intensities of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 become the ones of the magnetic field corresponding to the total damping ( the damping coefficients ) calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 . accordingly , the values of the damping forces ( the viscous damping forces ) acting on the pawl structures 10 become the ones counteracting the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 , due to the viscosity changes of the magnetic fluid 84 . the controls for the cylinder coils 87 by the damping control portion 93 as mentioned above are independently performed in each of the cylinder coils 87 provided with the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 . more specifically , the damping control portion 93 controls ( the electric currents supplied to ) the first cylinder coil 87 a provided with the first magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 a , with respect to the damping control for the first pawl structures 10 a . similarly , the damping control portion 93 controls the second cylinder coil 87 b provided with the second magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 b , with respect to the damping control for the second pawl structures 10 b , and the damping control portion 93 controls the third cylinder coil 87 c provided with the third magnetic fluid cylinder mechanism 83 c , with respect to the damping control for the third pawl structures 10 c . thus , the damping control portion 93 functions as the damping control means for controlling the cylinder coils 87 , so that the intensities of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 become the one of the magnetic field corresponding to the total damping ( the damping coefficients ) calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 . specifically , the control system 90 performs the given calculations or the like according to the damping control programs stored in the storage portion thereof , whereby the damping control portion 93 functions as the damping control means . the damping controls for the pawl structures 10 will be described , with reference to the flow diagram of the damping control for the pawl structures 10 as shown in fig1 . in the damping control for the pawl structure 10 , first the work 20 is set up ( step s 300 ). the work 20 , which is set up , is on the clamped condition by the respective pawl structures 10 ( step s 310 ). more specifically , the magnetic fluid are pumped from the tank 86 to the first cylinder chamber 31 a the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 using the pump 85 , whereby the respective pawl structures 10 are pulled and moved to the work fixing directions , so as to be on the engaged condition to the work 20 set up and be biased to the work fixing directions . accordingly , the clamping of the work 20 is finished . in this regard , the clamping of the work 20 at the step s 310 corresponds to the one at the step s 160 in the flow diagram as shown in fig4 . in this case , the solenoid valves 35 provided with the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 ( see fig1 and 3 ) are provided with the first flow passage 82 a as the piping for supplying the pressure oils to the first cylinder chamber 31 a . at the step s 310 , when the clamping of the work 20 has been finished , the supplies / discharges of the magnetic fluid to the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 are blocked by the valve mechanisms ( not shown ), and the pressures of the magnetic fluid into the first cylinder chamber 31 a and the second cylinder chamber 31 b in the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 are kept constant . after the clamping of the work 20 has been finished , the rotation of the work rotating portion is started ( step s 320 ). when the work rotating portion are rotated at the unbalance correction rotation numbers , the sensor outputs are performed from the respective displacement sensors 50 , and the displacements xa , xb and xc due to the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 are measured , based on the sensor outputs ( step s 330 ). subsequently , the damping coefficients counteracting the excitation forces are calculated , based on the displacements xa , xb and xc due to the vibrations of the respective pawl structures 10 measured at the step s 330 ( step s 340 ). specifically , by the damping calculating portion 92 , damping coefficients ca , cb and cc counteracting the excitation forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 are calculated , using the aforementioned formulas ( 6 ) to ( 8 ), based on the displacements xa , xb and xc due to the vibrations of the pawl structures 10 detected by the displacement sensors 50 , the total mass m 1 , m 2 and m 3 and the total rigidity k 1 , k 2 and k 3 of the respective pawl structures 10 . next , the largeness of the electric currents supplied to the respective cylinder coils 87 are determined , according to the damping coefficients calculated at the step s 340 ( step s 350 ). specifically , the electric current values ia , ib and ic corresponding to the values of the damping coefficients ( the values of the viscosities ) calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 are determined by the damping control portion 93 , based on the data on the relationship between the electric current values i and the viscosities μ memorized in the data memorizing portion 91 . in this regard , the electric current value ia is the value of the first cylinder coil 87 a , and the electric current value ib is the value of the second cylinder coil 87 b , as well as the electric current value ic is the value of the third cylinder coil 87 c . the electric currents of the electric current values determined at the step s 350 are supplied to the respective cylinder coils 87 ( step s 360 ). specifically , from the power supplying portion in the control system 90 , the electric current of the electric current value ia is supplied to the first cylinder coil 87 a , and the electric current of the electric current value ib is supplied to the second cylinder coil 87 b , as well as the electric current of the electric current value ic is supplied to the third cylinder coil 87 c , respectively . accordingly , the magnetic field are applied to the magnetic fluid 84 in the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 , and the viscosities of the magnetic fluid 84 are increased , thereby acting the damping forces ( the viscous damping forces ) on the respective pawl structures 10 . in this respect , the intensities of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 are the ones of the magnetic field corresponding to the total damping ( the damping coefficients ) calculated by the damping calculating portion 92 , and the damping forces acting on the respective pawl structures 10 become the largeness counteracting the excitation forces acting on the pawl structures 10 . the controls for ( the electric currents supplied to ) the respective cylinder coils 87 based on the detection signals from the displacement sensors 50 ( steps s 330 to s 360 ), i . e ., the damping controls for the respective pawl structures 10 are performed , until the rotation of the work rotating portion is stopped ( step s 370 ). in this respect , the stopping in the rotation of the work rotating portion is detected by the rotation sensor 57 . as described above , the unbalance correction device 81 of the present embodiment performing the damping controls for the respective pawl structures 10 can achieve the effect of simplifying the device configuration , in addition to the effect obtained in case of the first embodiment . more specifically , the damping controls for the respective pawl structures 10 in the present embodiment are performed , only by the electric controls for the respective cylinder coils 87 , with the supplies / discharges of the magnetic fluid to the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 stopped . consequently , in the damping controls for the respective pawl structures 10 , the valve mechanisms such as the changeover valves , the flow control valves , so as to switch the supplies / discharges of the magnetic fluid to the magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 and control the flow rate thereof , are not needed . accordingly , the effect of simplifying the device configuration can be achieved . incidentally , the unbalance correction device 81 of the present embodiment comprises the cylinder coils 87 wound around the cylinder cases 31 , as the magnetic field applying means provided with the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 , but the magnetic field applying means are not limited to them . the means , which are provided with the respective magnetic fluid cylinder mechanisms 83 and apply the magnetic field to the magnetic fluid 84 into the cylinder cases 31 , may be utilized , as the magnetic field applying means . as the magnetic field applying means , for example , the construction that the cylinder coils are incorporated into the cylinder cases 31 , the construction that conduit lines , which are continuously connected to at least any of the first cylinder chamber 31 a and the second cylinder chamber 31 b in the cylinder cases 31 and which flow the magnetic fluid to them , are differently provided from the main body of the cylinder cases 31 , as well as the cylinder coils are wound around the conduit lines or the like may be utilized . in the present embodiment , the directions of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 into the cylinder cases 31 by the cylinder coils 87 are the axial ones of the cylinder cases 31 ( the lateral directions in fig1 ), but the directions of the magnetic field applied to the magnetic fluid 84 are not especially limited . the present invention is applicable in the unbalance correction device of the high - speed rotary apparatus used for correcting the unbalance of the rotating portion thereof , with respect to the high - speed rotary apparatus having the rotating portion rotating at relatively high speed , such as the turbocharger equipped with , for example , the automobile engine . | 6Physics
|
the following is a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention , embodied in an intravenous monitor . the device includes a drip chamber 1 . the chamber is a conventional drip chamber found on most i . v . sets . an infrared emitter 2 and pick - up ( sensor ) is included as well . there is also a circuit board 3 . an electromechanical device 4 , preferably a solenoid , is included . other components such as a thermo strip could be used instead of the solenoid depending on the reaction time required . a thumbwheel 5 is used to manually rotate the rotary pincher 6 to the open position . this motion loads a torsion spring ( not shown ) that supplies the force to the pincher . the rotary pincher is mounted on the thumbwheel and “ pinches ” the tube ( stopping the flow ) as it rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise . this occurs when the signal is received from the circuit board . a lever 7 is attached to the electromechanical device ( emd ) and is used to increase the force of the emd . this allows the selection of a smaller , more cost - effective emd . the torsion spring ( not shown ) provides the force for “ pinching - off ” the tube . a front cover 9 provides protection to all internal components . as well , it provides a “ slot ” to insert the drip apparatus tubing . the slot locates the tube in a way that allows the pincher to effectively stop the fluid flow when it is in the closed position . a back cover 10 provides protection to all internal components and includes the holding mechanism that attaches the entire unit to the drip chamber . a holding mechanism 11 being a serrated compression fitting provides the means of attachment to the drip chamber . a more detailed description of the electronics of the flowcheck now follows . the electronics is implemented with an embedded micro - controller to control excitation of the infrared emitter , read the values of sensor 31 and sensor 32 ( see fig2 and 3 ), read the battery voltage , operate the indicator light - emitting diodes and the alarm beeper , and operate and verify operation of the fluid shutoff solenoid . the micro - processor includes a dedicated real - time operating system to implement the following task schedule : beeper on / off — determine requested beeper , status indicator off — shut off indicators if required time elapsed solenoid trip task — energize solenoid until trip sensor asserted detect fluid task — turn off emitter , read sensors 31 and 32 , turn on emitter read sensors 31 and 32 determine presence of fluid from readings — request alarm task if vial is empty alarm task request — red indicator led shut off flow request — solenoid trip task if vial is empty indicator on task — turn on indicators if requested ( green “ heartbeat ”, red and yellow indicators ) read battery volts — read battery voltage , request low indication ( yellow indicator ) if voltage is less than 7 volts the system senses the presence of a transparent fluid ( for example , saline , ringers , glucose , etc .) in a cylindrical transparent vial which constitutes the drip chamber of an intravenous system . the presence of this fluid is sensed by determining the refractive properties of the vial using a doubly - differential optical strategy . this strategy also results in very low sensitivity to ambient light . optical determination of the refractive properties of the vial is performed by comparing the infrared light received by two sensors from a single infrared emitter . fig3 shows a top view of the vial 33 , the infrared emitter 34 and the two infrared sensors 31 and 32 . the vial is shown in cross section . the two infrared sensors are positioned as shown on one side of the vial . the emitter is on the other side such that the emitter &# 39 ; s principal emission direction forms a chord of both the inner and outer surfaces of the vial as shown . alternatively , the same principle could be used by aligning both the infrared emitter and the two sensors on the same side of the vial and using a reflective surface ( e . g . mirror ) on the opposite side of the vial . this alternate arrangement would take advantage of the same refractive properties , while optimizing the configuration of the device . the fundamental principle of operation is as follows . when the vial is empty , the principal beam ( that beam emitted in the emitter &# 39 ; s principal emission direction ) is refracted twice by the air - vial interface both outside and inside the empty vial . since the inside and outside walls of the vial are locally parallel , the light beam inside the vial is parallel to the incident principal beam . similarly , the refracted beam is parallel to the beam inside the vial and therefore parallel with the incident beam . sensor 32 is positioned so as to receive the majority of the refracted beam when the vial is empty . the small amount of beam energy which falls on sensor 31 is due to scattering and the highly divergent beam from the infrared emitter . when the vial contains a clear fluid , the optical properties of the full vial are quite different . since the refractive index of the fluid is much higher than for air and very similar to the refractive index of the vial aterial , the incident beam is refracted by the first air - vial interface , but is not refracted significantly by the vial - fluid interface . thus , the light beam inside the vial is not at all parallel to the incident beam . proper positioning of the infrared emitter results in the beam in the filled vial meeting the vial wall near sensor 31 , perpendicular to the vial wall . this beam will fall primarily on sensor 31 , with very little beam energy received at sensor 32 . the situation is shown in fig3 . the small amount of beam energy received at sensor 32 is due to scattering and the highly divergent beam from the infrared emitter . an optical fluid sensor typically must operate in normal room illumination without extensive light baffles . to cancel any effect of ambient light , two readings are made for each sensor . with the emitter off , each sensor is read to determine the amount of incident illumination . these readings are termed s 1 n and s 2 n . then the emitter is turned on and two more readings , s 1 l and s 2 l , are made . are formed and compared . these differences remove the effects of illumination of the two sensors by ambient light , since this light is not synchronous with the operation of the infrared emitter . the vial is deemed to contain fluid if d 1 is greater than d 2 , because this situation occurs when more light due to the infrared emitter is received at sensor 31 than sensor 32 . if d 2 is greater than d 1 , the vial is deemed to be empty since the incident principal beam does not undergo significant net refraction and so it falls largely on sensor 32 . a pinch - off mechanism is also described . it was designed to use the minimum number of parts , all of which are designed to be very simple , to achieve the goal of shutting off fluid flow ( e . g . intravenous fluid ) when actuated . the goal was to achieve complete shutoff with a simple , reliable and low - cost mechanism that consumes the minimum amount of energy . the pinch - off mechanism is suitable for use with the intravenous monitor described herein , but is not restricted to such use . the design of the pinch - off mechanism is described below , in a preferred embodiment , applied to intravenous tubing . the mechanism consists of the following parts , with reference to fig1 and 4 : thumbwheel 5 with integral rotary pincher 6 , the torsion spring ( not shown ) that is cocked by the thumbwheel , the front cover 9 and specifically the narrow channel just off the center of the front of the domed part of the cover , the electromechanical device ( solenoid by preference ) 4 , and the lever 7 that is spring - loaded into the ‘ loaded ’ position by a scissor spring ( not shown ). the mechanism is configured as follows : 1 . the lever 7 is normally held by the scissor spring to cause it to engage a pawl molded on the back of the thumbwheel 5 . 2 . the electromechanical device 4 when actuated pulls on the lever 7 against the force of the scissor spring ( not shown ) so as to cause the lever to disengage from the pawl molded on the back of the thumbwheel 5 . 3 . the rotary pincher 6 consists of a half - cylinder that is integral to the thumbwheel 5 and that protrudes through a hole in the front cover 9 and capable of rotating in the front cover and is positioned such that at one position its flattened surface is flush with the side of the narrow channel that is just off center of the domed part of the front cover and that when rotated 90 degrees from this position it completely blocks the narrow channel . 4 . a torsion spring is connected to the back cover 10 and the thumbwheel in such a manner that the thumbwheel can be rotated so as to store energy in the torsion spring , and that when released the thumbwheel will rotate to release the stored energy . 2 . the user of the intravenous monitor cocks the mechanism by rotating the thumbwheel 5 90 degrees counter - clockwise when facing the front cover 9 . this has the effect of storing energy in the torsion spring ( not shown ) and of rotating the rotary pincher 6 so that the narrow channel in the domed part of the front cover 9 is free of obstruction . when fully rotated , the scissor spring ( not shown ) on the lever 7 engages the pawl ( not shown ) on the back of the thumbwheel 5 so as to prevent the thumbwheel from rotating when released by the user of the invention . 3 . the user of the intravenous monitor then inserts the intravenous tube into the narrow channel by stretching the tube slightly . 4 . the user activates the intravenous monitor by turning it on . 5 . when the infrared emitter and pickup 2 sense the absence of fluid in the drip chamber 1 , the electronics on the circuit board 3 actuate the electromechanical device momentarily . 6 . the electromechanical device then moves the lever 7 against the scissor spring ( not shown ) so that the lever no longer engages the pawl on the back of the thumbwheel . 7 . the thumbwheel is now rotated through 90 degrees by the torsion spring ( not shown ) releasing the energy stored therein . 8 . the rotary pincher 6 being integral to the thumbwheel 5 is also rotated through 90 degrees causing it to exert very high localized pressure on the intravenous tubing . this pressure is sufficiently high so as to completely occlude the tube . 9 . to ensure actuation of the mechanism , the electronics on the circuit board 3 issues repeated , momentary actuation signals to the electromechanical device . this action stops at such time as the thumbwheel is released . the release of the thumbwheel is determined by an optical reflective sensor mounted so as to sense the presence of a small reflective surface ( not shown ) on the back of the thumbwheel 5 . this provides a positive indication that guarantees release of the thumbwheel while minimizing energy consumption from the battery of the invention . the design of the rotary actuator , the thumbwheel , the torsion spring and all other components has been optimized to provide reliable pinchoff of the intravenous tube at minimum cost and with minimum energy consumption . it will be appreciated that the above description relates to the preferred embodiment by way of example only . many variations on the invention will be obvious to those knowledgeable in the field , and such obvious variations are within the scope of the invention as described and claimed , whether or not expressly described . | 0Human Necessities
|
fig1 illustrates the overall clutch assembly 10 with a clutch cover assembly 12 extending over the clutch assembly . centered in the clutch assembly is a drive shaft 14 held by a ring member 16 having a flat surface 18 of the throw out bearing at one end for engaging the inernal ends of the clutch levers which are also known as the release points . the ring member 16 has one annular channel 20 for engagement with the clutch linkage by means of a clutch release fork 22 . this clutch release fork pivots about pivot ball 24 and has each end 28 of the fork riding in the annular groove 20 . the pressure plate clutch assembly is shown generally as 32 . it has an outside cover assembly 34 with a series of peripheral openings . the cover assembly attaches to the clutch pack assembly 36 when the openings on the cover assembly are placed over the bolts 38 extending from the pack assembly and the cover assembly is locked in place by the nuts 40 . the design of the clutch pack assembly is a conventional design which is well known in the art . one of the preferred embodiments of the pressure plate clutch assembly according to the present invention involves six lever assemblies spaced around the inside of the cover assembly . in fig1 two of these lever assemblies are shown at the top and bottom of the figure . a yoke 48 is suspended from the cover assembly 34 by means of a threaded screw holder 50 ( better illustrated in fig4 ) having a locking nut 52 . the screw holder 50 acts as a holder for an adjustment screw 54 inserted therein as shown in fig4 . the yoke 48 is made of two spaced apart elements having holes at the ends with a yoke pivot pin 56 passing between the two elements . a lever 58 is mounted on the pin between the two elements . to reduce wear on the yoke and lever , two lever shims 60 are mounted on the yoke pivot pin on each side of the lever in between the two forks of the yoke . these lever shims take up the wear that is encountered . they can readily be replaced and they have a low , economical cost . the unique design of the lever of this invention will be discussed further in connection with fig9 - 11 . it has an inner end 62 , which is a release bearing point , and an outer end 64 , which is the centrifugal point of adjustment , with a hole 66 for attachment of additional bob weights . the lever pivots about the yoke pivot pin 56 held by the yoke 48 . suspended from an adjacent portion of the lever is the pressure plate forging driving lug 68 which straddles each side of the lever and which is attached to the lever by means of the pressure plate forging pivot pin 70 . the pressure plate forging driving lug is attached to the pressure plate forging 74 which is in the form of a ring . on the opposite side of the forging ring is a friction material engaging surface 76 . this surface of the pressure plate will engage the first friction surface 78 of the multiple clutch pack . again the design of the clutch pack assembly is a conventional design which is well known in the art . fig2 is an end view of the pressure plate clutch assembly , illustrating the top outside surface of the cover assembly 34 . extending inwardly are the six levers 56 , each having a terminal inner end known as the release bearing point 62 . the cover assembly is attached to the rest of the device by sliding the peripheral holes in the cover assembly over the bolts 38 extending from the clutch pack and then locking the cover assembly in place with nuts 40 , which secures the assembly to the clutch pack . this figure also illustrates the six pressure plate forging driving lugs 68 which engage the lever near the opposite external end 64 . shown in phantom are the six springs 92 under the cover assembly which are forcing the pressure plate forging ring away from the cover assembly . also shown are the six allen capscrews and spring adjusters 90 which are used to adjust the tension on the springs . fig3 is a bottom view of the pressure plate assembly which illustrates the friction surface 76 of the pressure plate . this is the surface that engages the clutch pack . the cutaway portion illustrates the lever 58 above the pressure plate which is held by the yoke pivot pin 56 extending through the two elements of the yoke 48 on either side of the lever . also shown is the pressure plate forging driving lugs 68 with its pivot pin 70 passing through the lever and held by the two driving lugs of the pressure plate forging on either side of the lever . the two lever shims 60 are shown on either side of the lever 58 . fig4 presents a detailed view of the lever assembly . near the outer periphery of the cover plate 34 are six threaded lever adjuster sleeves 50 which screw through the threaded opening 120 in the cover assembly 34 as shown in fig6 . this fig4 shows one of those sleeves in a cutaway view . the sleeve 50 is locked in place by the associated lock nut 52 . seated inside this threaded sleeve is the 12 - sided yoke locking bolt 54 which extends down and makes threaded contact with the yoke 48 . by turning the locking bolt 54 the yoke can be pulled up towards or pushed down away from the cover assembly 34 . by the combined action of moving the sleeve 50 , locking the sleeve in place with the nut 50 and then turning the locking bolt 54 to bring the yoke 48 in contact with the sleeve 50 , one can position the yoke wherever desired . this view shows the yoke pivot pin 56 which is extending out from the plane of the paper and the lever shim 60 on this upper side of the lever . the pressure plate forging pivot pin 70 also is shown extending out from the plane of the paper in engagement with one side of the pressure plate forging driving lug 68 . this pressure plate forging driving lug 68 is attached to one side of the pressure plate forging 74 with the opposite side having the friction material engaging surface 76 . the external end 64 of the lever 58 , which is the centrifugal point of the adjustment , extends out through an opening in the cover assembly 34 and has positioned an opening 66 at its far end for attachment of the bob weights . fig5 is a view taken along line 5 -- 5 of fig4 . the lever 58 has lever shims 60 on either side . at the lower , inner portion is the yoke 48 with its two elements on either side of the lever and with the yoke pivot pin 56 extending therethrough . at the upper , more external position are two driving elements of the pressure plate forging driving lug 68 on either side of the lever and the pressure plate forging pivot pin 70 extending therethrough . this figure further shows the thrust shim 98 mounted on the outside of the pressure plate forging driving lug to protect the forging assembly . during use of the clutch , the cover assembly 34 will be pressing against and wearing away this surface of the pressure plate forging driving lug . by having these replaceable thrust shims 98 , the wear on the forging surface can be prevented . this thrust shim is inexpensive and easily replaced . it saves wear on that one side of the pressure plate forging driving lug which would normally receive the most wear . fig5 also shows the bearing element or bushing 100 for the yoke pivot pin . this element fits around the yoke pivot pin 56 and fits inside the larger opening in the lever arm . also shown is the bearing element or bushing 102 for the pressure plate forging pivot pin which likewise fits around the pressure plate forging pivot pin 70 and which fits into the larger opening in the lever arm . fig6 is an exploded view of the pressure plate forging ring 74 and the cover assembly 34 . this view shows the six pressure plate forging driving lugs 68 wherein each of the driving lugs is made of two driving parts with a slot opening in the middle , through which the lever assembly fits . at the bottom opening between the two parts of the pressure plate forging driving lug 68 is a groove 110 formed which extends across the entire width of the pressure plate forging ring 74 . this groove permits further rotation of the lever towards the opening in the pressure plate forging ring . a hole 106 is formed through both of these driving parts of the pressure plate forging driving lug through which the pressure plate forging pivot pin 70 is inserted . the opposite surface of the pressure plate forging ring 74 has a friction surface 76 . spaced between the six pressure plate forging driving lugs 78 are six extending column guides 114 . these serve as a support and guide for springs which are placed over each of the columns . the springs push the pressure plate away from the cover assembly 34 and in contact with the clutch pack . at the bottom of each of the column guides 114 where they extend from the pressure plate forging 74 is an annular depression 116 which serves as a seat for each of the springs . this view in fig6 shows the threaded openings 120 in the upper surface of the cover assembly 34 for the lever adjustment assembly . six of these holes are spaced around the upper surface . spaced between these six threaded holes 120 are six holes 122 in which is inserted the allen capscrews and spring adjusters 90 for the springs 92 . fig7 and 8 present a side and top view of a prior art lever . this unit 130 has a yoke pivot pin hole 132 and a pressure plate forging pivot pin hole 134 . the internal end is designated 136 and the external end is 138 . as the lever is balanced about the yoke pivot pin , the weight distribution of these prior art levers is approximately 70 percent of the weight on the internal end side 136 with 30 percent of the weight on the external side 138 . furthermore , the line 135 defining the upper beam surface of the inner portion of the lever arm forms an angle of about 3 degrees with a line connecting the centers of holes 132 and 134 . the lever 58 according to the present invention is shown in the side and top views of fig9 and 10 . these figures present an accurate view of the lever . the yoke pivot pin hole 142 and pressure plate forging pivot pin hole 144 are shown . the internal end is the release bearing point 62 and the external end 64 is the centrifugal point of adjustment . fig9 illustrates a key feature of the present novel lever arm where the line 63 defining the upper beam surface is parallel to the line connecting the centers of holes 142 and 144 . the opening 66 in the upper end 14 is for the attachment of additional bob weights to increase the centrifugal force that will be generated at the external end . fig1 shows the top view of the lever with the two lever shims 60 mounted adjacent to each side . one of the key features of the present invention is the design of this lever 58 so that when the lever is balanced on a pin extending through the yoke pivot pin hole 142 , the weight distribution of the lever is approximately 50 percent of the weight on the internal side 62 , with the other 50 percent of the weight being on the external side 64 , although the center of gravity can be slightly on the inner side of the yoke pivot pin hole . fig1 is an exploded view of the lever assembly , showing the lever and the associated hardware . the lever 58 has the two lever shims 60 on each side . since the yoke pivot pin opening 142 and pressure plate forging pivot pin opening 144 are larger than the respective yoke and pressure plate forging pivot pins , bushings 100 and 102 are inserted around the pins to fit snugly into the lever openings 142 and 144 , as well as in the corresponding openings in the adjacent shims 60 . the openings in each of the bushings 100 and 102 are just large enough to permit the yoke pivot pin and the pressure plate forging pivot pin to slide through . the lever assembly is inserted into the pressure plate forging driving lug as follows . the lever assembly including the lever , the two adjacent lever shims and the bushing 102 are placed within the opening of the pressure plate forging driving lug . the pressure plate forging pivot pin is inserted first through one side of the driving element of the lug 68 , then through the lever shim , the lever , the other lever shim and the other side of the driving element of the driving lug . finally it is inserted through a thrust shim 98 placed adjacent the outer surface of the second side of the pressure plate driving lug where thrust forces will be encountered from the cover assembly . to adjust the amount of centrifugal force developed by the present device , bob weights can be added to the centrifugal point of adjustment 64 . this is accomplished by means of a screw or bolt 150 which passes through the opening 66 and which as a retaining nut 152 on the opposite end . various bob weights designated 154 can be added to or removed from the bolt to provide the desired additional weight on the external side of the lever . fig1 - 14 illustrate a further embodiment of the invention when it is desired to use the present six - lever pressure plate ring 74 in vehicles which are adapted for a three - lever assembly . to do this , it is necessary to remove a lever assembly from every other pressure plate forging driving lug . to provide stabilizing weights in the three now empty driving lugs , a counterbalance weight known as a dummy plug 160 as shown in fig1 is placed in these three driving lugs from which the levers have been removed as shown in fig1 . thus , as seen in fig1 , the unit modified for this embodiment has just three levers extending internally , with the remaining three alternating driving lugs having only a dummy plug 160 that does not extend into the internal area . fig1 ( a ) to 15 ( d ) illustrate the significant difference in performance between the operation of a clutch with the present lever arm shown in fig9 and 10 and that of the prior art shown in fig7 and 8 . here each lever pivots about a pressure plate forging pivot pin in a forging driving lug assembly that is rotating as part of a rotating pressure plate forging ring . see fig4 for the orientation of the lever arm with respect to the pressure plate forging 74 that is rotating about a horizontal axis . in fig1 ( a ) the lever according to the present invention is shown with the centers 143 and 145 of the two pivot holes 142 and 144 , respectively parallel to the right side beam line 63 which is the top of the lever as seen in fig9 . the center of gravity , cg , is also on the common centerline between the holes near the yoke pivot pin hole 142 . here the lever angle between the centerline and the vertical is zero degrees . fig1 ( b ) illustrates the case where there has been a wearing away of the clutch pack so the lever arm is now inclined at an angle a . the center of gravity is now offset from the vertical by a small distance . this will produce a small centrifugal torque that will increase the force on the pressure plates . this force , however , is a relatively minor additional force . a comparison with the prior art lever illustrated in fig7 and 8 is made in fig1 ( c ) and 15 ( d ). in fig1 ( c ) the center 133 of the yoke pivot hole 132 of the prior art lever 130 is aligned directly below the center 143 of hole 142 of the present lever shown in fig1 ( a ). to show its orientation in comparable use , the lever is inclined so that the touching edge of the release bearing point 136 is at the same location beneath the corresponding edge of the release bearing point 62 of the present invention . it is seen that the line between the centers 135 and 133 of the holes 134 and 132 makes an angle b with the vertical . this angle is typically 2 °- 3 °. when the clutch pack wears away , the lever arm is further inclined in fig1 ( d ) so the release bearing point also moves over to the corresponding point under fig1 ( b ). the angle c made between the two holes is now significantly larger than the angle b and there has been a significant change in the geometrical orientation of the prior art lever . this results in a significant shift in the center of gravity , cg , of the lever which increases the internal centrifugal assist . the movement of the center of gravity substantially increases the centrifugal torque produced around the pivot pin so that a given r . p . m ., there will be considerably more force acting on the pressure plate in fig1 ( d ) than was the case in fig1 ( c ). due to the greater force , there will be more &# 34 ; violence &# 34 ; transmitted to the wheels because of the increased energy transmission . the internal mass takes a more dominating effect in the prior art lever because of the increase in offset resulting from the offset in pivot holes 132 and 134 and because the internal mass is so much heavier in the prior art lever as compared to the present lever where the mass is about equally balanced . by the use of the present lever arm design , the prior problem of increased violence is overcome . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
|
a ) an organopolysiloxane containing at least 2 silicon - bonded alkenyl radicals in each molecule and exhibiting the average unit formula where r represents a halogenated or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon radical and the value of a is from 1 . 0 to 2 . 3 , b ) an organohydrogenpolysiloxane containing a linear sequence of at least 5 siloxane units as the primary molecular structure , at least three silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms , at least one trialkoxysilylalkyl group , and at least 1 epoxy group - containing organic group , where said trialkoxysilylalkyl and epoxy - containing groups are bonded to different silicon atoms through at least two carbon atoms , and this invention also provides a novel organohydrogenpolysiloxane containing a linear sequence of at least five silicon atoms . each molecule of this compound contains at least three silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms , at least one epoxy - containing group and at least one trialkoxysilylalkyl group . the epoxy - containing group and said trialkoxysilylalkyl group are bonded to different silicon atoms by a sequence of at least two carbon atoms and the organic groups bonded to silicon are monovalent hydrocarbon or halogenated hydrocarbon radicals . the organopolysiloxane referred to as ingredient a of the present compositions is the principle ingredient of the these compositions , and must contain at least 2 silicon - bonded alkenyl radicals groups in each molecule . the group r in the preceding average unit formula for this ingredient represents identical or different monovalent radicals exemplified by alkyl radicals such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , hexyl , and octyl ; alkenyl radicals such as vinyl , allyl , and hexenyl ; aryl radicals such as phenyl ; and halogenated hydrocarbon radicals such as 3 , 3 , 3 - trifluoropropyl . the value of a in this formula should be from 1 . 0 to 2 . 3 . the molecular structure of this organopolysiloxane comprises a linear or branched chain of siloxane units . while no specific restriction is placed on its degree of polymerization , the viscosity of ingredient a at 25 ° c . is typically from 10 to 1 , 000 , 00 centipoise . ingredient b of the present compositions is a novel compound that serves as the crosslinker for the organopolysiloxane referred to as ingredient a , and is also responsible for development of the excellent adhesion to other materials that characterizes cured products prepared from the present compositions . ingredient b is an organohydrogenpolysiloxane containing a linear sequence of at least 5 siloxane units , at least 1 trialkoxysilylalkyl group bonded to silicon through at least two carbon atoms , at least 1 epoxy group - containing organic group bonded to silicon through carbon at least two carbon atoms , and at least three silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms . the combination of trialkoxysilylalkyl and epoxy - substituted groups in ingredient b is responsible for the excellent adhesion developed by the present compositions during curing . the trialkoxysilylalkyl group of ingredient b contains a trialkoxysilyl group such as trimethoxysilyl , triethoxysilyl , triisopropoxysilyl or tri - n - butoxysilyl that is bonded to silicon through an alkylene radical such as ethylene , propylene or butylene . suitable epoxy substituted organic groups are exemplified by but not limited to the glycidoxypropyl group and epoxycyclohexylethyl group . in addition to these adhesion promoting groups , it is also essential that each molecule of ingredient b contain at least 3 silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms in order for the curable composition to form a network structure . other than the aforementioned epoxy - containing and alkoxysilylalkyl groups , the silicon - bonded organic groups in ingredient b are monovalent hydrocarbon and halogenated hydrocarbon radicals as described for the r radical of ingredient a . these hydrocarbon and / or halogenated hydrocarbon radicals of ingredient b may be identical or different . furthermore , ingredient b must contain at least 5 silicon atoms per molecule . in the case of four or fewer silicon atoms , one encounters a poor reactivity by the silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms , due to factors as steric hindrance . the composition of the present invention exhibits an unsatisfactory cure , with the result that either the adhesive strength is simply reduced or the cure is entirely unacceptable . when a thorough completion of the curing reaction is critical , each molecule of ingredient b preferably contains an average of at least 4 silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms . ingredient b is exemplified but not limited to the following compounds . ## str1 ## in these formulae m and p are integers with values of at least 1 , n is zero or an integer with a value of at least 1 , q is an integer with a value of at least 3 , r and u are integers with values of at least 1 , s is zero or an integer with a value of at least 1 , t is an integer with a value of at least 3 , v is zero or an integer with a value of at least 1 and w is an integer with a value of at least 3 . organohydrogenpolysiloxane represented by these formulae can be readily prepared by the reaction , in the presence of a hydrosilylation - reaction catalyst , of an alkenyl substituted trialkoxysilane and an alkenyl - substituted epoxy compound with a portion of the silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms present on an organohydrogenpolysiloxane , a well known curing agent for typical alkenyl - substituted organopolysiloxanes which cure by the hydrosilylation reaction . suitable alkenyl substituted trialkoxysilanes are exemplified by vinyltrialkoxysilanes , allyltrialkoxysilanes , and hexenyltrialkoxysilanes . suitable alkenyl substituted epoxy compounds are exemplified by allyl glycidyl ether . the siloxane units of ingredient b can have a straight - chain , network , or three - dimensional configuration . this ingredient can be a homopolymer , copolymer or a mixture of two or more polymers . its degree of polymerization will correspond to a viscosity at 25 ° c . that is generally in the range of from 0 . 5 to 50 , 000 centipoise and preferably in the range of 1 to 10 , 000 centipoise . the concentration of ingredient b in the present compositions is equivalent to a values for the molar ratio of silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms in this ingredient to alkenyl radicals in ingredient a of from 0 . 5 : 1 to 5 : 1 . the concentration equivalent to this range of ratios is typically from 0 . 1 to 10 weight parts of ingredient b per 100 parts by weight of ingredient a . the hydrosilylation - reaction catalyst , referred to as ingredient c of the present compositions , encompasses all transition - metal catalysts known in the art to exhibit catalytic activity for hydrosilylation reactions . specific examples of such catalysts include but are not limited to platinum - containing catalysts such as chloroplatinic acid , alcohol - modified chloroplatinic acid , chloroplatinic acid / olefin complexes , complexes between alkenylsiloxane and platinum or chloroplatinic acid , platinum black , and platinum supported on alumina , silica , and carbon black ; palladium catalysts such as tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ; and rhodium catalysts . among these , platinum alkenylsiloxane complex catalysts and chloroplatinic acid / alkenylsiloxane complex catalysts are preferred for their high activity and compatibility with ingredients a and b . the concentration of ingredient c is typically equivalent to from 0 . 000001 to 0 . 1 weight parts , preferably from 0 . 00005 to 0 . 01 weight parts , of platinum or other transition metal per 100 weight parts of ingredient a . compositions containing a mixture of ingredients a , b , and c may begin to cure even at room temperature . for this reason compounds that inhibit the activity of the hydrosilylation catalyst can be added to curable organosiloxane compositions of this invention to increase the working time or provide short term storage stability . typical hydrosilylation catalyst inhibitors include but are not limited to acetylenically unsaturated alcohols such as methylbutynol and 1 - ethynylcycohexanol , and cyclic diorganosiloxanes wherein at least a portion of the silicon atoms are bonded to alkenyl radicals such as vinyl . if it is desired to store the present composition as one - part compositions containing a platinum - containing hydrosilylation catalyst for extended periods of time , known catalyst inhibitors typically will not provide the desired level of storage stability . in this instance it is usually necessary to encapsulate the catalyst in finely divided particles of a thermoplastic resin exhibiting a softening point or glass transition temperature of from 50 ° to 200 ° c . these particles will be also be referred to as a micro - particulate catalyst - containing thermoplastic resin or as microparticles . in one embodiment of these microparticles the hydrosilylation - reaction catalyst is present as a core within a thermoplastic resin shell or skin . a second embodiment exhibits a structure in which the hydrosilylation - reaction catalyst is dissolved or dispersed in the microparticulate thermoplastic resin . the thermoplastic resin portion of the encapsulated catalyst microparticles can be any resin that is essentially impermeable to the hydrosilylation - reaction catalyst at least during the period of storage and is essentially insoluble in the organopolysiloxane referred to as ingredient a . thermoplastic resins which can be used to encapsulate the catalyst ( ingredient c ) include but are not limited to acrylic resins , polystyrene , methyl cellulose , silicone resins , and polysilane resins . the hydrosilylation - reaction catalyst , ingredient c , can be encapsulated within a microparticulate thermoplastic resin using any of the known methods . these methods included but are not limited to chemical methods such as interfacial polymerization and in - situ polymerization , physical - chemical methods such as coacervation and in - liquid drying , and physical - mechanical methods such as spray drying . of these methods in - liquid drying and spray drying are preferred because they yield microparticles with a narrow particle size distribution in a relatively simple and straightforward manner . the microparticles of catalyst - containing thermoplastic resin obtained using any of the methods described in the preceding paragraph can be used directly as a ingredient c . if it is desired achieve a superior level of storage stability for the curable composition , it is preferable to wash the microparticulate resin with an appropriate washing solvent in order to remove any catalyst adhering to the surface of the resin particles . suitable washing solvents should not dissolve the thermoplastic resin , but should be capable of dissolving the hydrosilylation catalyst . examples of suitable washing solvents include but are not limited to alcohols such as methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol and low - molecular - weight organopolysiloxanes such as hexamethyldisiloxane . the average particle size for the encapsulated catalyst should be within the range of from 0 . 01 to 100 micrometers , preferably within the range of from 0 . 1 to 10 micrometers . when the average particle size falls below 0 . 01 micrometers , there is a drastic decline in the yield of hydrosilylation - reaction catalyst obtained using known methods . when the average particle size exceeds 100 micrometers , the stability of the dispersed catalyst - containing microparticulate resin in the organopolysiloxane referred to as ingredient a of the present compositions is impaired . the microparticulate resin preferably contains at least 0 . 01 weight percent of the hydrosilylation reaction catalyst . while the present compositions must contain ingredients a , b and c , additional ingredients can also be present in the curable composition so long as the objectives of the present invention are not compromised . these additional ingredients include but are not limited to finely divided forms of silica such as fumed silicas and wet - method silicas ; surface - hydrophobicized microparticulate silicas ; methylhydrogenpolysiloxanes having two silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms in each molecule , which are added for the purpose of adjusting the molar ratio between the silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms in ingredient b and the silicon - bonded alkenyl radicals in ingredient a ; crepe - hardening inhibitors ; the aforementioned hydrosilylation catalyst inhibitors such as phenylbutynol and triallyl isocyanurate to increase the working time and storage stability of the curable compositions ; non - organopolysiloxane polymers ; heat stabilizers , flame retardants , and fillers such as powdered quartz , diatomaceous earth , calcium carbonate , and glass fibers . the present curable organosiloxane compositions can be prepared by mixing the aforementioned ingredients a through c to homogeneity . while compositions containing a hydrosilylation catalyst , ingredient c that is not encapsulated in a microparticulate thermoplastic resin can be cured by standing at room temperature , heating of these compositions is preferred to accelerate curing . in order to develop a particularly good adhesion to substrates that the organosiloxane composition is in contact with during curing , curing should be conducted at temperatures in the range of about 80 ° to about 150 ° c . curable compositions containing a hydrosilylation catalyst encapsulated within a microparticulate thermoplastic resin are preferably prepared by mixing and dispersing the encapsulated catalyst to homogeneity into a small quantity of ingredient a followed by the addition of this to the mixture of ingredients a and b . any blending means can be used so long as it does not fracture or destroy the microparticulate resin sufficiently to liberate the hydrosilylation catalyst . the maximum temperature to which curable compositions containing a resin - encapsulated catalyst can be exposed during preparation of these compositions cannot be unconditionally specified because this temperature will vary with the type of resin actually used . at the very least the temperature must not exceed the softening point of the thermoplastic resin used to encapsulate the catalyst . the present compositions develop an excellent adhesion to various types of inorganic and organic substrates that the compositions are in contact with during curing . the compositions are therefore highly suitable for use as adhesives , potting agents and coating materials for electrical and electronic components . the present invention is explained in greater detail below through illustrative examples , which should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention defined in the accompanying claims . unless other wise specified all parts in the examples are by weight , viscosities were measured at 25 ° c . centigrade and cp represents centipoise . the adhesion testing and adhesive strength measurement cited in the examples were conducted according to the tensile shear test specified in astm d 1002 - 53t . 160 grams of 1 , 3 - divinyltetramethyldisiloxane and 32 . 0 g of chloroplatinic acid ( h 2 ptcl 6 . 6h 2 o ) were blended to homogeneity and then maintained at a temperature of 120 ° c . for 1 hour with stirring and under a nitrogen flow . the platinum black produced as a by - product of the reaction was then removed by filtration and the acid was removed by washing with water , thereby yielding a reaction product containing a complex of platinum coordinated with 1 , 3 - divinyltetramethyldisiloxane . the platinum metal concentration in this reaction product was 4 . 25 %. 332 grams phenyltrichlorosilane , 53 g dimethyldichlorosilane , and 110 g diphenyldichlorosilane were blended with 150 g toluene , and the resultant solution of mixed silanes was hydrolyzed by dripping the solution into a liquid composed of 430 g toluene , 142 g methyl ethyl ketone , and 114 g water . this reaction mixture was washed with water to remove the hydrogen chloride , and the organic phase was then separated off . the methyl ethyl ketone was removed by heating . 0 . 2 grams of potassium hydroxide was then added followed by heating and distillation of the produced water . the resultant liquid reaction mixture was neutralized with acetic acid , following by repeated washing with water , at then evaporation of the solvent to yield a thermoplastic silicone resin exhibiting a glass - transition temperature of 65 ° c . and a softening point of 85 ° c . the following ingredients were introduced into a stirrer - equipped glass reactor and blended to homogeneity : 900 g of the thermoplastic silicone resin described in reference example 2 , 500 g toluene , and 4 , 600 g dichloromethane . this was followed by the introduction of 44 . 4 g of the platinum / vinylsiloxane complex composition described in reference example 1 , and the resultant mixture was stirred to obtain a homogeneous solution containing the platinum / vinylsiloxane complex and thermoplastic silicone resin . using a dual - flow nozzle and a flow of heated nitrogen , this solution was continuously sprayed into a spray dryer chamber obtained from ashizawa nitro atomizer k . k . the temperature of the nitrogen was 95 ° c . at the inlet to the spray dryer , 45 ° c . at the outlet from the spray dryer , and the nitrogen flow rate was 1 . 3 m 3 / minute . after operation of the spray dryer for 1 hour , 450 g silicone resin microparticles had been recovered using a bag filter . the microparticles had an average particle diameter of 1 . 1 micrometers , contained 0 . 5 weight % of microparticles larger than 5 micrometers and 0 . 4 weight percent of platinum . observation by scanning electron microscopy confirmed that these microparticles had a spherical morphology . the following ingredients were dissolved in 330 g of methylene chloride : 1 . 6 g of the platinum / vinylsiloxane complex catalyst obtained as described in reference example 1 and 16 . 0 g of a silicone resin . the resin exhibited a softening point of 90 ° c . and contained 18 mole % diphenylsiloxane units , 17 mole % dimethylsiloxane units , and 65 mole % monophenylsiloxane units . the resultant solution was added with stirring to water which contained 15 g polyvinyl alcohol available as gosenol gl - 05 from nippon gosei kagaku kogyo k . k ., and the methylene chloride was then evaporated off over 48 hours at 25 ° to 40 ° c . the solids were recovered from the resultant suspension by centrifugation . these solids were washed with water and then with a large quantity of methyl alcohol to yield a platinum catalyst - containing silicone resin microparticulate catalyst containing 0 . 40 % platinum and exhibiting an average particle diameter of 1 micrometer . 8 . 0 grams of polystyrene exhibiting a glass - transition temperature of 82 ° c . and 1 . 0 g of the platinum / vinylsiloxane complex catalyst described in reference example 1 were dissolved in 165 g methylene chloride . this methylene chloride solution was added with stirring to water containing 7 . 5 g polyvinyl alcohol available as gosenol gl - 05 from nippon gosei k . k ., and the methylene chloride was evaporated off over 40 hours at 25 ° to 40 ° c . the solids were isolated from the resultant suspension by centrifugation . the solids were then washed in succession with water , a large quantity of methyl alcohol , and finally with hexamethyldisiloxane to yield an encapsulated platinum catalyst with an average particle size of 7 micrometers and a platinum content of 0 . 24 %. this example describes a preferred curing agent of this invention and the use of a platinum catalyst inhibitor to impart short - term storage stability to the curable organosiloxane composition . the following ingredients were blended to homogeneity : 100 parts of a dimethylvinylsiloxy - terminated dimethylpolysiloxane exhibiting a viscosity of approximately 2 , 000 cp ( 2 pa · s ) and 20 parts of a microparticulate silica exhibiting a specific surface area of approximately 200 m 2 / g and a surface that had been hydrophobicized with hexamethyldisilazane . to the resultant mixture was added 0 . 01 part 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 3 - hexynol and 3 . 0 parts of an organohydrogenpolysiloxane corresponding to the average molecular formula b1 . ## str2 ## the hydrosilylation reaction catalyst was prepared by reacting 1 , 3 - divinyltetramethyldisiloxane with chloroplatinic acid ( h 2 ptcl 6 . 6h 2 o ) as described in reference example 1 to yield a product containing a platinum complex in which 1 , 3 - divinyltetramethyldisiloxane was coordinated . 0 . 015 part of this complex containing 4 . 3 weight % of platinum was blended into the mixture described in the preceding section of this example to yield a curable organopolysiloxane composition . the curable composition was placed between six pairs of test panels , both formed from the same material , and cured by heating it in an oven maintained at 120 ° c . for one hour . the panels were formed from aluminum , iron , bakelite (®), a glass fiber - reinforced epoxy resin , polybutylene terephthalate ( pbt ), and glass . the resultant test specimens contained the two test panels bonded into a single body through the cured product formed from the organopolysiloxane composition . the test specimens were placed in a tensile tester and its adhesive strength measured . these results of these measurements are reported in table 1 . for comparison , a curable organosiloxane composition was prepared using same ingredients described in the first section of this example , with the exception that the organohydrogen - polysiloxane represented by formula b1 was replaced with 0 . 87 g of a methylhydrogenpolysiloxane of formula b2 ## str3 ## where me represents methyl , as the curing agent . the adhesive strength was measured as described in the preceding section of this example , above , and these results are also reported in table 1 . table 1______________________________________ example 1 comparison example 1 adhesive strength , adhesive strength , substrate kg / cm . sup . 2 kg / cm . sup . 2______________________________________aluminum 32 ≦ 5iron 38 ≦ 5bakelite 35 ≦ 5epoxy / glass 36 ≦ 5pbt 25 ≦ 5glass 30 ≦ 5______________________________________ the following ingredients were blended to homogeneity : 58 parts of a dimethylvinylsiloxy - terminated dimethylpolysiloxane with a viscosity of approximately 2 , 700 cp ( 2 . 7 pa · s ); 13 parts of a polysiloxane exhibiting a viscosity of approximately 10 cp ( 0 . 01 pa · s ) and consisting of trimethylsiloxy units , dimethylvinylsiloxy units , and sio 4 / 2 units ; 17 parts powdered quartz with an average particle size of approximately 5 microns ; and 12 parts microparticulate silica exhibiting a specific surface area of approximately 200 m 2 / g which had been surface - hydrophobicized with hexamethyldisilazane . to the resultant mixture were added with blending to homogeneity 6 . 8 parts of the same organohydrogenpolysiloxane ( b1 ) used in example 1 and 0 . 02 parts of the same platinum complex - containing hydrosilylation reaction catalyst used in example 1 . this curable composition was placed between nine pairs of test panels , both formed from the same material . the compositions were cured by heating them at 120 ° c . for 1 hour in an oven to yield a test sample in which the two test panels were bonded into a single body through the cured product of the organopolysiloxane composition . the test panels were formed form aluminum , copper , iron , nickel , brass , bakelite (®), epoxy / fiberglass composite , pbt and nylon - 6 . the adhesive strength and bonding status of the sample were then measure . the results of these measurements appear in table 2 . for purposes of comparison , an organopolysiloxane composition was prepared as described in the preceding section of this example , but replacing the organohydrogenpolysiloxane with 4 . 9 parts of an organohydrogenpolysiloxane corresponding to formula b3 . ## str4 ## in place of the organohydrogenpolysiloxane with formula ( b1 ) as used in example 1 . adhesion testing was also conducted as above , and these measurement results are reported in table 2 . table 2______________________________________ comparison compari - example 2 example 2 son ex - adhesive adhesive ample 3 strength bonding strength bonding bondingsubstrate kg / cm . sup . 2 status kg / cm . sup . 2 status status______________________________________aluminum 38 ++ 38 ++ -- copper 38 ++ 10 + -- iron 38 ++ 37 ++ -- nickel 37 ++ 28 + -- brass 34 ++ 20 + -- bakelite 34 ++ 32 ++ -- epoxy / glass 37 ++ 31 ++ -- pbt 26 ++ 14 x xnylon - 6 28 ++ 14 x x______________________________________ ++ more than 95 % cohesive failure ( fracture in the cured layer formed fro the organopolysiloxane composition ) + 5 to 95 % cohesive failure x interfacial delamination ( separation at the interface between the substrate and the cured layer formed from the organopolysiloxane composition ) a curable organopolysiloxane composition was prepared as described in example 2 , but replacing the curing agent represented by formula b1 with 4 . 0 parts of the organohydrogenpolysiloxane represented by formula b4 ## str5 ## and 2 . 0 parts of the organohydrogenpolysiloxane represented by formula b5 this composition was subjected to adhesion testing as described in example 2 using test panels of pbt and nylon - 6 , and the bonding status was rated as entirely cohesive failure in each case . for comparison , an organopolysiloxane composition was prepared as above with the modification that 2 . 0 parts of the organohydrogenpolysiloxane corresponding to formula b6 ## str6 ## was used in place of organohydrogenpolysiloxane ( b4 ). when this composition was subjected to adhesion testing as described in the preceding examples the bonding status was rated as entirely interfacial failure . also for comparison , an organopolysiloxane composition was prepared as above with the modification that 2 . 0 parts organohydrogenpolysiloxane corresponding to formula b7 ## str7 ## was used in place of organohydrogenpolysiloxane b4 . this composition was subjected to adhesion testing as described in example 2 against pbt and nylon - 6 . the results for the bonding status were entirely due to delamination at the interface . the following ingredients were blended to homogeneity : 100 parts dimethylvinylsiloxy - terminated dimethylpolysiloxane exhibiting a viscosity approximately 2 , 000 cp ( 2 pa . s ) and 20 parts microparticulate silica exhibiting a specific surface area of approximately 200 m 2 / g , the surface of the silica having been previously hydrophobicized with hexamethyldisilazane . to the resultant mixture was added 0 . 02 parts 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 3 - hexynol and 3 . 0 parts organohydrogenpolysiloxane with the molecular formula b1 of example 1 a thermosetting organosiloxane composition of this invention was prepared by the addition with mixing of the platinum catalyst - containing silicone resin microparticles described in reference example 3 in an amount equivalent to a platinum content of 5 ppm in the composition . the curable composition was placed between six pairs of two identical test panels formed from aluminum , copper , iron , bakelite (®), epoxy / glass , polybutylene terephthalate ( pbt ), and glass . the composition was cured by heating the resultant composites at 120 ° c . for 1 hour in an oven to yield a composite in which the two test panels were bonded together to form a unitary body through the cured product formed from the organosiloxane composition . the adhesive strength of the composites was measured using a tensile tester and the tensile shear test described in astm test method d 1002 - 53t . these results of the measurements are reported in table 3 . for purposes of comparison , a curable organosiloxane composition was prepared as described in the preceding section of this example , but adding 0 . 87 parts of the cyclic methylhydrogenpolysiloxane identified as b2 in the preceding example 1 as the curing agent in place of organohydrogensiloxane b1 . the adhesive strength was measured for this composition using the same test panels , and these measurement results are also reported in table 3 as comparison example 4 . table 3______________________________________ example 4 comparison example 4 adhesive strength adhesive strength , substrate ( kg / cm . sup . 2 ) ( kg / cm . sup . 2 ) ______________________________________aluminum 32 ≦ 5copper 34 ≦ 5iron 35 ≦ 5bakelite 35 ≦ 5epoxy / glass 35 ≦ 5pbt 25 ≦ 5glass 30 ≦ 5______________________________________ a thermosetting organopolysiloxane composition was also prepared as above by adding the platinum / vinylsiloxane complex as prepared in reference example 1 ( final platinum content = 5 ppm ) in place of the platinum catalyst - containing thermoplastic microparticulate catalyst . when the storage stability of this composition was evaluated , it was found that the composition of comparison example 4 was cured after 10 days at 25 ° c ., while the composition of example 4 was not cured even after 90 days . the following ingredients were thoroughly mixed : 58 parts dimethylvinylsiloxy - terminated dimethylpolysiloxane with a viscosity of approximately 2 , 700 cp ; 13 parts polysiloxane exhibiting a viscosity of approximately 10 cp ( 0 . 01 pa . s ) and composed of trimethylsiloxy groups , dimethylvinylsiloxy groups , and sio 4 / 2 units ; 17 parts powdered quartz with an average particle size of approximately 5 microns ; and 12 parts microparticulate silica exhibiting a specific surface area of approximately 200 m 2 / g which had been surface - hydrophobicized with hexamethyldisilazane . this was followed by the addition with mixing to homogeneity of 6 . 8 parts of the organohydrogenpolysiloxane identified as b1 in the preceding example 1 , 0 . 24 parts of the microparticulate silicone resin - encapsulated platinum catalyst prepared as described in reference example 4 , and 0 . 03 parts 3 - phenyl - 3 - butynol . this curable composition of the present invention was placed between two aluminum test panels , a test specimen was prepared as described in example 1 , and adhesive strength and bonding status of the test specimen were evaluated by adhesion testing also as in example 1 . the initial adhesive strength was 38 kg / cm 2 , the adhesive strength after 60 days at 40 ° c . was 35 kg / cm 2 , and in each case there was cohesive failure of the bond . a curable organopolysiloxane composition was prepared as described in example 5 , but in this case using the platinum catalyst - containing silicone resin microparticulate prepared as described in reference example 3 in place of the platinum catalyst - containing silicone resin microparticulate from reference example 4 . this composition was subjected to adhesion testing as in example 5 against pairs of identical panels prepared from aluminum , copper , iron , nickel , brass , bakelite (®), epoxy / glass panels ( glass fiber - reinforced epoxy resin ), pbt , nylon - 6 , and glass to evaluate the bonding status . for comparison , a thermosetting organopolysiloxane composition was prepared as above , but in this case adding 5 . 1 parts organohydrogenpolysiloxane with the following formula b8 1 . 0 parts vinyltrimethoxysilane , and 0 . 7 parts allyl glycidyl ether in place of polysiloxane b1 . this composition was subjected to adhesion testing as described in the preceding examples of the present specification , and the measurements are reported in table 4 as comparison example 6 . table 4______________________________________ comparisonsubstrate example 6 example 6______________________________________aluminum + + copper + + iron + + nickel + - brass + - bakelite + + epoxy / glass + - pbt + - nylon - 6 + - glass + + ______________________________________ + cohesive failure ( at least 95 % cohesive failure = fracture in the cured layer formed from the organopolysiloxane ) - interfacial ( failure at the interface between the substrate and the cured layer formed from the organopolysiloxane composition ) the following results were obtained when the storage stabilities of these compositions were evaluated : the composition of example 6 was not cured even after 60 days at 40 ° c ., while the composition of comparison example 6 was cured after 5 days . the following ingredients were mixed to homogeneity : 100 parts of a dimethylvinylsiloxy - terminated dimethylpolysiloxane with a viscosity of approximately 2 , 000 centipoise ( 2 pa · s ) and 20 parts microparticulate silica exhibiting a specific surface area of approximately 200 m 2 / g . the surface of the silica had been hydrophobicized by treatment with hexamethyldisilazane . a thermosetting organopolysiloxane composition of this invention was then prepared by the subsequent addition of 3 . 1 parts organohydrogenpolysiloxane represented by formula b4 in example 3 and 0 . 2 parts platinum catalyst - containing polystyrene microparticles prepared as described in reference example 5 . approximately 10 g of this composition was introduced into an 6 cm - diameter aluminum cup and cured for 30 minutes in a drying oven at 130 ° c . the bonding status between the cured composition and the cup was then evaluated . it was found that the cured material strongly bonded to the aluminum cup . when forcibly peeled , cohesive failure was observed in which fracture occurred within the cured material . when the storage stability of the curable composition was investigated , it was found that this composition was not cured even after standing for 90 days at 25 ° c . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
|
the disclosure provides a process of cultivating bacteria , wherein the rate of feed addition during fed - batch fermentation is equivalent to the rate of alkali mixture addition for maintaining a preset ph . another aspect of the instant invention is that alkali mixture consisting of naoh and na2co3 in a specific ratio can be used for a ) maintaining preset ph & amp ; b ) obtaining higher capsular polyose yield . use of only na2co3 can provide suitable medium for growth as well as ph control , however the limiting condition of na2co3 can provide a stress condition to make capsular polyoses and higher requirement of na2co3 quantity . hence when the mixture of naoh and na2co3 is used for maintaining ph , the growth can be less with higher specific polyose productivity as well as with higher volumetric productivity due to less quantity of alkali consumption . as per the instant process , when glucose gets converted to lactic acid and ph begins to decrease , it can be maintained by alkali mixture addition with simultaneous glucose addition to supplement the depleted glucose in media . in a preferred embodiment of the instant invention , the fermentation feed components can comprise of at least one carbon source , at least one nitrogen source , at least one magnesium source that can be fed to the batch fermentation at a particular cell density at a feed rate equivalent to the rate of alkali mixture addition . one embodiment of the current invention is that , said alkali mixture contains at least two bases selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide , sodium carbonate , sodium bicarbonate , potassium hydroxide , potassium carbonate and calcium hydroxide . also a designated ratio of sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate is selected to achieve a higher volumetric production of cp . the designated ratio of sodium hydroxide to sodium carbonate can be between 1 : 1 and 4 : 1 . according to the instant invention , naoh was further enhancing the productivity of cp when it was used with na2co3 as mixture for maintaining the ph . only na2co3 was providing suitable medium for growth when it was used for maintaining the ph . however the limiting condition of na2co3 was providing a stress condition to make capsular polyoses . when the mixture of naoh and na2co3 was used for maintaining ph , the growth was less but cp productivity was increased . preferably the invention provides a method of culturing streptococcus in fed batch culture , wherein a high yield of cp is produced . preferably , the yield of cps from the culture medium is between 900 and 2000 mg / l or more . thus , this fed - batch method allows the production of cp at a volumetric yield increase between 150 and 350 % compared with batch culture . in some cases , the yield may be at least twice the quantity produced using batch culture , more preferably 4 times the quantity produced using batch culture . another embodiment of the current invention is that the said feed medium can comprise of at least one carbon source , at least one nitrogen source , at least one salt and at least one amino acid . preferably the said carbon source is glucose . the nitrogen source can be selected from yeast autolysates , yeast nitrogen base , peptones , tryptone , casamino acids , soybean meal , hy - soy , yeast extract and tryptic soy broth . the salt can be selected from potassium sulphate , calcium chloride , magnesium chloride , magnesium sulphate and mixtures thereof . as per the instant invention the feed medium can comprise of ingredients ( gm / l ), glucose within a range of 100 - 500 , magnesium sulphate within a range of 1 - 7 . 5 , hy - soya within a range of 40 - 150 , yeast extract within a range of 5 - 50 , thiamine hydrochloride within a range of 0 . 002 - 0 . 005 , cysteine within a range of 0 . 2 - 0 . 5 , calcium chloride within a range of 0 . 2 - 0 . 5 . also the feed medium can comprise of ingredients ( gm / l ), glucose within a range of 100 - 500 , yeast extract within a range of 5 - 50 , thiamine hydrochloride within a range of 0 . 002 - 0 . 005 , cysteine within a range of 0 . 2 - 0 . 5 , calcium chloride within a range of 0 . 2 - 0 . 5 . alternatively said feed medium can comprise of ingredients ( gm / l ), glucose within a range of 100 - 500 , magnesium sulphate within a range of 0 . 5 - 7 . 5 , hy - soya within a range of 40 - 150 and yeast extract within a range of 5 - 50 . a preferred embodiment of the instant invention is that the feed medium can comprise of ingredients ( gm / l ), glucose within a range of 100 - 200 , magnesium sulphate within a range of 1 - 3 , hy - soya within a range of 50 - 150 and yeast extract within a range of 15 - 25 according to the instant invention the said novel fed batch process can be utilized for preparing capsular polyoses selected from the group consisting of escherichia coli , francisella tularensis , haemophilus influenzae , klebsiella , moraxella catarrhalis , neisseria meningitidis groups a , c , w 135 y and x , porphyromonas gingivalis , pseudomonas aeruginosa , burkholderia cepacia , salmonella typhi , salmonella typhimurium , salmonella paratyphi , shigella dysenteriae , shigella flexneri , shigella sonnei , vibrio cholera , enterococcus faecalis , enterococcus faecium , group a streptococcus , group b streptococcus , mycobacterium tuberculosis , staphylococcus aureus , staphylococcus epidermidis and streptococcus pneumoniae . evaluation of feeding method for optimization of fed batch development for s . pneumoniae serotype 1 different feeding methods were evaluated for feeding . do - stat method was not applicable for s . pneumoniae fermentation . as s . pneumoniae is micro - aerofilic bacteria only surface aeration was required during fermentation process . after partial growth of s . pneumoniae in fermenter during batch mode fermentation , dissolved oxygen was around zero . 1 . ph stat method : the ph stat feed was controlled by a set - ph point wherein when the ph of the culture rises above the set - ph , the carbon source was added to the medium and when the ph of the culture falls below the set - ph , the carbon feed was stopped . 2 . constant rate feeding method : in this method 11 concentrated feed was given at 4 . 2 ml / m for 4 hrs in 1 . 6 l of broth culture . 3 . exponential feeding method : the feed rate was started with 1 ml / m and increased with od . the feed rate was increased by 0 . 5 ml / m for 1 unit increment in od . 4 . constant glucose concentration : residual glucose concentration was tried to maintain around 0 . 5 g / l during fed batch fermentation . 5 . ph dependant feeding method : in this method ph was maintained with na2co3 . the glucose was added for depleted glucose in media at rate which na2co3 was fed in media for maintaining the ph . the nbs bioflo 115 and bioengineering ag fermenter was used for all these experiments . the present study was carried out at 3 l nbs bioflo 115 fermenter model and it was scaled - up to 30 l bioengineering ag fermenter . the further scale up could be carried out at 450 l bioengineering fermenter . the 200 g / l glucose and 5 g / l mgso4 were used as feeding media for all fed batch fermentation . the fermentation condition were same for all fed batch experiments . the ph was maintained with 20 % na2co3 solution during fermentation process . the following parameters were maintained during the fed batch fermentation . temperature ( 36 . 5 + 0 . 5 ), ph ( 7 . 1 + 0 . 2 ), rpm - 100 , airflow ( surface aeration )— 0 . 5 vvm . all the fermentation conditions were maintained as mentioned above . the ph dependent feeding method was used for fed batch fermentation feeding for all batches . the 4 th feed medium was utilized for further fed batch experiments . the naoh was further enhancing the productivity of cp when it was used with na2co3 as mixture for maintaining the ph . only na2co3 was providing suitable medium for growth when it was used for maintaining the ph . the limiting condition of na2co3 was providing a stress condition to make cp . when the mixture of naoh and na2co3 was used for maintaining ph , the growth was less but cp productivity was increased . the 8 % naoh and 20 % na2co3 was used in ratio of 1 : 1 , 2 : 1 , 3 : 1 and 4 : 1 . feed media composition 3 in example 2 was used as feed for the following fed - batches . thus fed batch method of the current invention results in volumetric increase in cp yield ranging from 150 to 350 %, wherein final cp yield ranges between 900 and 2000 mg / l . it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative examples and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential attributes thereof , and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments and examples be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , reference being made to the appended claims , rather than to the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are / therefore intended to be embraced therein . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
|
as mentioned above , an object of the present invention is to reduce the number of computations required in either a short binary sequence or a long binary sequence correlation calculation . to achieve this objective , it is convenient to first rewrite equation 2 , set forth above , as equation 3 for a binary sequence b . c a , b ( t ) = ∑ i = 1 n a t + 1 * b i ( 3 ) where t ε ( 1 . . . m ); i ε ( 1 . . . n ); b l ε (− 1 , + 1 ) equation 3 is similar to equation 2 except for the additional limitation that b i is binary and can only assume a value of either − 1 or + 1 . it is noted that equation 3 can also be written as equation 4 , as follows : c a , b ( t ) = ∑ i = 1 n a t + i * b i = 2 * ∑ i = 1 n a t + i * b i + 1 2 - ∑ i = 1 n a t + i ; where , t ∈ ( 1 … m ) ; i ∈ ( 1 … n ) ; b i ∈ ( - 1 , + 1 ) ; thus , c a , b ( t ) = 2 · ∑ i = 1 n a i + t · b i - ∑ i = 1 n a i + t with b i = b i + 1 2 ∈ ( 0 , 1 ) ( 4 ) if b i has equal density of − 1 and + 1 or , in other words , is equal to − 1 and + 1 about the same number of times within the sequence , the number of additions and / or subtractions per correlation value for the first sum , σ , is n / 2 . however , the right - hand side sum of equation 4 requires an additional ( n − 1 ) addition calculations . also , another subtraction calculation for the two summed values , σ , is required . therefore , the total number of calculations required is ( n / 2 )+ n − 1 + 1 =( 3n / 2 ). because each new sub - sequence is a shifted version of the preceding sub - sequence , the following equation holds : ∑ i = 1 n a ( t + 1 ) + i = ∑ i = 1 n a t + i + a t + 1 + n - a t + 1 ( 5 ) in other words , as shown in equation 5 , the new sum is equal to the previous sum , plus the new element , minus the first element of the previous sum . thus , the second sum , σ , in equation 4 requires a single addition and a single subtraction for each sub - sequence , and the number of calculations per correlation function value can be reduced to ( n / 2 )+ 3 . this approach can result in a considerable reduction in the number of computations required . for example , as the value of n increases , the reduction in the absolute number of computations increases arithmetically . moreover , for the case when the long sequence is binary , the savings in the number of computations required increases even further . equation 6 , below , shows the correlation calculation for a long binary sequence . c a , b ( t ) = ∑ i = 1 n a t + i * b i = 2 * ∑ i = 1 n a t + i + 1 2 * b i - ∑ i = 1 n b i ( 6 ) in equation 6 , the sum , σ , of b i can be pre - calculated and only needs to be subtracted once per correlation calculation . therefore , the number of calculations , assuming an even distribution of a , decreases to (( n / 2 )+ 1 ), which is less than the (( n / 2 )+ 3 ) required for a short binary code , as noted above . as n increases , the percentage savings in both short binary sequences and long binary sequences approaches 50 % of the total number of computations required in the prior art , assuming the number of values for bi =+ 1 is equivalent to the number of values for bi =− 1 . however , it is apparent that even if the numbers of + 1 and − 1 values are not exactly equal , a significant reduction in the number of computations can still be achieved . in order to more clearly appreciate the present invention , a detailed description of one embodiment in accordance with the invention is described below in reference to fig3 . fig3 depicts a circuit in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention for the case in which the binary sequence is a short binary sequence . sequence a is serially input to the shift register ( 30 ) one symbol at a time . shift register ( 30 ) comprises n shift register blocks , each block comprising a number of flip - flops corresponding to the number of bits required to represent each symbol in a . shift register ( 30 ), therefore , stores the last n values of a , which comprise the subsequence to be correlated . shift - register ( 35 ), which shifts the bits of the short sequence b is initially loaded with b i ε (− 1 ,+ 1 ). as can be seen , the value is calculated by adding , with adder ( 32 ), the value of a t + i to the previous value , which is stored in register ( 33 ), and subtracting , with subtractor ( 31 ) the value of a t . this operation is done m number of times , resulting in a total of m * 2 addition operations . if the registers are initially cleared , the first n − 1 output values are “ dummy values ” and can be discarded or ignored . the divide - by - n counter ( 36 ) controls the n - bit mux ( 34 ) to successively scan the sub - sequence a and assert all n values of the current sub - sequence at the inputs of the adder ( 37 ). the value of a i is added , using adder ( 37 ), to the accumulator register ( 38 ) only if the corresponding b i value is equal to + 1 . after each correlation value is accumulated , the sum of a t + i is subtracted from the accumulation result , using subtractor ( 39 ), to yield the correlation value for that sub - sequence . the number of operations is , as explained above , ( n * m / 2 + 3m ), if 50 % of the b values are equal to − 1 . fig4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention where the binary sequence is a long binary sequence , a . sequence a is serially input to the shift register ( 40 ) one symbol at a time and sequence b is pre - loaded into shift register ( 41 ). as divide - by - n counter ( 44 ) counts through its respective sequence , its output is used to control mux ( 42 ) to present sequential values of a to the enable input of adder ( 45 ). if the value of ai is + 1 , the corresponding value of bi is accumulated in accumulator ( 46 ). block ( 43 ), denoted with σbi evaluates the sum of the bi sequence one time only , prior to any correlation calculation being performed . this can be done by accumulating the rotating values of b i during the time when the first sub - sequence of a is being input to shift register ( 40 ), or by some other means . the accumulation of bi values requires n − 1 addition calculations and the sum of all the bi values is subtracted from the accumulated values of bi in subtractor ( 47 ). the total number of computations , assuming an even distribution of a values , is accordingly reduced to ( m * n / 2 + m + n − 1 ). the present invention has been described in accordance with the preferred embodiments , however , a person skilled in the art would be aware of variations to these preferred embodiments that would still exist within the scope of the present invention . for example , as a general rule , at any given level of functionality , in this case , number of computations , there is a tradeoff between three elements , hardware , speed , and power . as more hardware is added , in the form of additional logic gates ( with additional costs in investment and space ), greater speed can be achieved , at a cost of increased power consumption . the function can also be implemented exclusively by software ( running on a dsp or a cpu which , presumably , already exists in other parts of the circuit ). in this case , it will take much more time and increased power . another variation of the embodiments described above results in a reduction in the amount of hardware required , but it also requires an increase in the amount of power consumed . for example , the multiplexors used in both fig3 ( element 34 ) and fig4 ( element 42 ), can be eliminated if , after the new value of the b sequence is received , the shift register holding the last nb values performs a full rotation . this rotation will result in a full scan of all values . this solution will save hardware , but the fast rotation requires the consumption of more power . furthermore , correlators are often implemented in software , whether on a general purpose cpu or on a dsp ( digital signal processor ) device . the present invention also includes a software implementation . fig5 is a flow chart demonstrating a software implementation of the present invention . fig5 a demonstrates a software correlator according to the prior art . fig5 b , on the other hand , shows a software implementation in accordance with the present invention . one difference between the two implementations is that the prior art requires computations where b =+ 1 and where b =− 1 , but the present invention requires a computation only where b =+ 1 , not where b =− 1 . in accordance with the present invention , the subtraction calculations required , for example , in the prior art systems are avoided , just as the values for b =− 1 do not need processing in the hardware embodiments of the invention , described above . in particular , in accordance with the flow diagram of fig5 b , the sum of a finite sequence bi is initially calculated and pointer i is cleared . an accumulator c is then cleared and prepared for a new correlation calculation . a first value of a sub - sequence of a long sequence a i + t and a first value of an n - bit sequence b i are obtained and it is determined whether the obtained value of a i + t is equal to − 1 or not . if the current value of a i + t is equal to − 1 , it is then determined whether the current value of a i + t is the last value of λ in the sub - sequence being correlated . that is , it is determined whether pointer i is equal to n . alternatively , if the obtained value of a i + t is not equal to − 1 , the value in accumulator c is incremented with the present value of a i + t . subsequently , if it is determined that the present value of bi is not the last value of bi in the n - bit sequence , that is , if pointer i ≠ n , then the pointer i is incremented by + 1 and the procedure above , starting with obtaining two new values of a i + t and bi , is repeated . if , on the other hand , it is determined that the present value of bi is the last value of bi in the n - bit sequence , that is , if i = n , then pointer i is reset to zero and the present value of t is incremented by + 1 . the value within accumulator c is decremented by the previously calculated sum of the values of sequence bi and it is determined whether t = m . that is , it is determined whether the finite n - bit sequence bi has been matched against every sequential n - bit sub - sequence of ai . if it is determined that a correlation value has been calculated for each n - bit sub - sequence of ai , the process ends and the final correlation value is equal to the present value of accumulator c . however , if sequence bi has not been correlated with every sub - sequence of ai , then the same procedure as discussed above is repeated , starting with clearing the accumulator c . | 6Physics
|
instead of using a custom step - up transformer to increase the voltage , the power - supply circuit in the present disclosure feeds ac power through a three - stage , half - wave cockcroft - walton multiplier which bumps the line voltage up above 1 kv ( for example , to 1020 v ). this is shown in fig1 , which presents a block diagram illustrating a voltage multiplier 110 ( in this example , a cockcroft - walton multiplier ) in power - supply circuit 100 . the cockcroft - walton multiplier uses only capacitors and diodes to produce a rectified and filtered output voltage vcc 114 , which is a multiple of the peak ac input voltage 112 . in particular , when the voltages on capacitors c 1 , c 3 and c 5 on the top of voltage multiplier 110 ( which are charged by the ac line voltage ) exceed the voltage thresholds of the diodes ( which act as unidirectional switches ), charge flows into ( and is held by ) c 2 , c 4 and c 6 on the bottom of voltage multiplier 110 . thus , c 1 , c 3 and c 5 dump charge into c 2 , c 4 and c 6 , and c 2 , c 4 and c 6 provide a voltage offset to the next stage in voltage multiplier 110 ( each stage in voltage multiplier 110 provides an additional two - times multiplication ). as the ac line current alternates , c 2 , c 4 and c 6 lift or pump up the voltage in both directions ( because p can go below n ), thereby providing a rectified output voltage . note that the high - voltage diodes and high - voltage capacitors in fig1 are readily available . one problem with using a cockcroft - walton multiplier at the ac line frequency is that under load the output of this voltage multiplier can dip substantially and has significant ripple ( much more than a conventional step - up transformer with rectified and filtered output ). moreover , when used in conjunction with an ac line voltage , the ripple is at 60 hz , which is audible . additional filtering can be added to reduce the ripple under load to acceptable levels . however , because of the output impedance of voltage multiplier 110 , the output - voltage level will remain sensitive to the ac line voltage level and the load . what is needed is an additional stage of active regulation that incorporates a reference so that a stable , low - ripple dc output voltage can be maintained for changing ac line voltage and changing loads . to achieve this end , power - supply circuit 100 includes a feedback regulator with the voltage referenced to the output of voltage multiplier 110 . this is shown in fig2 , which presents a block diagram illustrating an ldo regulator 210 in power - supply circuit 100 . ldo regulator 210 is a feedback regulator that includes a high - voltage first stage 212 that includes a differential amplifier 214 , which feeds through to a second stage 216 with a level - shifting circuit 218 . the output of level - shifting circuit 218 specifies a gain of a power transistor q 3 226 in a third stage 224 . this third stage also includes a high power - divider network 228 ( such as a passive voltage divider ) that provides a filtered and amplified dc output voltage b + 230 relative to ac input voltage 112 in fig1 ( for example , 700 v ), as well as a voltage fb 232 corresponding to dc output voltage b + 230 . this voltage is compared to a reference voltage ( which is provided by resistor r 1 and zener diode z 1 ) by differential amplifier 214 , thereby providing negative feedback . ldo regulator 210 includes a number of features to solve problems that occur at high voltages , including : ( 1 ) turn - on problems ; and ( 2 ) a low output impedance so that power transistor q 3 226 can provide an approximately constant output power into a load over audible frequencies , such as up to 10 - 20 khz . ( thus , the resistances in the design need to be small enough so that third stage 224 has sufficient bandwidth to provide high power and to regulate over audio frequencies .) in particular , r 2 protects differential amplifier 214 even if vcc 114 is very large . ( thus , differential amplifier 214 floats relative to the resistors so power - supply circuit 100 can operate safely at high voltages .) because of the negative feedback , during normal operation the gates of the transistors in differential amplifier 214 are at similar voltages . however , when power - supply circuit 100 is first turned on , there is no voltage on dc output voltage b + 230 , while the voltage on z 1 is approximately 200 v , which will destroy the transistors in differential amplifier 214 . to prevent this , the gates of these transistors are electrically coupled by z 2 and z 3 with opposite polarities , which clamp a differential voltage across the gates during turn on of power - supply circuit 100 . in second stage 216 , level - shifting circuit 218 includes an npn transistor m 1 220 having : a gate coupled to an output of differential amplifier 214 ; an emitter coupled to ground ; and a collector coupled to set of series - coupled diodes 222 , which can include at least one diode . this set of series - coupled diodes shifts an output voltage from differential amplifier 214 to a larger intermediate voltage . this intermediate voltage specifies a gain v gx of power transistor q 3 226 with a differential voltage across the collector and the emitter that is less than a v ce breakdown voltage of this transistor . level - shifting circuit 218 works as follows . first , note that the resistances r 6 and r 8 are the same , and the mirror current in differential amplifier 214 and on npn transistor m 1 220 are similar ( for a reasonable value of β for this transistor , they are almost the same ). r 4 and r 5 are selected so that r 5 and r 8 are at the same voltage ( or similar voltages ). then , if differential amplifier 214 is balanced because of negative feedback , the voltage on r 3 is similar to the voltages on r 4 and r 5 . because of level - shifting circuit 218 , the voltages on r 6 and r 8 are similar , so the nominal gain v gx for power transistor q 3 226 can be specified . moreover , even though r 8 is the ground reference , by using level - shifting circuit 218 it is shifted to a level that can control the gate voltage of power transistor q 3 226 . note that r 6 is referenced to high voltage vcc 114 . ldo regulator 210 has reasonable gain at audio frequencies ( up to 10 - 20 khz ). but large power transistors have large gate capacitance , so r 6 cannot be large . however , if r 6 is small there is a small associated voltage drop . in this case , the maximum v ce of npn transistor m 1 220 would need to be very large . to avoid this , zener diode ( s ) in set of series - coupled diodes 222 are used to shift the voltage level up . these diodes provide an ac short for currents and transients in one direction , and can hold voltage in the other direction . this set of series - coupled diodes can include multiple zener diodes , such as z 4 ( each of which has a 200 v drop ). this feature allows power - supply circuit 100 to maintain its high - frequency response . note that power transistor q 3 226 is where the voltage drops as the load current changes . to maintain dc output voltage b + 230 when this occurs , power transistor q 3 226 dynamically changes its effective impedance . furthermore , dc output voltage b + 230 equals a voltage reference times power - divider network 228 , so different dc output voltages can be selected . this power - divider network 228 also includes features that facilitate operation at high voltages . c 7 and c 8 ( which each may have breakdown voltages of 300 - 400 v ) are stacked so that they do not blow up . however , these capacitors cannot take the full voltage drop if the circuit assumptions are wrong ( such as during turn off ). consequently , r 9 and r 10 are used to maintain half of the voltage drop on each of these capacitors during turn off . additionally , voltage fb 232 is the feedback point . it provides this voltage to differential amplifier 214 . as described previously , power - divider network 228 may have an output impedance less than a predefined value , thereby allowing power transistor q 3 226 to provide an approximately constant output power into a load over audible frequencies . note that ldo regulator 210 uses readily available components yet successfully operates in the 1 kv range . for example , using the ac line as the input , dc output voltage b + 230 may be at least five times larger than a root - mean - square value of ac input voltage 112 ( fig1 ). in an exemplary embodiment , voltage multiplier 110 ( fig1 ) uses diode model stth512fp ( provided by stmicroelectronics , n . v ., of geneva , switzerland ). moreover , ldo regulator 210 may use zener diode model 1n5388b ( provided by freescale semiconductor , of austin , tex . ), transistors q t and q 2 in differential amplifier 214 and power transistor q 3 226 may be model mtb2p50e ( provided by freescale semiconductor , of austin , tex . ), and transistor m 1 may be model buh50 ( provided by freescale semiconductor , of austin , tex .). in addition , power transistor q 3 226 may require a heat sink . hence , power - supply circuit 100 in the present disclosure combines voltage multiplier 110 in fig1 ( which provides a rectified , somewhat - filtered dc voltage vcc 114 ) plus an ldo regulator 210 ( which regulates vcc 114 to provide dc output voltage b + 230 ) that produces moderate power output and operates using ac input voltage 112 ( fig1 ). this voltage multiplier may be similar in size to a more conventional voltage multiplier that includes a custom transformer plus rectifier and filtration components , but is less expensive and , certainly , is much less massive . power - supply circuit 100 has very good power - supply noise rejection without using an l - c network ( which typically has a large output impedance ). thus , power - supply circuit 100 provides good filtering and a low output impedance . fig3 presents a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 300 that includes power - supply circuit 100 . in this electronic device , power - supply circuit 100 drives a vacuum - tube load . in particular , the dc output voltage b + 230 is electrically coupled to the tube collector . although power - supply circuit 100 ( fig1 and 2 ) and electronic device 300 are illustrated as having a number of discrete items , these embodiments are intended to be a functional description of the various features that may be present rather than a structural schematic of the embodiments described herein . in some embodiments , some or all of the functionality of power - supply circuit 100 ( fig1 and 2 ) and / or electronic device 300 may be implemented in one or more mixed signal integrated circuits . more generally , power - supply circuit 100 may be used in a wide variety of applications , including : lasers , photographic flash units , displays and audio tube amplifiers . furthermore , electronic device 300 may include a computing device , such as : a personal computer , a laptop computer , a tablet computer , a cellular phone , a personal digital assistant , a server and / or a client computer ( in a client - server architecture ). power - supply circuit 100 ( fig1 and 2 ) and / or electronic device 300 may include fewer components or additional components . for example , ldo regulator 210 ( fig2 ) can also be applied to the filtered , rectified output of a step - up transformer . alternatively or additionally , for specific applications the above - described voltage multiplier may be fed from the output of an optional isolation transformer 116 ( fig1 ) that isolates an input of voltage multiplier 110 ( fig1 ) from a source of ac input voltage 112 ( fig1 ), but such isolation transformers are small and widely available . the cockcroft - walton multiplier could also be a full - wave version using an isolation transformer with a center - tapped secondary . this full - wave version can provide less ripple . moreover , the full - wave version may include twice as many diodes and 1 . 5 times the number of capacitors as the half - wave version shown in fig1 , but these components may have smaller values . while the aforementioned embodiments illustrated power - supply circuit 100 ( fig1 and 2 ) using a particular configuration of a cockcroft - walton multiplier and ldo regulator 210 ( fig2 ), a variety of configurations may be used , including a cockcroft - walton multiplier with fewer or additional multiplication stages and / or additional diodes in set of series - coupled diodes 222 ( fig2 ) in level - shifting circuit 218 ( fig2 ). furthermore , other voltage multipliers and / or regulators may be used in power - supply circuit 100 ( fig1 and 2 ). in power - supply circuit 100 ( fig1 and 2 ) and / or electronic device 300 , two or more components may be combined into a single component , and / or a position of one or more components may be changed . note that the functionality of power - supply circuit 100 ( fig1 and 2 ) and / or electronic device 300 may be implemented using n - type , p - type , cmos , bipolar , vacuum tube , discrete and / or integrated components , as is known in the art . while some components are shown directly connected to one another in the preceding embodiments , others are shown connected via intermediate components . nonetheless , electrical coupling may be accomplished using a number of circuit configurations , as is known in the art . for example , these embodiments can support ac and dc coupling between components . fig4 presents a flow diagram illustrating a method 400 for providing a dc output voltage using power - supply circuit 100 ( fig1 and 2 ). during this method , the voltage multiplier in the power - supply circuit receives the ac input voltage ( operation 410 ) and provides the output voltage to the ldo regulator in the power - supply circuit ( operation 412 ). then , the ldo regulator filters and amplifies the output voltage ( operation 414 ). moreover , the ldo regulator provides the dc output voltage ( operation 416 ), where the power - supply circuit excludes a step - up transformer . in some embodiments of method 400 there may be additional or fewer operations . moreover , the order of the operations may be changed , and / or two or more operations may be combined into a single operation . the foregoing description is intended to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the disclosure , and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements . moreover , the foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description only . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the forms disclosed . accordingly , many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art , and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure . additionally , the discussion of the preceding embodiments is not intended to limit the present disclosure . thus , the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . | 7Electricity
|
referring to fig1 a si substrate 10 is provided . a layer of dielectric 12 , such as bpsg , is deposited onto the si substrate 10 using a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process . next , referring to fig2 an aluminum - containing metallization layer 14 , approximately 400 nm thick , is deposited onto the dielectric layer 12 , using techniques well known to those skilled in the art . the aluminum metallization layer 14 can comprise , for example , a sandwich structure of layers 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , and 24 of tin , ti , alcu , tin , and ti , respectively . the aluminum constituent 20 of the aluminum - containing metallization layer 14 may be pure aluminum . the aluminum may also contain additives of one or more of the following : copper , silicon , and titanium . a thin layer 26 of tungsten , here having a thickness less than 70 nm , is subsequently deposited onto the aluminum - containing metallization layer 14 , with techniques well known to those skilled in the art . referring to fig3 the wafer 10 is coated with photoresist 28 , which is subsequently patterned by using photolithography . an anti - reflective coating ( arc ) is not necessary if tungsten layer 26 is thicker than approximately 200 nm because of the anti - reflecting properties of the tungsten layer 26 . openings 29 and 30 in the photoresist 28 expose portions 32 and 34 of the tungsten layer 26 . the metal layers 14 and 26 are then patterned using separate reactive ion etch processes . referring also to fig4 the tungsten layer 26 is etched in a lam transformer - coupled plasma ( tcp ) 9600 system ( not shown ), commercially available from lam research corporation , 4670 cushing parkway , fremont , calif . 94538 . the tungsten layer 26 is etched in a fluorine - containing plasma with the following parameters : during the etch of the tungsten layer 26 , the photoresist 28 acts as a mask and defines the portions of the tungsten layer 26 to be exposed to the plasma . more specifically , openings 29 and 30 defined by photoresist 28 expose portions 32 and 34 of tungsten layer 26 . these portions 32 and 34 are etched in the fluorine - containing plasma . etching of the tungsten layer 26 results in the definition of a tungsten hard mask 36 . after the tungsten hard mask 36 is opened , one has two options : 1 ) the photoresist 28 can be left in place . the photoresist 28 is then mostly consumed during the etch of the aluminum layer 14 , and the tungsten hard mask 36 protects the features formed in the aluminum - containing layer 14 at the end of the etch step ; or , 2 ) referring to fig5 in a preferred embodiment , the photoresist 28 is removed by stripping in an oxygen - containing plasma , after the tungsten hard mask 36 is etched and before the aluminum - containing layer 14 is etched . the photoresist 28 is stripped in a lam dsq ( down - stream quartz ) chamber . this chamber is on the same platform as the tungsten and aluminum etch chambers , but is separate from the latter two chambers . alternatively , the resist 28 can be stripped in a stand - alone tool or another chamber on the same tool platform . the resist strip process parameters are : referring also to fig6 regardless of whether or not the photoresist 28 is removed , the tungsten hard mask 36 is left in place to serve as a mask for etching the aluminum - containing metallization layer 14 . the aluminum - containing metallization layer 14 is etched in a lam tcp 9600 system using parameters in the following ranges : the aluminum - containing layer 14 is etched in a lam tcp 9600 chamber separate from the chamber in which the tungsten layer 26 is etched . although the two layers 14 and 26 may also be etched in the same chamber , this practice is not preferred because it may result in the formation of aluminum fluoride . since aluminum fluoride is non - volatile , its presence may lead to particulate problems . the chlorine - containing plasma readily etches the exposed portions 38 and 40 of the aluminum - containing metallization layer 14 , but its attack of the tungsten mask 36 is negligible . in fact , even at high bias power , experiments show that tungsten etch rates are below 100 nm / min , while aluminum etch rates in the same conditions are typically in the range of 800 - 1000 nm / min . therefore , the etch rate of the aluminum is substantially higher than that of the tungsten , with an al : w selectivity of more than 8 : 1 . at low bias power , these values are expected to be even better , with even higher selectivity of aluminum to tungsten . the invention utilizes this etch selectivity by employing a tungsten hard mask for etching aluminum . an advantage of the method of the invention is that photoresist 28 need not be present while the aluminum - containing layer 14 is etched . if the photoresist 28 is stripped , the tungsten mask 36 serves as a true hard mask during the entire etch of the aluminum - containing layer . the formation of chlorine - containing polymers is thereby greatly reduced , since there is no photoresist to react with the chlorine etchants . therefore , unlike with photoresist - mask - based etching of aluminum , control of sidewall - polymer - inducing gases such as n 2 is not critical . further , due to the high al : w etch selectivty (& gt ; 8 . 1 ), a thin tungsten mask (& lt ; 70 nm ) is sufficient to pattern an approximately 400 nm thick metal stack . moreover , the thick sidewall passivation layer frequently observed in dry etching of aluminum with a photoresist mask must be subsequently removed to prevent the chlorine in this layer frqm corroding the metal . in the method of the invention , the absence of a heavy sidewall passivation layer paves the way to milder post etch corrosion prevention processing . referring to fig7 in an alternative embodiment , after the photoresist 28 is patterned , as illustrated in fig3 the tungsten layer 26 , as well as tin and ti layers 22 and 24 are etched in a fluorine - containing plasma in a lam transformer - coupled plasma ( tcp ) 9600 system ( not shown ), with one of the following set of parameters : it is noted that in order to etch refractory layers 22 and 24 in addition to tungsten layer 26 , one must either double the bias power or increase the overetch step . referring to fig8 the photoresist 28 is stripped in the manner described above with reference to fig5 . referring to fig9 the layers 16 , 18 , and 20 of tin , ti , alcu , are etched in the manner described above with reference to fig6 . many additional embodiments are possible . for example , the tungsten layer 26 may be a tungsten - containing layer with additives other than tungsten , such as tungsten nitride or tungsten suicide . | 7Electricity
|
the present invention provides a method and apparatus for high speed division without using dividers . the method and apparatus utilize a binary shift - add technique in order to simplify a computational process . the method enables the error of computation to be confined in a preset range and is capable of high speed computing . referring initially to fig1 wherein a high level flow chart of the present invention method is shown . in the flow diagram , an example of x divided by y in a binary system is shown . q is the maximum number of bits for the binary quotient . the allowable error is within the range of ±( q + r + 1 )* 2 - ( 1 + r ). the quotient stored in the division table is division table ( i )=( 2 n + r )/ i rounded to integer . i is the divisor index , its value is from 1 through ( 2 d - 1 ). d is the maximum number of bits for the divisor . n is the maximum number of bits for the dividend . r is a reference value for the error . the principle of operation of the present invention method is based on the remainder theory and a 1 / 2 exponent progression expression theory . the function of r is to first multiply the dividend by 2 r to obtain ( 2 n + r )/ i in order to reduce the error of calculation . the error range for the quotient is q + r bits due to the fact that the dividend was increased by 2 r times . in order to obtain one digit after the decimal point , the calculation must be executed ( q + r + 1 ) times . the maximum error for each calculation is 1 / 2 . the maximum error sum is ( q + r + 1 )*( 1 / 2 ). the result is then multiplied by 2 - r in order to obtain the maximum error limit within the range of ±( q + r + 1 )* 2 - ( 1 + r ). from known quantities of n , d , q , and the allowable error range , the value of r can be obtained for the division table . the size of the division table for the read only memory device is ( 2 d - 1 ), each read only memory device has n + r bits . the flow diagram shown in fig1 for the division method can be explained as follows : 101 : determine whether the value of x is smaller than the value of maximum number of bits of the preset dividend , i . e ., 2 n and the value of y is smaller than the value of maximum number of bits - 1 of the preset divisor , i . e ., 2 . sup . ( d - 1 ). if these two conditions are satisfied , it indicates that the values of x , y are within the preset range , step 102 is then executed . if these two conditions are not satisfied , it indicates that the divisor has already reached the maximum divisor index in the division table . since x ≧ 2 n , x has reached the maximum dividend range of 2 n . also , y ≧ 2 . sup . ( d - 1 ), the maximum range of the division table has been reached . if the xy values are multiplied by 2 ( to left - shift one bit ), the division table range would have been exceeded . execute 103 ; 102 : move x and y left - shift 1 bit , respectively in order to multiply the numerator and the denominator each by 2 while maintaining the same value . since the divisor and the dividend are each increased by a factor of 2 , the step 101 should be repeated in order to determine whether the divisor and the dividend have reached their preset range . the step 101 and 102 are known as a shift approaching method . 103 : at this time , the y value indicates the largest divisor in the division table . the table is looked - up to obtain a quotient reference value . store the quotient of the largest divisor from the division table temporarily into k , the quotient right - shift apparatus ; 104 : store the value in k temporarily into t . initialize the number of calculations , i , to 0 , the result , r , to 0 ; 105 : determine again whether x is smaller than 2 n , if yes , then execute 107 ; if no , than execute 106 ; 106 : at this time , the dividend x is larger than the preset maximum dividend 2 n , x is used to subtract the maximum dividend to obtain a remainder in order to continue executing the remainder displacement approaching step . adding the value in t to the value of r in order to obtain a new result r ; 107 : if x is smaller than the preset maximum dividend , then continuing multiplying by 2 , right - shift the value of k in order to divide by 2 , and then store the k value and the flag value into t , the flag value is used for rounding purpose ; 109 : determine whether the number of calculations is smaller than ( q + r + 1 ); 110 : divide the value of r by 2 r in order to obtain the result required ; the result of the above calculation is a binary division result with a decimal point . if the result of an integer is desired , it is only necessary to take the first digit below the decimal point as zero ( delete ) or 1 ( forward ). to further illustrate the present invention method of calculation , the example of fig1 is shown in a flow diagram . a division table for the present invention method is shown in fig2 a . the division table shown contains an array of quotients as a result of calculation by dividing a predetermined dividend by a number selected between 1 and up to the value of the divisor . as shown in fig2 a , the numerical values stored are rounded quotients based on a dividend of 16 , and divisors from 1 through 7 . assuming first that the dividend is a 4 - bit number , the divisor is a 3 - bit number , and the quotient is a 2 - bit number . the allowable error is ± 1 . the division of 10 by 3 is to be executed . from an error 1 & lt ;( q + r + 1 )/ 2 . sup . ( 1 + r ), obtain r = 1 , division table ( i )=( 2 n + r )/ i , i = 0 ˜ 7 . fig2 b is a calculation procedure flow chart to the example flow diagram shown in fig1 . 201 : first compare and determine if the dividend 10 is larger than 16 , i . e ., 2 4 ; whether the dividend 3 is smaller than 4 , i . e ., 2 3 - 1 . since the divisor and the dividend are both smaller than the preset range , execute step 202 . 202 : left - shift 10 and 3 by 1 bit such that the numerator and the denominator are each multiplied by 2 , i . e ., this is known as a shift approaching method , such that they approach a maximum dividend of 16 . based on the fact that the present invention division table only stores all possible quotients with a dividend of 16 , and possible divisors from 1 through 7 . when lookup table method is used , then the dividend must be controlled in a range ≧ 16 so that the part , 16 , can be separated out . here , the dividend is 20 , since 20 & gt ; 16 , execute step 203 . 203 : lookup the quotient for 16 / 6 , the division table ( 6 )= 5 . this is expressed in a binary system as 00101 . 204 : store the quotient obtained from step 203 , i . e ., 00101 into t . set r = 0 where r is the resulting value . 205 : the dividend 20 is larger than the preset maximum dividend 16 . 206 : subtract 16 / 6 from 20 / 6 to obtain 4 / 6 . store the first obtained quotient value , i . e ., 5 into r . 207 : multiply the numerator of the remainder 4 / 6 by 2 . since the numerator is multiplied by 2 , the denominator should also be multiplied by 2 , this is equivalent to divide 5 obtained from the division table by 2 , i . e . right - shift 1 bit . right - shift k 00101 to 0010 . 1 , with the displaced 1 bit as a flag . t stores the result of k , 0010 plus flag 1 which is 0011 . this number is reserved for use in the next calculation . 209 : determine if i has reached the pre - determined number of calculations . since 1 & lt ; 4 , the pre - determined number of calculations has not been reached . execute 210 . 210 : use the value reserved in the last calculation x = 8 / 6 , k = 2 , t = 3 . since 8 is & lt ; 16 and not reaching 16 / 6 , the result of this calculation is r = 5 + 0 = 5 . 211 : multiply the numerator of the remainder 8 / 6 by 2 . this is equivalent to dividing the value obtained from the division table by 2 ( and right - shift 1 bit ). k = 0010 and then right - shift to k = 0001 . 0 . then , the displaced bit has a flag of 0 . t = k + cf = 1 . multiplying the remainder to obtain the result of 16 / 6 and reserve for use in the next calculation . 212 : i = 1 + 1 = 2 , since 2 is & lt ; 4 and not reaching the number of calculations , continue execution . 213 : use the reserved value from the last calculation x = 16 / 6 , k = 1 , t = 1 . the dividend 16 is larger than or equal to the preset maximum dividend 16 , calculate the result of the present calculation r = r + t = 5 + 1 = 6 . 214 : subtract 16 / 6 from x = 16 / 6 to obtain 0 / 6 . multiplying by 2 to obtain x = 0 / 6 , right - shift k by 1 bit to obtain k = 0000 . 1 . t = k + cf = 0000 + 1 = 00001 , k = 0000 . 215 : i = 2 + 1 = 3 , since 3 & lt ; 4 , it has not reached the number of calculations , continue execution . 216 : use the reserved value from the last calculation , x = 0 / 6 , k = 0 , t = 1 , since the dividend 0 is & lt ; 16 , the result for this calculation r = 6 + 0 = 6 . 217 : multiply x = 0 / 6 by 2 to obtain x = 0 / 6 , right - shift k by 1 bit , to obtain k = 0000 . 0 , t = k + cf , t = 0 + 0 = 0 , is reserve for the next calculation . 219 : the result is x / y = 6 / 2 r = 3 . from this result , the error in calculation is ( 10 / 3 )- 3 = 1 / 3 . since ( 1 / 3 ) is & lt ; 1 , the condition is satisfied . fig3 shows a functional block diagram of implementation of the present invention preferred embodiment . the present invention preferred embodiment apparatus 10 includes a divisor left - shift device 12 , a dividend left - shift device 14 , a left - shift controller 16 , a division table 32 , a quotient right - shift device 20 , an and gate 22 , an adder 24 , and a timing device 26 . as shown in fig3 the divisor left - shift device 12 has d bits for storing divisor y and performs the function of left - shift . the dividend left - shift device 14 has n + 1 bits ( n represents the number of bits for the dividend ). the dividend left - shift device 14 stores a dividend x and performs a left - shift function . the devices 12 and 14 follow a timing signal from the timing device 26 and are shifted to the left . the divisor left - shift device 12 can be controlled by a left - shift controller 16 for its shift to the left . the divisor left - shift device 12 , the dividend left - shift device 14 , and the left - shift controller 16 operate according to a shift approaching method . when the most significant bit ( msb ) of the divisor left - shift device 12 or the dividend left - shift device 14 is 1 , which indicates the divisor or dividend is larger than the preset maximum dividend . at this time , there should be a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; value inputted to the left - shift controller 16 , and a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; value inputted into the divisor left - shift device 12 through the control passage 28 to stop the left displacement action . an activation signal from passage 30 activates the division table 32 to stop the left displacement and the divisor after the stop is the divisor index value . the divisor index value is inputted into the division table through passage 34 to lookup the table . the division table 32 is stored in the read only memory device 36 . the quotient found by the index is inputted into a quotient right - shift device 20 . the quotient right - shift device 20 executes a right - shift action , i . e . executing an action of division by 2 . at the same time when the quotient right - shift device displaces one bit to the right , the dividend left - shift device 14 shifts one bit to the left , i . e executing the remainder approaching method . an and gate 22 controls the input into an adder 24 . when the most significant bit of the dividend left - shift device 14 is 1 , the value in the quotient right - shift device 20 is passed by the and gate 22 , and inputted into the adder 24 for accumulation . when the most significant bit of the dividend left - shift device 14 is 0 , the value in the quotient right - shift device 20 is prohibited to pass by the and gate 22 , such that only 0 is added by the adder 24 . by carrying out this accumulation operation , the quotient obtained each time the division table is looked - up is accumulated in order to obtain the final quotient . a timing device 26 sends a timing signal to the divisor left - shift device 12 , the dividend left - shift device 14 , the quotient right - shift device 20 , the and gate 22 , and the adder 24 such that left - shift or right - shift actions and additions according to the timing signal are performed . the timing signal further controls the addition of a flag signal or the action for arriving at a quotient . using the above example of dividing 10 by 3 . let n = 4 , d = 3 , q = 2 , r = 1 , the number of calculations is controlled by the timing signal as q + r + 1 = 4 times . this is expressed in a binary system as : ## str2 ## the divisor left - shift device 12 stores a number 011 . the dividend left - shift device 14 stores a number of 01010 . since the dividend is smaller than the preset maximum dividend , the divisor left - shift device 12 and the dividend left - shift device 14 shift to the left by 1 bit simultaneously . the stored numbers are 110 and 10100 respectively . the dividend 10100 is now 20 , which is larger than 16 therefore the left - shift controller 16 stops the left - shift motion of the divisor left - shift device . it further uses 0110 as the divisor index to lookup the division table and to obtain a quotient reference value of 00101 the value after digits after decimal point are deleted ). the quotient reference value 00101 is stored into a quotient right - shift device 20 . since the dividend left - shift device has a highest bit of 1 , the and gate 22 controls the input into the adder 24 such that the quotient reference value 00101 can be added into the adder 24 . after the addition , the content of the adder 24 becomes 101 . the number of calculation is 1 , which is smaller than 4 , and therefore the execution continues . the dividend left - shift device 14 continues to shift to the left according to the timing device 26 . the stored value is 01000 and the quotient right - shift is 00010 with a flag of 1 . since the highest bit of the dividend left - shift device is 0 , the and gate 22 controls the input into adder 24 such that 00010 is interrupted by the and gate 22 . the adder 24 after executing the addition of 0 still has a result of 5 . the number of calculation is now 2 , which is smaller than 4 , and therefore execution continues . the dividend left - shift device 14 continues shifting to the left according to the timing device 26 . its stored value is 10000 and the quotient right - shift of 00001 with a flag of 0 . since the highest bit of the dividend left - shift device is 1 , the and gate 20 passes the value of the quotient right - shift device 20 of 00001 and a flag of 0 . it is also controlled by the timing device 26 to separately input the quotient and the flag into adder 24 to obtain a quotient of 110 . the number of calculation is now 3 , which is smaller than 4 , and execution continues . the dividend left - shift 14 continues to displace to the left according to the timing device 26 . it stores a value of 00000 , and the quotient right - shift is 00000 and a flag of 1 . since the dividend left - shift device has a highest bit of 0 , the and gate 22 controls the input into adder 24 such that the value from the quotient right - shift device 20 is stopped . the adder 24 after executing 0 times , the result is still 110 . at this time , the number of calculations reaches 4 , the result is therefore 110 . the lower r bit is a digit after the decimal point , since r = 1 in this example , the result is therefore 110 . the value in the decimal system is 3 , the error detected is ( 10 / 3 ) - 3 = 1 / 3 . this is smaller than the error value of ± 1 . the conditions are therefore met . while the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner , it should be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in a nature of words of description rather than of limitation . furthermore , while the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof , it is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art will readily apply these teachings to other possible variations of the invention . | 6Physics
|
referring to fig1 an existing gas turbine combustor well known in the prior art 110 is shown . the combustor 110 includes a venturi 111 , a premixing chamber 112 for premixing air and fuel , a combustor chamber 113 and a combustion cap 115 . as shown in this prior art combustor , cooling air represented by arrows flows under pressure along the external wall of the venturi 111 . the cooling air enters the system through multiple locations along the liner 110 . a portion of the air enters through holes 120 while the remainder runs along the outer shell . the cooling air , which is forced under pressure , with the turbine compressor as the source , enters the system through a plurality of holes 121 . as seen in fig1 the cooling air impinges and cools the convergent / divergent walls 127 of the venturi 111 , which are conically shaped and travel downstream through the cylindrical passage 114 cooling the walls of combustion cylinder chamber 113 . the cooling air exits along the combustion chamber wall through annular discharge opening 125 . this air is then dumped to the downstream combustion process . a portion of the cooling air also enters the premixing zone through holes 126 . the remaining cooling air proceeds to the front end of the liner where it enters through holes 123 and the combustion cap 115 . the portion of the cooling air that does not enter through holes 123 enters and mixes the gas and fuel through area 124 . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 117 , 636 discusses the prior art configuration of the venturi shown in fig1 . problems are discussed regarding the cooling air exiting adjacent the venturi 111 through passage exit 125 which interferes with the combustion process and mixture based on what the &# 39 ; 636 patent states as a separation zone . the present invention completely alleviates any of the problems raised in the &# 39 ; 636 patent . referring now to fig2 and 3 , the present invention is shown as gas turbine combustor 10 including a venturi 11 . the venturi 11 includes a cylindrical portion which forms the combustor chamber 13 and unitarily formed venturi walls which converge and diverge in the downstream direction forming an annular or circular restricted throat 11 a . the purpose of the venturi and the restricted throat 11 a is to prevent flash back of the flame from combustion chamber 13 . chamber 12 is the premix chamber where air and fuel are mixed and forced under pressure downstream through the venturi throat 11 a into the combustor chamber 13 . a concentric , partial cylindrical wall 11 b surrounds the venturi 11 including the converging and diverging venturi walls to form an air passageway 14 between the venturi 11 and the concentric wall 11 b that allows the cooling air to pass along the outer surface of the venturi 11 for cooling . the outside of the combustor 10 is surrounded by a housing ( not shown ) and contains air under pressure that moves upstream towards the premix zone 12 , the air being received from the compressor of the turbine . this is very high pressure air . the cooling air passageway 14 has air inlet apertures 27 which permit the high pressure air surrounding the combustor to enter through the apertures 27 and to be received in the first portion 45 of passageway 14 that surrounds the venturi 11 . the cooling air passes along the venturi 11 passing the venturi converging and diverging walls and venturi throat 11 a . preheated cooling air exits through outlet apertures 28 which exit into an annular bellyband chamber 16 that defines a second portion 46 ( fig4 ) of the passageway 14 . the combustor utilizes the cooling air that has been heated and allowed to enter into premix chamber 12 through apertures 29 and 22 . details are shown in fig5 and 6 . note that this is heated air that has been used for cooling that is now being introduced in the premix chamber , upstream of the convergent wall of the venturi and upstream of venturi throat 11 a . using preheated air drives the f / a ratio to a lean limit to reduce nox while maintaining a stable flame . referring now to fig4 the cooling air passageway 14 includes a first portion 45 having a plurality of spacers 14 a that separate venturi 11 from wall 11 b . the bellyband wall 16 defines a radially outer boundary of the second portion 46 of the passageway 14 and provides a substantially annular chamber that allows the outside pressure air and the exiting cooling air to be received into the premix chamber 12 . at the downstream end of the combustion chamber 13 , defined by the annular aft end of venturi 11 , there is disposed an annular air blocking ring 40 which prevents any cooling air from leaking downstream into the combustion chamber . this alleviates any combustion problems caused by the cooling air as delineated in the prior art discussed above . referring now to fig5 the air passageway 14 is shown along the venturi section having the convergent and divergent walls and the throat 11 a with cooling air passing through and exiting through apertures 28 that go into the air chamber formed by bellyband wall 16 . additional air under a higher pressure enters through apertures 32 and forces air including the now heated cooling air in passageway 14 to be forced through apertures 22 and 29 into the premix chamber 12 . fig6 shows the aft end portion of the combustion chamber 13 and the end of venturi 11 that includes the blocking ring 40 that is annular and disposed and attached in a sealing manner around the entire aft portion of the venturi 11 . the cooling air that enters into passageway 14 cannot escape or be allowed to pass into any portions of the combustion chamber 13 . note that some air is permitted into the combustor 10 well beyond combustion chamber 13 through apertures 30 to 31 which are disposed around the outside of the combustor 10 and for cooling the aft end of the combustor . the invention includes the method of improved cooling of a combustion chamber and venturi which allows the air used for cooling to increase the efficiency of the combustion process itself to reduce nox emissions . with regard to the air flow , the cooling air enters the venturi outer passageway 14 through multiple apertures 27 . a predetermined amount of air is directed into the passageway 14 by element 17 . the cooling air is forced upstream by blocking ring 40 which expands to contact the combustor 10 under thermal loading conditions . the cooling air travels upstream through the convergent / divergent sections of the first portion 45 of passageway 14 where it exits into the second portion 46 of passageway 14 through apertures 28 in the venturi 11 and the combustor 10 . the cooling air then fills a chamber created by a full ring bellyband 16 . due to the pressure drop and increase in temperature that has occurred throughout the cooling path , supply air which is at an increased pressure is introduced into the bellyband chamber 16 through multiple holes 32 . see fig4 and 5 . the cooling air passes around multiple elements 18 which are located throughout the bellyband chamber 16 for support of the bellyband under pressure . the cooling air is then introduced to the premix chamber through holes 22 and slots 29 in the combustor 10 . undesired leakage does not occur between the cooling passageway 14 and the premixing chamber 12 because of the forward support 19 which is fixed to the combustor 10 and venturi 11 . the remainder of the cooling air not introduced to passageway 14 through apertures 27 passes over the element 17 and travels upstream to be introduced into the combustor 10 or cap 15 . this air is introduced through multiple locations forward of the bellyband cavity 16 . it is through this process , rerouting air that was used for cooling and supplying it for combustion , that lowers the fuel to air ratio such that nox is reduced without creating an unstable flame . referring to back to fig6 and 7 , alternate venturis are shown that utilize the improved cooling concept disclosed in the preferred embodiment . cooling air enters the passageway 14 and 220 through first apertures 27 and 223 , respectively . in the venturi configuration shown in fig7 which is a venturi of the prior art , cooling air is drawn into passageway 220 through first apertures 223 due to the lower operating pressure within passageway 220 when compared to the pressure outside liner 201 . it was determined that utilizing the pressure difference as the sole means for drawing cooling air into the passageway was not sufficient to provide the desired cooling to the passageway . inadequate cooling of venturi 212 can result in increased operating temperatures , accelerated component degradation , and shorter component life . as a result , an air direction element 17 was added , as shown in fig6 to liner 10 in order to increase the quantity of cooling air into passageway 14 . while this device helped to increase the supply of cooling air to passageway 14 , air pressure loss was still a concern requiring further improvements to be made to further increase the cooling air supply volume and raise cooling air supply pressure . a further increase in cooling air supply volume and total air pressure will result in lower venturi operating temperatures due to the greater capability to cool the hot walls of the venturi region . lower metal temperatures within the venturi will result in a greater durability , longer component life , and hence lower operating costs . referring now to fig8 - 11 , an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in detail . in this alternate embodiment , improvements have been made in the region surrounding the venturi cooling passageway to enhance cooling effectiveness . as with the preferred embodiment , and shown in fig8 and 9 , a venturi 60 is positioned within liner 61 having a first generally annular wall 62 and outer surface 62 a . liner 61 contains a premix chamber 63 for mixing fuel and air and a combustion chamber 64 proximate venturi 60 such that premixing chamber 63 is in fluid communication with combustion chamber 64 . first generally annular wall 62 contains at least one first aperture 65 and at least one second aperture 66 , radially outward of premix chamber 63 . it is preferable that both first aperture 65 and second aperture 66 comprise a plurality of first and second apertures spaced circumferentially about first generally annular wall 62 . liner 61 also contains an improved air direction element or deflector 85 which is fixed to outer surface 62 a of first generally annular wall 62 proximate at least one first aperture 65 by a means such as brazing or welding . deflector 85 is shown in greater detail in fig1 and 11 and comprises a generally annular ring having a forward end 86 and an aft end 87 in spaced relation to forward end 86 thereby defining a first length 88 . deflector 85 also contains an inner ring surface 89 and an outer ring surface 90 radially outward from inner ring surface 89 thereby defining a first height 91 . furthermore , deflector 85 includes a forward face 92 and an aft face 93 , each of faces 92 and 93 extend from inner ring surface 89 to outer ring surface 90 and forward face 92 is spaced in relation to aft face 93 . aft face 93 also contains a first region of curvature 94 with a first radius r 1 . first length 88 , first height 91 , and first radius r 1 vary in size depending on the size of the combustor and the amount of cooling air required to cool passageway 14 . typically first length 88 is at least 0 . 100 inches , first height 91 is at least 0 . 100 inches , and first radius r 1 is at least 0 . 250 inches . furthermore , in the preferred embodiment of deflector 85 , forward face 92 further comprises a first member 95 which is generally perpendicular to inner ring surface 89 and a second member 96 which extends from first member 95 to outer ring surface 90 and is oriented at α pitch angle a relative to outer ring surface 90 . in the preferred embodiment , pitch angle α is at least 5 degrees . having a second member 96 with a pitch angle α such that second member 96 is directed towards first generally annular wall 62 of liner 61 encourages cooling air not entering passageway 14 and passing along outer ring surface 90 to “ reattach ” to the liner surface thereby increasing cooling along first generally annular wall 62 of liner 61 . referring back to fig8 and 9 , venturi 60 includes a second generally annular wall 67 having a first converging wall 68 abutting a first diverging wall 69 at a first plane 70 that is generally perpendicular to first generally annular wall 62 . venturi 60 further contains a throat portion 11 a at first plane 70 such that throat portion 11 a is positioned between premix chamber 63 and combustion chamber 64 . second generally annular wall 67 is positioned radially inward from first generally annular wall 62 and has an aft end 71 adjacent to at least one first aperture 65 . venturi 60 further includes a third generally annular wall 72 radially outward of second generally annular wall 67 and radially inward of first generally annular wall 62 . third generally annular wall 72 contains a second converging wall 73 and a second diverging wall 74 connected at a first region of curvature 75 proximate first plane 70 and having a second radius r 2 . venturi 60 also contains a passageway 14 for flowing air to cool second generally annular wall 67 . passageway 14 extends from at least one first aperture 65 to at least one second aperture 66 in liner 61 . passageway 14 includes a first portion 45 located radially inward from third generally annular wall 72 and radially outward of second generally annular wall 67 as well as a second portion 46 radially outward of first portion 45 where second portion 46 extends from first portion 45 to at least one second aperture 66 , as shown in fig8 . a substantially annular bellyband wall 80 is located radially outward from first generally annular wall 62 thereby defining the radially outer boundary of second portion 46 of passageway 14 . at least one third aperture 81 is located in first generally annular wall 62 and communicates with second portion 46 . it is preferable that at least one third aperture 81 comprises a plurality of third apertures which are spaced circumferentially about first generally annular wall 62 and radially outward of venturi 60 for communicating cooling flow from first portion 45 with second portion 46 . further characteristics of passageway first portion 45 , which are shown in fig9 and 10 , include at least one first aperture 65 located radially outward of first portion 45 and first portion 45 having a third region of curvature 76 with radius r 3 proximate throat region 11 a . in the preferred configuration of this alternate embodiment second radius r 2 is smaller than third radius r 3 with third radius r 3 being at least 0 . 150 inches . extending from aft end 71 is a blocking ring 40 that is in sealing contact with first generally annular wall 62 . blocking ring 40 is utilized to prevent cooling air that is in first portion 45 of passageway 14 from flowing directly into combustion chamber 64 without first flowing through second portion 46 of passageway 14 and into premix chamber 63 . through utilizing this venturi structure , not only are emissions reduced by improving overall combustion efficiency through introducing cooling air from passage 14 into the combustion process , but cooling effectiveness within passageway 14 is improved due to an improved air deflector design directing additional cooling air with a greater total air pressure into first apertures 65 . while the invention is been described and is known as presently the preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment but , on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements within the scope of the following claims . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
|
referring now to fig1 there is shown a chance means 2 apparatus for designating the first letter of a word which satisfies the selected word category as determined by the cards 1 . a preferred embodiment of the chance means 2 of the present invention would be a roulette - wheel type device 10 as shown in fig1 . the roulette - wheel type device 10 shown in fig1 is a roulette - wheel commonly known in the art wherein the inner - portion 9 of the roulette - wheel 10 rotates and a ball 7 rotates in conjunction with the inner - wheel 9 and eventually the ball 7 falls into a slot 6 in the wheel 9 to designate the first letter of the word which will satisfy the word category card 1 selected at that particular time . a preferred embodiment of the roulette - wheel type device 10 would have the letters 3 located circumferentially around the inner portion 9 of the roulette - wheel 10 . also shown in fig1 are the coded slots 8 for selecting bonus markers 5 and a preferred embodiment of the invention would have the slots 6 color coded 8 such that when the ball 7 fell into a color coded slot 8 the player winning that particular point would receive a bonus clip 5 which could be attached to the card 1 which that player would receive for winning that particular competitive point . a means for players to select at random one word category indicia 1 at a time is accomplished by a player shuffling the deck of cards 1 , placing them face down and turning over one card 1 at a time . a preferred embodiment for the predetermined set of word category indicia would consist of a deck of cards 1 with the word categories 4 affixed upon one face of each card 1 . the deck of cards 1 could also be color coded in the preferred embodiment wherein the color code would represent a predetermined point system as established by the game rules . after the game had been completed each player would count his cards 1 according to the predetermined point system and by that means the winner could be determined by the player with the greatest number of competitive points , including bonus points which he had received using the bonus clips 5 . fig3 shows bonus markers 5 which may be connected to work category indicia 1 and a preferred embodiment would consist of clips 5 which could be detachably mounted to the word category indicia 1 shown in fig2 . referring now to fig1 and 3 and the preferred embodiment described above the game would be played as follows : ( a ) any number of players can play the game ; ( b ) the object of the game is to have fun , think fast and to collect the largest number of points ; ( c ) to start the game set the roulette - wheel 10 in a position where all the players can view it clearly ; ( d ) designate one of the players to shuffle the deck of cards 1 and then place the deck of cards 1 in a convenient position face down ; ( e ) designate one player who is responsible for turning over the category cards 1 , one at a time ; ( f ) designate one player to spin the roulette - wheel 10 ; ( g ) to commence the game a card 1 is turned over by the player and placed face up so that all the players can view the card and the player turning over the card 1 reads the word category 4 on the face of the card 1 allowed to all of the players ; ( h ) a player spins the inner - portion 9 of the roulette - wheel type device 10 so that the ball 7 spins about the device and eventually falls into a slot 6 which designates a letter 3 ; ( i ) at this point in time the players have a word category 4 before them and a letter 3 designated by the roulette - wheel 10 . the first player to name an example of the word category 4 beginning with the letter 3 designated by the roulette - wheel 10 wins the category card 1 which has been turned over . as an example , the card 1 &# 34 ; kinds of fruit &# 34 ; may be turned over . the roulette - wheel 10 designates the letter 3 &# 34 ; r &# 34 ; as the first letter of word which satisfies the selected word category . one of the players responds &# 34 ; raspberry &# 34 ; before any other player responds . the word category card 1 designated &# 34 ; kinds of fruit &# 34 ; would then be taken by the player who had called out &# 34 ; raspberry &# 34 ; and the game would continue . in the preferred embodiment the deck of cards 1 could be color coded such that orange cards would be 1 point , green cards would be 2 points , and yellow cards would be 3 points . also , in the preferred embodiment the slots 6 in the roulette - wheel 10 could be color coded 8 such that if the ball 7 fell into a color coded slot 8 a player winning that word category card 1 would attach a bonus marker or clip 5 to the word category card 1 and that particular player would receive double points for that particular card 1 . the bonus clips 5 are shown in the configuration of a paper clip form which can be readily detachably mounted to the cards 1 . the rules of the preferred game would be as follows : ( 1 ) any response from a player may be confirmed by at least one other player in the game and a dictionary or atlas or other supporting books may be used to confirm a correct response . ( 2 ) if no player is able to make a response within one minute from the time a card 1 is turned over , the card should be bypassed and another card 1 selected . ( 3 ) if two or more players appear to respond at the same time , a majority of the other players will decide which player wins the card 1 if any . while a preferred embodiment , procedure and rules are set forth above , it is understood that the invention may comprise other alternatives , modifications and equivalents . | 0Human Necessities
|
referring to fig1 and 2 , a reforming apparatus 10 according to the invention is designed for use with a horizontal directional drilling ( hdd ) machine such as the vermeer navigator or a rod pushing machine that is incapable of spinning the rod string . apparatus 10 includes a tubular housing 11 having a threaded recess - type connector 12 at its rear end suitable for connection to the distal end of a drill string which may include an adapter 14 and starter rod 15 mounted on the distal end of a string of hollow rods . connector 12 shown is a splinelok ® connection of the type described in wentworth et . al . u . s . pat . no . 6 , 148 , 935 , nov . 21 , 2000 , the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein . however , an api threaded socket can be used for direction connection to the threaded leading end of the drill string . housing 11 at its leading end includes the body portion of a hydraulic cylinder 13 . as shown in fig3 to 9 , cylinder 13 includes a tubular cylinder body 16 slidably disposed inside of an outer sleeve ( runner ) 17 , and a piston 18 disposed for reciprocation inside of cylinder body 16 . piston 18 has a rear head 19 that is in sliding contact with the inner surface of body 16 . contact between head 19 and cylinder body 16 is close but not sealed , so that fluid inside of the pressure chamber 21 can leak out at a controlled rate . for this purpose , a lengthwise relief groove 22 can be provided along the outside of head 19 ( see fig8 ). the front end of piston 18 extends through a central hole in a head nut 23 threadedly secured in the front end of open end of cylinder body 16 . engagement between piston 18 and nut 23 may be sealed , or permit a small amount of pressure fluid leakage out of the front of the unit . one or more spacer nuts 25 are threaded onto the exposed front end of piston 18 and can be adjusted to stop the piston from moving further back than the position at which rearwardmost nut 25 engages the bottom of a front recess 26 in head nut 23 . the front end of a plunger 27 is engaged in a rearwardly opening recess 28 in piston 18 by means of a split ring 29 that fits in an annular groove 30 in the wall of recess 28 . a rear end portion of plunger 27 is slidably mounted in a guide sleeve 31 that forms part of housing 11 and may be welded or otherwise secured to the back of cylinder body 16 . plunger 27 has a rearwardly extending central boss 32 at its rear end . a compression spring 33 is inserted into guide sleeve 31 with its front end wound over boss 32 . the rear end of spring 33 is disposed inside connector 12 and held by any suitable means , such as a front end face of adapter 14 . to complete housing 11 , connector 12 is welded or otherwise secured to the back of guide sleeve 31 . piston 18 and its extension ( plunger 27 ) are mechanically engaged with outer sleeve 17 by means of a first transverse through hole 36 a in plunger 27 which is in alignment with a pair of threaded holes 37 a in sleeve 31 , and a pin 38 removably mounted in holes 36 a , 37 a . pin 38 passes through a pair of grooves 39 a on opposite sides of cylinder body 16 . grooves 39 a are elongated in the lengthwise direction of apparatus 10 so that cylinder body 16 can slide relative to piston 18 , plunger 27 and sleeve 17 over a range equal to the length of grooves 39 a . a second pair of holes 36 b , 37 b and second pair of grooves 39 b are provided at positions rearwardly offset from 36 a , 37 a , 39 b and offset by 90 ° radially . in this manner , pin 38 can be moved from holes 36 a , 37 a to 36 b , 37 b in order to change the stroke of the unit as explained hereafter . at least two ( in this example , three ) arm assemblies 50 extend and retract in response to movement of piston 18 . each arm assembly includes a pair of front and rear beams 51 , 52 connected by a middle pivot 53 . front beams 51 are connected to a front end portion of cylinder body 16 by a linkage including pivots 54 mounted in sets of brackets 56 on the outside of cylinder body 16 . in a similar fashion , the rear ends of rear beams 52 are connected to outer sleeve 17 by linkages comprising pivots 57 mounted in sets of brackets 58 on the outside of sleeve 17 . brackets 56 , 58 are aligned with each other in each arm assembly 50 and are positioned so that arm assemblies 50 will be spaced equiangularly , 120 ° apart in this example , which is sufficient to exert forces in opposing directions on the pipeline interior . front and rear , beams 51 , 52 are u - shaped in cross section with rear beams of slightly less width such that the front end of each beam 52 fits inside the rear end of a beam 51 as shown . each pivot 53 passes through a pair of holes in each side of beams 51 , 52 . front beams 51 are longer than rear beams 52 , and with the arm assembly in a collapsed position as shown in fig5 , pivots 53 are positioned outwardly and far to the rear of rear pivots 57 . holes provided in the outside of the rear end of each front beam 51 permit a variety of removable attachments to be mounted in a position to engage the inside of a pipeline . in fig1 - 9 , a roller assembly 60 is mounted to each front beam 51 by any suitable means , such as welding or bolts set in holes in a base plate 62 of the assembly 60 and corresponding holes in front arm beam 51 . a pair of end brackets 63 rotatably support a cylindrical roller 64 . rollers 64 are positioned for tangential rolling contact with the inside of a pipeline in a manner suitable for a rerounding operation . such an operation may be carried out as follows . apparatus 10 is mounted at the distal end of a string of drill rods powered by an hdd machine using adapter 14 and starter rod 15 . additional rods are added as apparatus 10 in a collapsed state is advanced to a location in the pipeline in need of reforming or re - rounding . once at the desired location , pressure fluid such as water is fed through the center of the rod string and enters a central channel in starter rod 15 . further flow of water through adapter 14 is blocked such as by plugging one end of the central bore normally provided . instead water flows through a radial hole 71 in the wall of starter rod 15 . a hose 72 provided with end fittings feeds water through a port 73 through the wall of cylinder body 16 . the pressure , taking into account leakage , is great enough to compress spring 33 and cause piston 18 and plunger 27 to move rearwardly relative to housing 11 . the front end of piston 18 pulls part way inside of cylinder body 16 as shown in fig2 and 4 . sleeve 17 moves with piston 18 and plunger 27 since it is connected to plunger 27 by pin 38 , but travel is limited by the rear ends of the associated grooves 39 a or 39 b . the stroke of the cylinder thus cannot exceed the length of grooves 39 a , 39 b . as piston 18 moves rearwardly and the distance between front and rear pivots 54 and 57 increases , the arm assemblies 50 unfold outwardly by pivoting about middle pivots 53 , moving from the position shown in fig5 to the position shown in fig4 . rollers 64 move to engage the inner periphery of the pipeline , and the force applied by means of arm assemblies 50 or the outside of the rear end of each front beam 51 ( if no rollers are provided ) is great enough to force a ductile pipe wall outwardly . as illustrated in fig1 and 19 , during or after such a pushing operation , the operator may rotate the drill string so that apparatus 10 both spins and pushes outwardly at the same time in a manner to restore the interior of the pipeline at the target location to a round profile . once the rerounding operation is done , the supply of pressurized water to chamber 21 is cut off . water continues to leak out the front and / or rear ends of chamber 21 . water escaping through the rear end of piston 18 can exit housing 11 through grooves 39 a , 39 b . spring 33 expands to push the water out of chamber 21 and move piston 18 back to its extended position . this in turn reverses the previous movement of arm assemblies 50 , causing them to return to the collapsed position . at this stage , the apparatus 10 can then be withdrawn from the pipeline or else moves to another location in need of reforming at which the foregoing steps are repeated . as shown in fig1 - 11 , rollers 64 can be replaced with stacked cutter wheels 81 provided with teeth or serrations 82 for stripping a liner from the inside of the pipeline at the same time as , or instead of , reforming it . apparatus 10 can thereby be used for multiple purposes depending on the situation . according to a further aspect of the invention , roller assemblies 60 using either roller 64 or stripper wheels 81 can be mounted in different positions , and can be installed and removed interchangeably . fig1 a and 12b illustrate an arrangement for mounting of wheels 81 on the sides of front beams 51 . a large central hole 41 is provided through base plate 62 together with a series of spaced smaller holes 42 positioned to one side of it . a hat bushing 43 is set in hole 41 so that its flange engages the outer surface of base plate 62 just below wheels 81 . a bolt acting as pivot 53 is countersunk into bushing 43 and secured at its other end by a nut 44 , thereby rotatably mounting roller assembly 60 to arm beam 51 . pivot 53 passes through a pair of bearing sleeves 45 welded into aligned , nearly circular openings in the sides of arm beam 51 . arm 52 is mounted on pivot 53 between bearing sleeves 45 . so secured , the roller assembly can pivot to conform to the inside profile of the pipeline 90 . to limit pivoting of roller assembly 60 so that it does not spin about pivot 53 , two or more roll pins 46 are set into smaller holes 42 and extend from the underside of plate 62 . roll pins 46 engage the side of arm beam 51 to prevent roller assembly 60 from pivoting too far in either direction . to remove the roller assembly 60 , roller 64 or wheels 81 are first removed from brackets 63 , and then pivot 53 is removed so that hat bushing 43 and roller assembly 60 can be pulled off of arm beam 51 . the bolt used as pivot 53 can then be replaced or substituted with a shorter bolt set in its place . roller assembly 60 can then be refitted and replaced . fig1 a and 13b shows a roller assembly 60 moved to a position on the top or outside of beam 51 , rather than on its side . in this embodiment , a boss 47 is welded to the outside of each arm 51 near pivot 53 . plate 62 is positioned over boss 47 so that hole 41 is in alignment with it . hat bushing 43 is inserted through hole 41 and is secured to boss 47 with a tap screw 48 . screw 48 engages a threaded central hole 49 in boss 47 . base plate 62 and hat bushing 43 are interchangeable for use in either of the side mount and top mount embodiments . additional spacers similar to bushing 43 in shape can be stacked on bushing 43 , and a longer screw 48 can be used to vary the distance that roller assembly 60 is spaced from arm beam 51 . this may vary depending on the size of the pipeline 90 and the maximum size the device is capable of opening to when the arms are fully extended . occasionally a pipe cleaning and reforming operation is halted by a large obstruction such as a stone or piece of wood or concrete that is blocking the collapsed pipeline . in a further adaptation of the apparatus 10 according to the invention shown in fig1 - 15 , roller assemblies 60 are removed to reduce the external diameter of the device when the arms are unfolded , and a set of three gripping jaws 86 are mounted on front beams 51 . each jaw 86 has a front , inwardly curving or hook - shaped tip portion 87 and a rear shank 88 . shank 88 of each jaw 86 extends through lengthwise openings 89 in the outer wall of beam 51 . shank 88 has a pair of holes therein by which it can be mounted on two pins 91 each set through a pair of holes 92 in the sides of front beam 51 at spaced positions as shown . by this means jaws 86 move in tandem with arm beams 51 and can be opened and closed , or moved to a partially closed position , as needed to grasp an object in the pipeline . once the object us held by jaws 86 , the drill string is withdrawn so that the object is brought out of the pipeline . this provides an alternative to attempting to push / or pull the object as described in the harr patent publication cited above . as the foregoing description shows , the apparatus of the invention can be used for multiple purposes by changing the attachments provided on the front arm beams . as the need arises during a job of pipe cleaning or stripping , the apparatus can be used to strip a liner , reshape a section of the pipeline that has become distorted , or even pull debris out of the pipeline in situations where the bucket attachment provided in the in the harr patent publication cited above proves ineffective . for the latter purpose , jaws 86 can be replaced with other accessories such as a set of rounded shovel blades 91 ( see fig2 ) so that the apparatus can be used to excavate soil from a pipeline in a manner similar to a post - hole digger . the method and apparatus of the invention will most often be used in connection with a pipe relining operation . in most cases , after the line has been cleared , a replacement pipe such as one made of polyethylene will be pulled into the existing pipeline , or one of a number of known relining processes will be used wherein a lining is formed on the inside of the existing pipeline . as part of the method of the invention , a step of relining the pipeline may follow the steps discussed above . this step may be carried out after or during the steps of the pipe cleaning method . a replacement pipe may be pulled into the pipeline by attaching it to the front of apparatus 10 at jaws 86 , which are connected by a cable to swivel bearing joint , shackle and pipe puller such as shown in wentworth et al . u . s . pat . no . 7 , 086 , 808 , the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein . additional holes to provide connector eyes may be formed as needed in the tips of jaws 86 . as apparatus 10 is pulled by the drill string from one end of the pipeline to the other , pausing where necessary to reform or expand the existing pipeline , the replacement pipe advances into the pipeline in front of it . while this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments , this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description . such variations and additions are specifically contemplated to be with the scope of the invention . it is intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications or embodiments . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
|
reference is now made to the figures , wherein fig1 is a schematic representation of the wireless safety system for a garage door opener , which is generally indicated at 100 . the safety system includes a controller 102 , a motor 104 , a garage door 106 slidable on tracks 108 , an infrared transmitter 110 and an infrared receiver 112 . controller 102 is the command center of the wireless safety system for the garage door opener . controller 102 is electrically coupled to motor 104 and motor 104 is coupled to garage door 106 . garage door opener is slidable along tracks 108 and displaceable between an up position and a down position . infrared transmitter 110 and infrared receiver 112 are in communication via infrared beam 114 . the infrared transmitter and infrared receiver are remote from controller 102 however , infrared receiver 112 includes a wireless radio signal transmitter to transmit information to controller 102 . the operation of infrared transmitter 110 and infrared receiver 112 will be discussed in more detail below . controller 102 generally provides an electronic input to motor 104 which causes motor 104 to physically raise and lower door 106 along tracks 108 . infrared transmitter 110 transmits an infrared beam 114 that is received by infrared receiver 112 . under normal operation , upon receipt of infrared beam 114 by infrared receiver 112 , infrared receiver 112 outputs a radio frequency signal to controller 102 to continue moving garage door 106 . when the safety beam is interrupted , the transmitter within infrared receiver 112 does not output a radio frequency signal to be received by controller 102 . accordingly , controller 102 causes motor 104 to either stop or reverse direction ( open ). with particular reference to fig2 a block diagram of the present invention is depicted . a start command 201 is given by an operator via a manual switch or a remote control . this causes a signal to be input into controller unit 202 . controller 202 includes logic 203 , driver 205 and rf receiver 207 . controller 202 is electrically connected to motor 211 which is connected to an infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 via audio frequency noise 217 . the infrared transmitter assembly 213 is formed of an audio frequency receiver 221 , a filter 223 , a monostable multivibrator ( one shot ) 225 and an infrared transmitter 227 . the infrared receiver assembly 215 is formed of an audio frequency receiver 231 , a filter 233 , a monostable multivibrator ( one shot ) 235 , an infrared receiver 237 and a radio frequency transmitter 239 . the start command transmits a pulse to logic block 203 . upon receipt of the first pulse , logic block 203 transmits an on signal to driver 205 . this causes driver 205 to output an appropriate driving current to cause motor 211 to function . as stated above when the motor is operating , it causes door 106 to slide along tracks 108 of fig1 . when door 106 slides along tracks 108 an audio frequency noise 217 is created . audio frequency receivers 221 and 231 receive audio frequency noise 217 when garage door 106 slides along tracks 108 . the audio frequency receivers 221 and 223 are in essence audio frequency transducers that receive audio frequency noise and convert same into electric potential . a voltage or electric potential is output from audio frequency receivers 221 , 231 and is input into filters 223 , 233 . the filters 223 , 233 essentially integrate the energy in a predetermined bandwidth and generate an output -- assuming the energy input exceeds a preset threshold . the output from filters 223 , 233 is input to one shot 225 , 235 . the one shot is essentially a monostable multivibrator which provides an electric potential for driving the infrared transmitter 227 and infrared receiver 237 for a fixed amount of time . in other words , the one shot may be turned on for a preset period of time , for example 0 . 1 seconds . accordingly , the infrared transmitter 227 and infrared receiver 237 are powered for 0 . 1 seconds each time the one shot 225 , 235 is activated . this causes infrared transmitter 227 to transmit infrared beam 240 that is received by infrared receiver 237 . as long as infrared receiver assembly 215 receives audio frequency noise 217 at audio frequency receiver 231 to activate the unit , and receives infrared beam 240 at infrared receiver 237 , the infrared receiver 237 will activate radio frequency transmitter 239 to transmit a predetermined radio frequency . radio frequency receiver 207 of controller 202 receives the radio frequency transmission from radio frequency transmitter 239 of infrared receiver assembly 237 . upon receipt of the radio signal at radio frequency receiver 207 , radio frequency receiver 207 transmits a logic pulse to logic 203 . this in turn causes logic 203 to continue outputting a positive signal to driver 205 , such that driver 205 continues to drive motor 211 . thus , door 106 continues to make noise on tracks 108 and infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 continue to be driven . this cycle continues until logic 203 turns off the driver due to the door being completely open or closed , or an obstruction is detected by infrared beam 240 . reference is next directed to fig3 which is a flow chart of the logic process of logic 203 of fig2 . in particular , this subroutine is for closing the garage door . as a safety feature , when the garage door is stopped at a position that is less than fully open , the garage door will initially move upward rather than down . the advantage to this feature is discussed immediately below . the process begins at controller start block 30l which is an initialization or power up . it is determined whether the garage door 106 of fig1 is at the top of its travel in step 303 . if the door is at the top of its travel , the close door subroutine 305 is initiated . alternatively , if the door is not at the top of its travel , the door will begin its initial motion in the up direction in accordance with open door subroutine 307 . the initial motion in the up direction is prior to the infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 being activated . it is desirable to have the safety sensors activated by the motion of the door in the opening direction because if the sensor is blocked , you don &# 39 ; t want the door to be moving in the down direction . accordingly , if the door is less than fully open , it is desirable to have the door moving in the up direction when the sensor is not operating . the open door subroutine 307 begins at logic step 311 , with the motor being initiated in order to move the garage door in the up direction . logic step 312 sets a countdown timer to 100 milliseconds and the counter begins counting down . logic step 315 asks the question whether approval has been received . referring back to fig2 approval is received when radio frequency transmitter 239 transmits a radio signal that is received by radio frequency receiver 207 and radio frequency receiver 207 inputs a signal to logic 203 . the signal transmitted to logic 203 is the approval signal . referring back to fig3 if no approval signal is received logic step 317 is performed and it is determined whether the time from the countdown timer in logic step 313 equals zero . if the time does not equal zero , then the logic returns to logic step 316 to determine whether the approval has been received . alternatively , if the time equals zero then the motor is stopped at the top in logic step 319 and the program is terminated at logic step 320 . in other words , door 106 of fig1 moves upward along tracks 108 of fig1 until infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 wake up and transmit approval , or in the alternative if no approval is received within 100 milliseconds the program is terminated . if the door is at the top of travel at step 303 , or if approval is received in step 315 then close door subroutine 305 is initiated . an input pulse indicating to start the subroutine is input at logic block 321 which starts the motor in the down direction . the question is next asked whether the door is at the bottom of its swing in logic block 323 . if the door is at the bottom of its swing , the motor is terminated in step 325 and the program ends in step 327 . alternatively , if the door is not at the bottom of its swing in logic block 323 , a countdown timer is set to 100 milliseconds in logic step 329 . in logic block 331 the question is asked whether approval has been received . this is the same approval noted above with regard to logic block 315 . if approval has been received then the logic is returned to step 323 and continues back as described above . alternatively , if approval has not been received , logic step 333 asks whether the timer equals zero . this timer is the one set to 100 milliseconds in logic block 329 . if time does not equal zero instep 333 , the logic is returned to step 331 to check whether approval has been received again . this continues until time equals zero or approval is received . accordingly , for the door 106 of fig3 to move efficiently down tracks 108 , approval should be received more often than once every 100 milliseconds . if this is accomplished , then the motor will continuously run until the door is at the bottom as logic step 323 asks . upon a yes answer indicating that the door is at the bottom , the motor will stop automatically at logic step 325 . alternatively , if logic step 333 receives a yes answer that the time equals zero and no approval was received in the last 100 milliseconds , then it is assumed that an obstruction exists between infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 of fig2 . accordingly , the motor would be reversed in step 335 and logic step 337 asks whether the door is at the top of travel . if the door is not at the top of the travel a continuous loop is started by 337 that will continue to loop until a yes answer is received . once the door is at the top of the travel , a yes response is given in step 337 , and the motor is stopped at the top of the tracks in logic step 319 , and the program is terminated at logic block 320 . accordingly , it can be seen that fig3 contemplates a logic block for initiating the controller unit , wherein the close door portion of the subroutine is entered . if an obstruction is detected between the infrared transmitter assembly 213 and the infrared receiver assembly 215 , the door automatically stops moving in the down direction within 100 milliseconds . as stated above , the preferred embodiment contemplates stopping the door during the up routine in a position prior to being completely open , so that the answer in logic block 303 is no and the motor can start in the up direction in logic block 311 . in this way , the infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 of fig2 can be activated by audio frequency noise 217 of the door 106 moving along tracks 108 of fig1 . accordingly , then once approval is received in logic block 315 of fig3 the motor can be initiated to the down direction in logic block 321 in order to start the close door subroutine 305 . in this way it can not be said that there is any danger in the door moving in the down direction for any period when the infrared transmitter and receiver assemblies 213 , 215 are in the dormant state . the aforenoted detailed description of the preferred embodiment discloses one manner in which the system operates . in an alternative embodiment , the infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 can be activated by radio frequency receivers that receive a radio frequency signal from controller 202 . in this way , the audio frequency noise would not be sensed and alternatively , the infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 would include radio frequency receivers instead of audio frequency receivers . this is one alternative embodiment for accomplishing the same result of providing an infrared transmitter assembly and infrared receiver assembly that can wirelessly be coupled to the controller unit . a second alternative embodiment could include sending an infrared signal to wake up the detection elements . this would simply include having an infrared receiver located in both detection elements . these alternative methods of saving battery life by providing the detection elements ( infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 ) with a dormant state and an active state are less desirable ways of performing the same function as the preferred embodiment , because the alternative embodiments consume more battery life while in the dormant state . accordingly , it can be seen that a large advantage is provided by having such a wireless safety system for a garage door opener because the end user , or person installing such a system would not be required to connect complex wires between the controller unit at one end and the infrared ( the transmitter and receiver ) at the end . furthermore , each unit can be self contained and does not require plugs or connectors or wires that can often crimp , corrode or deteriorate . as stated hereinabove , the approval signal provided by the infrared receiver assembly 215 to the radio frequency receiver 207 of controller unit 202 can be the same receiver that produces the start command 201 . in other words , radio frequency receiver 207 can also receive a start pulse from the remote located in a user &# 39 ; s automobile . this may be accomplished by the radio frequency receiver 207 receiving the start pulse and providing the approval signal to logic 203 which starts the operation of the system as described hereinabove . another optional enhancement of the present invention is to provide the system with a piezoelectric sensor to power the audio frequency receiver and filter stages of the infrared transmitter assembly 213 and infrared receiver assembly 215 . in other words , the energy from the audio noise would be converted to useable electric energy . in so doing , the systems can then be designed using a sealed assembly having lithium batteries therein . this system may provide approximately a five year useful life ( based on normal average use ) and the lithium batteries will only power the infrared transmitter 227 to produce infrared beam 240 and the radio frequency transmitter 239 , to produce the approval signal . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above method and in the construction set forth without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
the embodiments of the present disclosure described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description . rather , the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present disclosure . referring now to fig1 , a block diagram and schematic view of one illustrative embodiment of a vehicular system 100 having a drive unit 102 and transmission 118 is shown . in the illustrated embodiment , the drive unit 102 may include an internal combustion engine , diesel engine , electric motor , or other power - generating device . the drive unit 102 is configured to rotatably drive an output shaft 104 that is coupled to an input or pump shaft 106 of a conventional torque converter 108 . the input or pump shaft 106 is coupled to an impeller or pump 110 that is rotatably driven by the output shaft 104 of the drive unit 102 . the torque converter 108 further includes a turbine 112 that is coupled to a turbine shaft 114 , and the turbine shaft 114 is coupled to , or integral with , a rotatable input shaft 124 of the transmission 118 . the transmission 118 can also include an internal pump 120 for building pressure within different flow circuits ( e . g ., main circuit , lube circuit , etc .) of the transmission 118 . the pump 120 can be driven by a shaft 116 that is coupled to the output shaft 104 of the drive unit 102 . in this arrangement , the drive unit 102 can deliver torque to the shaft 116 for driving the pump 120 and building pressure within the different circuits of the transmission 118 . the transmission 118 can include a planetary gear system 122 having a number of automatically selected gears . an output shaft 126 of the transmission 118 is coupled to or integral with , and rotatably drives , a propeller shaft 128 that is coupled to a conventional universal joint 130 . the universal joint 130 is coupled to , and rotatably drives , an axle 132 having wheels 134 a and 134 b mounted thereto at each end . the output shaft 126 of the transmission 118 drives the wheels 134 a and 134 b in a conventional manner via the propeller shaft 128 , universal joint 130 and axle 132 . a conventional lockup clutch 136 is connected between the pump 110 and the turbine 112 of the torque converter 108 . the operation of the torque converter 108 is conventional in that the torque converter 108 is operable in a so - called “ torque converter ” mode during certain operating conditions such as vehicle launch , low speed and certain gear shifting conditions . in the torque converter mode , the lockup clutch 136 is disengaged and the pump 110 rotates at the rotational speed of the drive unit output shaft 104 while the turbine 112 is rotatably actuated by the pump 110 through a fluid ( not shown ) interposed between the pump 110 and the turbine 112 . in this operational mode , torque multiplication occurs through the fluid coupling such that the turbine shaft 114 is exposed to drive more torque than is being supplied by the drive unit 102 , as is known in the art . the torque converter 108 is alternatively operable in a so - called “ lockup ” mode during other operating conditions , such as when certain gears of the planetary gear system 122 of the transmission 118 are engaged . in the lockup mode , the lockup clutch 136 is engaged and the pump 110 is thereby secured directly to the turbine 112 so that the drive unit output shaft 104 is directly coupled to the input shaft 124 of the transmission 118 , as is also known in the art . the transmission 118 further includes an electro - hydraulic system 138 that is fluidly coupled to the planetary gear system 122 via a number , j , of fluid paths , 140 1 - 140 j , where j may be any positive integer . the electro - hydraulic system 138 is responsive to control signals to selectively cause fluid to flow through one or more of the fluid paths , 140 1 - 140 j , to thereby control operation , i . e ., engagement and disengagement , of a plurality of corresponding friction devices in the planetary gear system 122 . the plurality of friction devices may include , but are not limited to , one or more conventional brake devices , one or more torque transmitting devices , and the like . generally , the operation , i . e ., engagement and disengagement , of the plurality of friction devices is controlled by selectively controlling the friction applied by each of the plurality of friction devices , such as by controlling fluid pressure to each of the friction devices . in one example embodiment , which is not intended to be limiting in any way , the plurality of friction devices include a plurality of brake and torque transmitting devices in the form of conventional clutches that may each be controllably engaged and disengaged via fluid pressure supplied by the electro - hydraulic system 138 . in any case , changing or shifting between the various gears of the transmission 118 is accomplished in a conventional manner by selectively controlling the plurality of friction devices via control of fluid pressure within the number of fluid paths 140 1 - 140 j . the system 100 further includes a transmission control circuit 142 that can include a memory unit 144 . the transmission control circuit 142 is illustratively microprocessor - based , and the memory unit 144 generally includes instructions stored therein that are executable by the transmission control circuit 142 to control operation of the torque converter 108 and operation of the transmission 118 , i . e ., shifting between the various gears of the planetary gear system 122 . it will be understood , however , that this disclosure contemplates other embodiments in which the transmission control circuit 142 is not microprocessor - based , but is configured to control operation of the torque converter 108 and / or transmission 118 based on one or more sets of hardwired instructions and / or software instructions stored in the memory unit 144 . in the system 100 illustrated in fig1 , the torque converter 108 and the transmission 118 include a number of sensors configured to produce sensor signals that are indicative of one or more operating states of the torque converter 108 and transmission 118 , respectively . for example , the torque converter 108 illustratively includes a conventional speed sensor 146 that is positioned and configured to produce a speed signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the pump shaft 106 , which is the same rotational speed of the output shaft 104 of the drive unit 102 . the speed sensor 146 is electrically connected to a pump speed input , ps , of the transmission control circuit 142 via a signal path 152 , and the transmission control circuit 142 is operable to process the speed signal produced by the speed sensor 146 in a conventional manner to determine the rotational speed of the turbine shaft 106 / drive unit output shaft 104 . the transmission 118 illustratively includes another conventional speed sensor 148 that is positioned and configured to produce a speed signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the transmission input shaft 124 , which is the same rotational speed as the turbine shaft 114 . the input shaft 124 of the transmission 118 is directly coupled to , or integral with , the turbine shaft 114 , and the speed sensor 148 may alternatively be positioned and configured to produce a speed signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the turbine shaft 114 . in any case , the speed sensor 148 is electrically connected to a transmission input shaft speed input , tis , of the transmission control circuit 142 via a signal path 154 , and the transmission control circuit 142 is operable to process the speed signal produced by the speed sensor 148 in a conventional manner to determine the rotational speed of the turbine shaft 114 / transmission input shaft 124 . the transmission 118 further includes yet another speed sensor 150 that is positioned and configured to produce a speed signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the output shaft 126 of the transmission 118 . the speed sensor 150 may be conventional , and is electrically connected to a transmission output shaft speed input , tos , of the transmission control circuit 142 via a signal path 156 . the transmission control circuit 142 is configured to process the speed signal produced by the speed sensor 150 in a conventional manner to determine the rotational speed of the transmission output shaft 126 . in the illustrated embodiment , the transmission 118 further includes one or more actuators configured to control various operations within the transmission 118 . for example , the electro - hydraulic system 138 described herein illustratively includes a number of actuators , e . g ., conventional solenoids or other conventional actuators , that are electrically connected to a number , j , of control outputs , cp 1 - cp j , of the transmission control circuit 142 via a corresponding number of signal paths 72 1 - 72 j , where j may be any positive integer as described above . the actuators within the electro - hydraulic system 138 are each responsive to a corresponding one of the control signals , cp 1 - cp j , produced by the transmission control circuit 142 on one of the corresponding signal paths 72 1 - 72 j to control the friction applied by each of the plurality of friction devices by controlling the pressure of fluid within one or more corresponding fluid passageway 140 1 - 140 j , and thus control the operation , i . e ., engaging and disengaging , of one or more corresponding friction devices , based on information provided by the various speed sensors 146 , 148 , and / or 150 . the friction devices of the planetary gear system 122 are illustratively controlled by hydraulic fluid which is distributed by the electro - hydraulic system in a conventional manner . for example , the electro - hydraulic system 138 illustratively includes a conventional hydraulic positive displacement pump ( not shown ) which distributes fluid to the one or more friction devices via control of the one or more actuators within the electro - hydraulic system 138 . in this embodiment , the control signals , cp 1 - cp j , are illustratively analog friction device pressure commands to which the one or more actuators are responsive to control the hydraulic pressure to the one or more frictions devices . it will be understood , however , that the friction applied by each of the plurality of friction devices may alternatively be controlled in accordance with other conventional friction device control structures and techniques , and such other conventional friction device control structures and techniques are contemplated by this disclosure . in any case , however , the analog operation of each of the friction devices is controlled by the control circuit 142 in accordance with instructions stored in the memory unit 144 . in the illustrated embodiment , the system 100 further includes a drive unit control circuit 160 having an input / output port ( i / o ) that is electrically coupled to the drive unit 102 via a number , k , of signal paths 162 , wherein k may be any positive integer . the drive unit control circuit 160 may be conventional , and is operable to control and manage the overall operation of the drive unit 102 . the drive unit control circuit 160 further includes a communication port , com , which is electrically connected to a similar communication port , com , of the transmission control circuit 142 via a number , l , of signal paths 164 , wherein l may be any positive integer . the one or more signal paths 164 are typically referred to collectively as a data link . generally , the drive unit control circuit 160 and the transmission control circuit 142 are operable to share information via the one or more signal paths 164 in a conventional manner . in one embodiment , for example , the drive unit control circuit 160 and transmission control circuit 142 are operable to share information via the one or more signal paths 164 in the form of one or more messages in accordance with a society of automotive engineers ( sae ) j - 1939 communications protocol , although this disclosure contemplates other embodiments in which the drive unit control circuit 160 and the transmission control circuit 142 are operable to share information via the one or more signal paths 164 in accordance with one or more other conventional communication protocols . with reference to fig2 , an exemplary gearing scheme 200 is provided for transferring torque from an input 202 of the transmission to an output 204 thereof . the input 202 and output 204 can be disposed along the same centerline as shown in fig2 . moreover , the gearing scheme 200 further includes a plurality of clutches . the plurality of clutches can include a pair of rotating clutches , i . e ., c 1 and c 2 , and three stationary clutches or brakes , i . e ., c 3 , c 4 , and c 5 . each of the clutches or brakes can include one or more plates . the plates can include friction material and thus comprise friction plates , whereas other plates can be reaction plates . the gearing scheme 200 can also include a plurality of planetary gearsets . for example , in fig2 , the scheme 200 includes a first planetary gearset 206 , a second planetary gearset 208 and a third planetary gearset 210 . for purposes of this disclosure , the first planetary gearset can be referred to as a p 1 planetary gearset . likewise , the second and third planetary gearsets can be referred to as p 2 and p 3 , respectively . each planetary gearset can include a sun gear , a ring gear , and a carrier . for instance , the p 1 planetary gearset 206 includes a p 1 sun gear 214 , a p 1 carrier 216 , and a p 1 ring gear 218 . the p 2 planetary gearset 208 includes a p 2 sun gear 220 , a p 2 carrier 222 , and a p 2 ring gear 224 . similarly , the p 3 planetary gearset 210 includes a p 3 sun gear 226 , a p 3 carrier 228 , and a p 3 ring gear 230 . in fig2 , the lines connecting the different components can refer or indicate paths through which torque can be transferred . in addition , where the lines are broken and horizontal lines are shown ( e . g ., forming an equal sign (“=”)), these locations can refer to gears meshing ( or , alternative embodiments , being splined ) to one another . for instance , the p 1 sun gear 214 is shown meshing with pinion gears coupled to the p 1 carrier 216 and the pinion gears of the p 1 carrier 216 are meshing with the p 1 ring gear 218 . when the c 1 or c 2 clutch is unapplied , torque does not pass through the clutches . similarly , when the c 3 clutch ( or brake ) is applied , for example , the p 1 ring gear 218 is held and cannot rotate . from this point forward , the c 1 and c 2 clutches will be referred to as “ clutches ” whereas the c 3 - c 5 clutches will be referred to as “ brakes ”, but it should be understood that these components may be different in other embodiments . in the present disclosure , the gearing scheme 200 is such that two clutches ( or two brakes or one clutch and one brake ) are applied to achieve a particular range or gear ratio . in other gearing scheme embodiments , however , a range may be achieved by applying any combination of clutches or brakes ( e . g ., one clutch , three clutches , four clutches , etc .). in one particular embodiment , a gearing scheme can be arranged such that the following gear ratio ranges are achieved for different ranges : “ f 1 ” refers to a first forward range , “ f 2 ” refers to a second forward range , etc . the combination of gear ratios , ranges , and applied clutches and brakes is exemplary and non - limiting . other embodiments are possible in which additional or fewer ranges are possible . the gear ratio can also be adjusted as desired to accommodate a close ratio or wide ratio transmission . as is known , the difference between a close ratio and wide ratio transmission is the number of gear teeth on the various parts of the planetary gearsets . in the gearing scheme 200 , the reverse gear ratio may be too slow to meet the needs of a customer requiring a faster reverse ratio . in addition , the large f 1 to f 2 gear step prevents the shift from being made with the torque converter clutch applied , which can result in lower transmission efficiency , lower fuel economy , and higher transmission heat generation . in the present disclosure , however , an improved gearing scheme 300 can overcome such limitations so that the transmission can provide a reverse ratio that allows a vehicle to move faster in reverse than conventional reverse ranges in multi - ratio transmissions . further , the f 1 to f 2 shift can be made with the torque converter clutch applied . in the first forward range , f 1 , of gear scheme 200 , the torque path through the transmission is such that the c 1 clutch and c 5 brake are applied . when the c 5 brake is applied , it prevents the p 3 ring gear 230 from rotating . with the p 3 ring gear 230 stopped , the p 3 sun gear 226 is an input of torque and the p 3 carrier 228 is the output . here , the p 3 sun gear 226 and p 3 carrier 228 rotate in the same direction , but the p 3 carrier 228 rotates at a slower speed . referring to fig2 , the reverse range , r , can be achieved by applying the c 3 and c 5 brakes . both of these brakes are stationary and hold ring gears from rotating . specifically , the c 3 brake holds the p 1 ring gear 218 and the c 5 brake holds the p 3 ring gear 230 . since neither the c 1 nor c 2 clutches are applied , torque is transferred from the transmission input 202 to the first planetary gearset 206 via the p 1 sun gear 214 . since the p 1 ring gear 218 is held , the p 1 carrier 216 rotates in the same direction as the p 1 sun gear 214 , albeit at a slower speed , and transfers torque to the p 2 planetary gearset 208 via the p 2 ring gear 224 . since the c 5 brake holds the p 3 ring gear 230 , the p 2 carrier 222 cannot rotate . as such , the p 2 sun gear 220 is the output of the p 2 planetary gearset 208 . since the p 2 carrier 222 is held , the p 2 ring gear 224 and p 2 sun gear 220 rotate in opposite directions relative to each other , but with the p 2 sun gear 220 rotating at a higher speed than the p 2 ring gear 224 . with the p 2 sun gear 220 now rotating in an opposite direction from the transmission input , the p 2 sun gear 220 also drives the p 3 sun gear 226 to rotate in the opposite direction of the transmission input 202 . the p 3 sun gear 226 continues to drive the p 3 carrier 228 in the opposite direction of the transmission input 202 , albeit at a slower speed , and thus the transmission output 204 ( which is driven by the p 3 carrier 228 ) rotates in the reverse direction ( i . e ., opposite from the direction of which the transmission input 202 rotates ). referring to fig3 , another exemplary embodiment of a gear scheme 300 is shown . the gear scheme 300 in fig3 is similar to the gear scheme 200 of fig2 , except for the addition of a fourth planetary gearset 312 . thus , the inputs and outputs of the p 1 carrier , p 2 carrier , and p 3 carrier in the gear scheme 300 are the same as the previously described gear scheme 200 . as shown , the gear scheme 300 can include a transmission input 302 , a transmission output 302 , two rotating clutches , c 1 and c 2 , and four stationary brakes , i . e ., c 3 , c 4 , c 5 , and c 6 . the input 302 and output 304 can be disposed along the same transmission centerline as shown in fig3 . alternatively , the input 302 and output 304 can be disposed along different centerlines . the gear scheme 300 also can include a first planetary gearset 306 , a second planetary gearset 308 , a third planetary gearset 310 , and a fourth planetary gearset 312 . the first planetary gearset 306 , referred to herein as the p 1 planetary gearset , can include a p 1 sun gear 314 , a p 1 carrier 316 , and a p 1 ring gear 318 . likewise , the second planetary gearset 308 , or p 2 planetary gearset , can include a p 2 sun gear 320 , a p 2 carrier 322 , and a p 2 ring gear 324 . the third planetary gearset 310 , or p 3 planetary gearset , can include a p 3 sun gear 326 , a p 3 carrier 328 , and a p 3 ring gear 330 . similarly , the fourth planetary gearset 312 , or p 4 planetary gearset , can include a p 4 sun gear 332 , a p 4 carrier 334 , and a p 4 ring gear 336 . the gear scheme 300 can include similar ranges , gear ratios , and applied / unapplied clutches as described above with respect to gear scheme 200 . thus , in a first forward range or speed ratio , f 1 , the c 1 clutch and c 5 brake can be applied . in this embodiment , the p 3 ring gear 330 is held fixed by the c 5 brake . torque therefore passes through the p 3 planetary gearset 310 via the p 3 sun gear 326 and it outputs through the p 3 carrier 328 . the p 3 sun gear 326 and p 3 carrier 328 rotate in the same direction , but the p 3 carrier 328 rotates at a slower speed multiplying torque to the transmission output 304 by the same ratio as gear scheme 200 . in reverse , however , the gear scheme 300 differs over the previous gear scheme 200 . the addition of the fourth planetary gearset 312 in fig3 results in two available reverse gear or speed ratios . r 1 , or a first reverse gear or speed ratio of gear scheme 300 , has a similar torque path and gear ratio as the single reverse ratio in the gear scheme 200 of fig2 . r 2 , or a second reverse gear or speed ratio of gear scheme 300 , has a “ faster ” reverse gear or speed ratio than the single reverse gear or speed ratio of gear scheme 200 . for purposes of this disclosure , the “ faster ” reverse gear or speed ratio ( r 2 ) in scheme 300 means the numerical gear or speed ratio is smaller than the single reverse gear or speed ratio of scheme 200 . in addition , a reverse range can refer to a gear ratio or speed ratio for purposes of this disclosure . the second reverse ratio , r 2 , of scheme 300 can be achieved by applying the c 3 and c 6 brakes . both of these brakes can be stationary brakes ( i . e ., not rotating ) and hold corresponding ring gears from rotating . specifically , the c 3 brake holds the p 1 ring gear 318 and the c 6 brake holds the p 4 ring gear 336 . since neither the c 1 nor c 2 clutches are applied , torque is transferred from the transmission input 302 to the first planetary gearset 306 via the p 1 sun gear 314 . since the p 1 ring gear 318 is held , the p 1 carrier 316 rotates in the same direction as the p 1 sun gear 314 , albeit at a slower speed , and transfers torque to the p 2 planetary gearset 308 via the p 2 ring gear 324 . with the transmission output 304 rotating in the reverse direction and the p 4 ring gear 336 held , the p 4 carrier 334 , p 3 ring gear 330 , and p 2 carrier 322 all rotate in the reverse direction as well . now , with the p 2 ring gear 324 rotating forward and the p 2 carrier 322 rotating in reverse , the p 2 sun gear 320 and the p 3 sun gear 326 rotate at a high speed in reverse . since the p 3 sun gear 326 and p 3 ring gear 330 are both rotating in the reverse direction , the p 3 carrier 328 and the transmission output 304 rotate at a relatively high speed in the second reverse ratio , r 2 , of gear scheme 300 compared to the single reverse ratio of gear scheme 200 and the first reverse ratio , r 1 , of gear scheme 300 . in one non - limiting embodiment , r 2 of gear scheme 300 can have a gear ratio of about − 1 . 95 while the single reverse ratio in gear scheme 200 and first reverse ratio , r 1 , of gear scheme 300 have gear ratios of about − 4 . 80 . the second reverse ratio , r 2 , of gear scheme 300 can therefore provide a faster vehicle speed in reverse for those vocations requiring it . gear scheme 300 can also provide an additional forward gear ratio that fits between the f 1 and f 2 gear ratios of gear scheme 200 . this allows for seven forward speeds to be available with gear scheme 300 and can reduce the large gear step typically associated with the f 1 to f 2 shift of gear scheme 200 . the f 1 torque path and gear ratio of gear scheme 300 are similar to that of the f 1 torque path in gear scheme 200 . the f 3 torque path and gear ratio of gear scheme 300 are similar to that as f 2 of gear scheme 200 , and likewise the pattern for the remaining higher forward ranges of gear scheme 300 are similar to those of the gear scheme 200 . however , the f 2 torque path and gear ratio of gear scheme 300 are different from that of the gear scheme 200 . the second forward range , f 2 , of gear scheme 300 can be achieved by applying the c 1 clutch and c 6 brake . in fig3 , the p 4 ring gear 336 is held by the c 6 brake . input into the p 3 sun gear 326 of the p 3 planetary gearset 310 is via the applied c 1 clutch . the p 3 sun gear 326 can transfer torque to the p 3 carrier 328 which drives the transmission output 304 . the p 3 sun gear 326 and p 3 carrier 328 rotate in the forward direction and further drive the p 4 sun gear 332 . with the p 4 ring gear 336 being held , the p 4 sun gear 332 drives the p 4 carrier 334 . the p 4 carrier 334 rotates in the forward direction and further drives the p 3 ring gear 330 . since the p 3 ring gear 330 is rotating forward rather than being fixed as in f 1 , it combines with the forward rotation of the p 3 sun gear 326 to drive the p 3 carrier 328 and transmission output 304 at a faster rotational speed in the forward direction than that of f 1 , but slower than that of f 3 of gear scheme 300 . in one non - limiting aspect of this embodiment , the f 1 and f 2 forward ranges in gear scheme 200 can have gear ratios of approximately 3 . 51 and 1 . 91 with a gear step of 1 . 84 therebetween . in gear scheme 300 , however , forward ranges f 1 , f 2 , and f 3 can have respective gear ratios of 3 . 51 , 2 . 56 , and 1 . 91 with gear steps of 1 . 37 and 1 . 34 . as a result , a gear step at about or below 1 . 5 formed between forward ranges f 1 and f 2 of gear scheme 300 can allow the shift from f 1 to f 2 to be made with the torque converter clutch applied , thereby improving transmission efficiency and fuel economy while reducing transmission heat generation . as for the other forward ranges in gear scheme 300 , the torque flow path between the transmission input 302 and transmission output 304 is similar to the other forward ranges in gear scheme 200 . for instance , in a third forward range f 3 of gear scheme 300 , the c 4 brake holds the p 2 ring gear 324 and the c 1 clutch is applied . torque therefore passes through the p 2 planetary gearset 308 via the p 2 sun gear 320 and is output through the p 2 carrier 322 . the p 2 carrier 322 rotates in the same direction as the p 2 sun gear 320 and is coupled to the p 3 ring gear 330 . torque also passes through the p 3 planetary gearset 310 as an input via the p 3 sun gear 326 . the p 3 carrier 328 outputs torque to the transmission output 304 as shown . in a fourth forward range f 4 of gear scheme 300 , the c 3 brake can hold the first ring gear 318 and the c 1 clutch is applied . torque can therefore enter the p 1 planetary gearset 306 via the p 1 sun gear 314 and output via the p 1 carrier 316 . the p 1 carrier 316 is coupled to the p 2 ring gear 324 , and as a result torque passes through the p 2 planetary gearset 308 through the p 2 ring gear 324 ( via the p 1 carrier 316 ) and the p 2 sun gear 320 . the p 2 carrier 322 is the output of the p 2 planetary gearset 308 and transfers torque to the p 3 ring gear 330 . thus , torque passes through the p 3 planetary gearset 310 via the p 3 ring gear 330 ( via the p 2 carrier ) and p 3 sun gear 326 . the p 3 carrier 328 outputs torque to the transmission output 304 . in a fifth forward range f 5 of gear scheme 300 , the c 1 and c 2 clutches are applied , but none of the stationary brakes are applied . thus , torque from the transmission input 302 enters the p 3 planetary gearset 310 via the p 3 sun gear 326 and the p 3 ring gear 330 ( i . e ., via the p 2 carrier 322 ). with the p 3 sun gear 326 and p 3 ring gear 330 rotating at input speed , the p 3 carrier 328 and transmission output 304 rotate at input speed thereby resulting in a gear ratio of approximately 1 . 0 . in a sixth forward range f 6 of gear scheme 300 , the c 2 clutch and c 3 brake are applied . unlike the previously described embodiments , the c 1 clutch is not applied . the c 3 brake holds the p 1 ring gear 318 . torque therefore passes through the p 1 planetary gearset 306 via the p 1 sun gear 314 and is output through the p 1 carrier 316 . torque passes through the p 2 planetary gearset 308 through the p 2 ring gear 324 ( via the p 1 carrier 316 ), p 2 carrier 322 , and the p 3 ring gear 330 ( via the applied c 2 clutch ). this overdrives the p 2 sun gear 320 and the p 3 sun gear 326 . with the p 3 sun gear 326 being overdriven and the p 3 ring gear rotating at input speed , the p 3 carrier 328 and transmission output 304 are overdriven . in this disclosure , the “ overdriven ” condition refers to the transmission output 304 rotating at a higher speed than the transmission input 302 . in a seventh forward range f 7 of gear scheme 300 , the c 2 clutch and c 4 brake are applied or held . in this range , the c 4 brake holds the p 2 ring gear 324 . torque is input to the p 2 planetary gearset 308 directly from the transmission input 302 to the p 2 carrier 322 and p 3 ring gear 330 . this condition overdrives the p 2 sun gear 320 and p 3 sun gear 326 to a larger degree than the sixth forward range f 6 of gear scheme 300 . with the p 3 sun gear 326 being overdriven to a greater degree and the p 3 ring gear 330 rotating at input speed , the p 3 carrier 328 and transmission output 304 are overdriven to a larger degree than in the sixth forward range f 6 of gear scheme 300 . in the above - described embodiments , the torque flow paths can differ depending on the gear scheme and which clutches or brakes are applied / unapplied . in one embodiment , the gear ratio in the first forward range f 1 is greater than the gear ratios for the second ( f 2 ), third ( f 3 ), fourth ( f 4 ), fifth ( f 5 ), sixth ( f 6 ), and seventh forward ranges ( f 7 ). the gear ratio in the seventh forward range f 7 is less than the gear ratios in the first , second , third , fourth , fifth , and sixth forward ranges . with the ability to achieve a second range in reverse and an additional forward range , thereby providing smaller gear steps between ranges , the gear scheme 300 can achieve efficiency and fuel economy advantages over many conventional gearing arrangements . while exemplary embodiments incorporating the principles of the present disclosure have been disclosed hereinabove , the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . instead , this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the disclosure using its general principles . further , this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this disclosure pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
|
referring to fig1 , a liquid crystal display 2 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown . the liquid crystal display 2 includes a liquid crystal panel 29 , and a direct - type backlight module 20 below the liquid crystal panel 29 . the backlight module 20 is configured to provide planar light for the liquid crystal panel 29 . the backlight module 20 includes a frame 25 , a plurality of light sources 24 , four fixing elements 26 , a diffusing plate 22 , and a bef 21 . the light sources 24 , the diffusing plate 22 , and the bef 21 are arranged in the frame 25 , in that order from bottom to top . each light source 24 includes a supporting strip 241 and a plurality of light - emitting elements 242 . the supporting strip 241 includes a circuit ( not shown ) formed thereon . the light - emitting elements 242 are mounted on the supporting strip 241 in a line . an external power source provides power to the light - emitting elements 242 via wires ( not shown ) and the circuit . light emitted from the light - emitting elements 242 transmits through the diffusing plate 22 and the bef 21 to illuminate the liquid crystal panel 29 . the light - emitting elements 242 can for example be light - emitting diodes ( leds ). the frame 25 includes a rectangular bottom plate 251 , and four side plates 250 upwardly extending from edges of the bottom plate 251 . the bottom plate 251 and the side plates 250 cooperatively define an accommodating space , which space accommodates the light sources 24 , the diffusing plate 22 , and the bef 21 therein . a plurality of elongated recesses 256 are formed in the bottom plate 251 of the frame 25 . the recesses 256 are arranged in a matrix pattern , which includes a plurality of rows and two columns . the light sources 24 are received in the recesses 256 respectively . the bottom plate 251 further includes a plurality of strip - shaped portions between the recesses 256 . a depth of the recesses 256 is less than a thickness of the supporting strips 241 of the light sources 24 . a pair of elastic elements 252 are formed at opposite ends of each strip - shaped portion , respectively . a pair of elastic elements 252 are also formed at the top of each column of the matrix , and at the bottom of each column of the matrix . that is , there are two elastic elements 252 between every two adjacent recesses 256 , two elastic elements 252 adjacent a top of the topmost strip - shaped portion of each column , and two elastic elements 252 adjacent a bottom of a bottommost strip - shaped portion of each column . each two elastic elements 252 between every two adjacent recesses 256 are adjacent to two end portions of each of the two adjacent recesses 256 , respectively . referring also to fig2 , the elastic elements 252 are inseparably integrated with the bottom plate 251 of the frame 25 . that is , the frame 25 including the elastic elements 252 is of a single body of material . in the illustrated embodiment , the elastic elements 252 are stamped from the bottom plate 251 , with each elastic element 252 being generally l - shaped . in particular , each elastic element 252 includes a bending portion 253 and an extending portion 254 . the bending portion 253 extends substantially upwardly from the bottom plate 251 . the extending portion 254 extends approximately perpendicularly from the bending portion 253 . in particular , the extending portion 254 extends slightly down , such that an angle between the bending portion 253 and the extending portion 254 is approximately 90 degrees or less . in the illustrated embodiment , the fixing elements 26 are four long cylindrical bars , each of which has a circular cross - section . two of the fixing elements 26 are positioned at two sides of one of the columns of the matrix , respectively . the other two fixing elements 26 are positioned at two sides of the other column of the matrix , respectively . each fixing element is elastically held in position below the extending portions 254 of the corresponding elastic elements 252 . thus , the light sources 24 can be fixedly mounted in the recesses 256 of the bottom plate 251 of the frame 25 by means of the fixing elements 26 , which are elastically maintained in position by the elastic elements 252 . referring also to fig3 , in assembly of the backlight module 20 , the light sources 24 are mounted to the bottom plate 251 of the frame 25 . first , the light sources 24 are placed in the recesses 256 of the bottom plate 251 . then , each of the fixing elements 26 is inserted between a corresponding column of elastic elements 252 and the bottom plate 251 . the elastic elements 252 resiliently exert downward force on the fixing elements 26 such that the fixing elements 26 downwardly press the supporting strips 241 of the light sources 24 . thus , the light sources 24 are fixedly mounted to the bottom plate 251 of the frame 25 . in summary , the backlight module 20 of the liquid crystal display 2 includes the elastic elements 252 and the fixing elements 26 which cooperatively fix the light sources 24 to the frame 25 . no matter how many light sources 24 are used , the assembly and disassembly of the backlight module 20 and the liquid crystal display 2 are simplified . referring to fig4 , a liquid crystal display according to a second embodiment of the present invention is similar to the liquid crystal display 2 of the first embodiment . however , in the second embodiment , a bottom plate 351 includes a plurality of strip - shaped portions between a plurality of recesses 356 . the bottom plate 351 further includes a plurality of pairs of first notches 357 , with each pair of first notches 357 located below a respective elastic element 352 . an extending portion 354 of each elastic element 352 includes a second notch 358 defined at a lower surface ( not labeled ) thereof . the first and second notches 357 , 358 cooperatively accommodate the fixing elements 36 . that is , the fixing elements 36 are snappingly received between the extending portions 354 of the elastic elements 352 and the strip - shaped portions of the bottom plate 351 . in the illustrated embodiment , each of the first and second notches 357 , 358 defines an arc - shaped profile . the arc - shaped profiles of each pair of first and second notches 357 , 358 are located approximately along the periphery of a same imaginary circular cylinder . referring to fig5 , a direct - type backlight module 40 of a liquid crystal display according to a third embodiment of the present invention is similar to the backlight module 20 of the first embodiment . however , the direct - type backlight module 40 includes eight fixing elements 46 . each column of light sources is fixed by four of the fixing elements 46 . further or alternative embodiments may include the following . in a first example , the recesses 26 can be arranged in other patterns . for example , a matrix pattern may include a plurality of rows and three columns . in a second example , the elastic elements 252 can be independent ( discretely formed ) elements , which are mounted to the bottom plate 251 of the frame 25 . in a third example , the fixing elements 26 can have other shapes , such as a bar shape with an elliptical cross - section . it is to be further understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set out in the foregoing description , together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments , the disclosure is illustrative only ; and that changes may be made in detail , especially in matters of shape , size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed . | 6Physics
|
subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , which form a part hereof , and which show , by way of illustration , specific example embodiments . subject matter may , however , be embodied in a variety of different forms and , therefore , covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any example embodiments set forth herein ; example embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative . likewise , a reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended . among other things , for example , subject matter may be embodied as methods , devices , components , or systems . accordingly , embodiments may , for example , take the form of hardware , software , firmware or any combination thereof ( other than software per se ). the following detailed description is , therefore , not intended to be taken in a limiting sense . in the accompanying drawings , some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components ( and any size , material and similar details shown in the figures are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive ). therefore , specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the disclosed embodiments . reference in this specification to “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment ” means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure . the appearances of the phrase “ in one embodiment ” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment , nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments . moreover , various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others . similarly , various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments but not other embodiments . any combination and / or subset of the elements of the methods depicted herein may be combined with each other , selectively performed or not performed based on various conditions , repeated any desired number of times , and practiced in any suitable order and in conjunction with any suitable system , device , and / or process . the methods described and depicted herein can be implemented in any suitable manner , such as through software operating on one or more computer systems . the software may comprise computer - readable instructions stored in a tangible computer - readable medium ( such as the memory of a computer system ) and can be executed by one or more processors to perform the methods of various embodiments . fig1 illustrates an exemplary method according to various aspects of the present disclosure . the steps of method 100 may be performed by any suitable computing device , such as by server computing device 610 depicted in fig6 . in this example , method 100 includes generating one or more patterns associated with web pages ( 105 ), configuring a code module for collecting and transmitting data related to a web page ( 110 ), transmitting the code module to a client computing device ( 115 ), receiving web page data from the code module ( 120 ), analyzing the web page data ( 125 ), generating a risk factor based on the analysis ( 130 ), generating one or more alerts ( 135 ), and updating one or more patterns associated with web pages ( 140 ). embodiments of the present disclosure may generate ( 105 ) a variety of different patterns associated with various web page states to help identify a malicious ( or potentially malicious ) modification to a web page . in one exemplary embodiment , the remote access server ( ras ) apparatus includes three static knowledge bases and a dynamic risk - assessment algorithm . other knowledge bases and algorithms may also be utilized in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure . in this example , the static knowledge bases include a “ known - to - be - good ” list , a “ known - to - be - malicious ” list and a “ known - to - be - innocuous ” list . these lists are discussed in more detail with reference to analyzing the web page data ( step 125 ). in some exemplary embodiments , the static knowledge bases may be configured during a training / setup phase . in some cases , the system may assume that a site to be protected is being browsed only from secured stations , and hence it can put into the “ known - to - be - good ” list all the unknown states coming from the code module . to avoid problems with this assumption , some training machines may be configured to send specially crafted hypertext transfer protocol ( http ) headers when browsing the protected portal . in addition to such headers , the ras may also have a list of ip addresses where training machines can communicate from . this way , if an unknown state arrives to the ras and the state - report contains the adequate http headers and comes from the expected ip address , the ras includes this new state into the “ known - to - be - good ” list . during operation , when a session that has been identified as potentially risky ( e . g ., by the system , operator , third party actor , etc . ), the system may classify the page as described in more detail below ( e . g ., “ page ok ,” “ page modified by a malicious element ,” “ page modified by an inoffensive element ”). the system can then generate a pattern associated with each type of classification in the static knowledge bases . this enables the system to accurately identify the next session that matches the new pattern , independently of the list where it was finally inserted . additionally , in order to improve its accuracy , the “ risk assessment algorithm ” can be trained periodically including all the data contained in the lists . a code module may be configured ( 110 ) and transmitted ( 115 ) to a client computing device to collect data related to a web page presented on the computing device . in some exemplary embodiments , a web server may automatically configure a code module comprising a set of code ( e . g , written in javascript or another language ), embed the code module in a hypertext markup language ( html ) web page , and provide the web page and code module to the client computing device , in response , for example , to a user of the client computing device visiting a web portal hosted by the web server . in other embodiments , the code module may be embedded into a web page by a server or other computing device other than the web server . for example , a loader module comprising a small snippet of code may be inserted into the web page by the web server hosting the web page or another device . the loader module may perform various configuration actions ( such as setting page - identifier variables ), loads the code module from a server ( e . g ., possibly a different server from the web server ), and embeds the code module in the web page . the code module is configured to collect data related to the web page to be used in the detection of malware - related modifications . in one embodiment , the code module waits until the page if fully rendered by the browser before starting collection of the data . fig2 illustrates how a portion of html from a web page may be scanned by the code module and translated into a set of data ( in a data structure ) that can be converted to json or any other exchanging data format and sent to the ras . embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to collect information about specific elements . those elements may be chosen according to the kind of attacks the system seeks to detect and address . for example , if the system is focused on preventing html injections intended to steal credentials or sensible data ( as shown in fig2 ), the system collects information on elements that can potentially be used to ask the user for additional data such inputs , text fields or any kind editable element . additionally , in order to have a better insight of the current page structure , embodiments of the disclosure may include all the elements that act as containers of the editing elements found in the page . in the example shown in fig2 , a form containing three input elements is mapped to a representation in the form of a tree structure containing the details of input fields nested inside the details of a form element . similarly , an embodiment seeking to detect the addition of data intended to modify the page structure dynamically , can include script ( e . g ., javascript ) tags to the set of collected elements . any set of elements may be selected for monitoring based on any desired criteria , and such elements being monitored may be dynamically modified during the operation of the system . in various embodiments , as shown in fig2 , a set of data related to a web page is collected by the code module and transmitted to a risk analysis server ( ras ), where further verifications are performed in order to determine the presence of malware - related modifications . the functionality of the ras may be performed by the server computing device 610 depicted in fig6 , as well as by other suitable computing devices in communication with the client computing device upon which the code module is running . any desired web page data may be collected by the code module . for example , the code module may be configured to collect data on any feature of the web page that can potentially be used to modify the page structure , and consequently , to potentially lure the user of the client computing device to disclose sensitive information that would not have been asked for by the unmodified web page . data related to the web page collected by the code module may include , for example , one or more : identifiers , styling details , nesting details , locations of features within the web page ( e . g ., inside the html tree ), elements that request a user of the client computing device to enter data , and / or script elements ( e . g ., in javascript ). the data related to the web page is received ( 120 ) from the code module by the ras or another system implementing the functionality of the embodiments of the present disclosure , and such data may be transmitted to the ras in any desired manner . for example , the data related to the web page may be packaged as a javascript object notation ( json ) document ( or any other exchanging data format ). embodiments of the present disclosure can collect data related to the web page that enables the ras to get full insight of the actual state of the web page by , for example , detailing document object model ( dom ) elements , the structure of the web page , and the content of any scripts operating on the web page , without having to send the entire html document implementing the web page . among other things , including only a subset of the total elements present in the web page ( e . g ., those most useful in identifying malicious modifications to the page ) helps avoid network overload and helps keep the responsiveness of the web - portal relatively unaffected by the embodiments of this disclosure . this latter feature also helps embodiments of the present disclosure provide effective protection while keeping the user experience relatively unaltered . the web page data may be analyzed ( 125 ) to identify known patterns in the web page data that are known to be indicative of non - modified states , malicious modifications , innocuous modifications , or other cases . continuing the example described above with reference to step 105 , embodiments of the present disclosure may compare the data associated with the web page to various lists of patterns , such as the “ known - to - be - good ” list , “ known - to - be - malicious ” list and “ known - to - be - innocuous ” list introduced above . the known - to - be - good list holds a set of patterns associated with states of the page identified as not modified states . this set of states may be learned by the system during the training phase and along the operation lifecycle . feature sets of data related to a web page may be analyzed using different lists of patterns in any desired manner . in one exemplary embodiment , a feature - set may first be analyzed against the “ known - to - be - good ” list in order to check if it matches with any of the stored states . if a match is found , the session is marked as not risky and no further analysis is performed . if at least one feature in the data is not on the “ known - to - be - good ” list , however , further analysis may be performed . the “ known - to - be - malicious list ” contains a set of patterns that constitutes the base of known attacks that the system learns through its operational lifecycle . the patterns contained in this list provide the system with the capability to quickly identify already known attacks and classify them as associated with a specific malware variant or campaign . if a feature - set contained in web page data collected by the code module is found to match a pattern contained in this list , the web page may be automatically marked as risky and no further analysis performed . alternatively , the system may engage in additional analysis to , for example , identify additional threats in the page , the possible source of one or more threats , and other information . among other things , such additional analysis may be used to better update the pattern lists of the embodiments of the present disclosure , as well as to provide useful information to web hosts and law enforcement regarding malicious web page modifications the system detects . the “ known - to - be - innocuous ” list may be used to identify patterns that indicate a web page has been modified , but not in a manner that is malicious . such modifications may include , for example , browser plugins that modify the page dom to include a graphical user interface ( gui ) but do not pose a threat . in some exemplary embodiments , the ras attempts to determine if the analyzed features have content matching any pattern in the “ known - to - be - innocuous ” list . if a match is found , then the ras checks whether , after removing the matching content from the features , there is a close matching with at least one of the entries from the known - to - be - good list . if this latter test ends with a match , the session may be marked as safe and no further analysis is needed . otherwise , the system may perform a risk - assessment algorithm , as described in more detail below . in some embodiments , a risk - assessment algorithm is only performed in response to a determination , by analyzing the data related to the web page , that one or more elements in the web page data do not correspond to any pattern in at least of the static lists available to the system . among other things , this allows the system to identify potentially new patterns that can be added to the static lists . embodiments of the present disclosure may perform any desired analysis in order to identify patterns of groups of elements , and structures inside the compared element features , within the data related to a web page . the representation of such patterns may be diverse , and utilize ( for example ) a variety of xml pattern matching techniques , such as xpath . the patterns contained in the static knowledge bases described previously may comprise data structures which may be similar to the data structures collected by the code module on the client computing device . the data structures may provide a simplified version of a page features document , which include a subset of the elements and details of particular interest for the given list . when looking for a match , if the compared feature set contains all the elements and structure detailed in the pattern , it may be said that it matches the pattern , even if the compared feature contains more elements than the matched pattern . fig3 illustrates a graphical example of a match against a pattern . in this example , the pattern ( in the left box ) is found in the data retrieved from the web page ( in the right box ). fig4 , by contrast , illustrates an example where no match is found , as the lower portion of the pattern in the left box is not present in the data retrieved from the web page ( right box ). in some embodiments , the analysis of the web page data ( 125 ) may conclude in response to correlating the web page data with patterns in the static lists . if such analysis does not produce a conclusive result ( e . g ., because one or more elements in the web page data are not found in any of the lists ), additional analysis may be performed in order to determine whether the web page has ( or is at risk of having ) a malicious modification . in some exemplary embodiments , the features in the web page data can be further analyzed using a risk - assessment algorithm in order to generate a risk factor ( 130 ). in various embodiments , the risk - assessment algorithm may be automatically adjusted based on the history of incidents related to html - modifying malware detected by the system . in this manner , embodiments of the present disclosure automatically improve their effectiveness of the system and learn from previously - detected threats without necessitating user intervention to identify such threats . in some embodiments , the factors that determine the risk - level of a given feature - set may be dictated by the history of the system . for example , the more malware - related modifying - elements the features include , the higher the risk assigned to the session . in order to assets the risk - level of a session , a risk factor map maybe defined so that sessions with risk - level below a given safe - level are discarded as not risky , and risk - levels above a trigger value are automatically marked as risky , as shown in the graph in fig5 . in this example , when the risk - level is not below or above the given limits in the graph , the session may be marked as potentially risky and external intervention may be required in order to conclude the nature of the modification performed to the web page . once the riskiness of the session has been determined , that feedback may be included to the system &# 39 ; s knowledge base and used by all future analyses of web page data . in various embodiments , the risk assessment algorithm may comprise a prediction algorithm implementing a function that discriminates between risky and not risky modifications , giving as an output a number indicating the probability that a given feature - set contains harmful modifications . in various embodiments , the risk assessment algorithm is updated to reflect the system history . that is , it is re - parameterized periodically such that its final output assigns a greater riskiness to those page - modifications containing elements or variations typically included in malware modifications found over the system history . as an illustrative example , consider that for a given page the system has positively identified a set of malware injections in the following html code , with the bold - face sections being indicators of fields added to the original structure : in some cases , for a feature - set which difference with its closest known - to - be - good pattern includes elements of type input , chances are that such page is being modified by a malicious agent . furthermore , if the difference includes not only input elements but input elements with type password , the likelihood of being a malicious will be much higher than the previous situation . deciding the kind of observed variables to include as input for the classification algorithm can be obtained by empirical observation , as well as by using exploratory data analysis techniques . once a determination is made as to the variables to observe when trying to determine the riskiness of a page , a determination is made as to the set of parameters that better fit for the chosen algorithm or function . some embodiments may include the content of the known - to - be - innocuous list , so that elements or variations typically included both in malicious and innocuous modifications trigger a lower risk - level than those included exclusively in malicious modifications . as an example , an embodiment of the present disclosure may use the following sigmoid function as a prediction function : where v is the weighted sum of the difference of the observed variables between the analyzed page - feature and its closest pattern . where v j is the number of occurrences of each one of the observed variables . the risk assessment algorithm may be tuned to fit the history of web page data analyzed by the system by finding the combination of w 1 that gives the best prediction . whenever as session is marked as risky or potentially risky , the code module may be instructed ( e . g , by the ras ) to create a full snapshot of the state of the page so that it can be used to create an accurate representation of the page status . such snapshot is intended to be used as visual evidence in forensic processes as well as to support the determination of the level of risk of a modification . in one embodiment , when the code module creates the snapshot , it copies the entire html of the page and posts it to the ras . the ras in turn saves the html content and converts the page into an image that shows the visual aspects of the page . in one exemplary embodiment , a script module is commanded by the ras to take a snapshot of the page by making a copy of the current document object model ( dom ) tree . the dom copy is then prepared to be sent to the server by converting all the relative resources ( urls ) to its absolute representation . if the page contains html “ iframe ” or “ frame ” elements and the cross - origin policies allow it , its content is also copied and prepared . the prepared data is sent to the ras which finally queues it to be rendered by the rendering engine . the rendering engine is a headless ( no gui ) browser which is used to render the dom sent by the monitoring script . the output of the render engine is then stored and associated to the data of the incident so that the operator can see it when reviewing incident reports . the dom sent by the monitoring script is also stored so that it can be used in forensic procedures to identify the portions of html injected by malware . embodiments of the present disclosure may generate various alerts ( 135 ) such as by posting usage reports and incident events whenever a risk has been found . such reports and events can be used by an external agent / component to consolidate statistics and reports detailing the activity registered by the system . additionally , incident reports can be used by the web portal owner in order to start mitigation procedures or to perform forensic operation . in some cases , such as when a session is analyzed and its riskiness level is not conclusive , the session may be marked as potentially risky and an alert generated to a user of the system ( or an external agent ) to indicate additional analysis / intervention may be needed in order to help determine or evaluate the risk factor of the web page session . such alerts may be generated and provided to various users and systems in any suitable manner . for example , a human agent may be alerted with a notification that can be sent by any kind of communications method , such as an e - mail or a phone call to dedicated monitoring application . once the agent decides to attend the incident , he / she may be presented with a set of elements / data intended to facilitate its work and guarantee the identification of any new attack campaign . automated agents ( e . g ., controlled by software operating on other servers ) may similarly be notified . sets of elements provided to agents may include , for example : such details may include some or all of the data that can be collected to determine when , where and how the incident happened . such details may include , for example : url , timestamp , remote ip address , browser id / version , underlying os , language , session id , incident id , detail of the headers used by the browser , etc . the snapshot , such as described previously , offers the agent the opportunity to view an accurate image of what the user of the client computing device was watching on his / her browser when the incident was detected . as stated previously , when an incident is found , the code module may be instructed to send all the data available that allows the system to build a good approximation of what is visible for the user in that precise instant . among other things , this helps the agent to appreciate the visual differences between the modified and the original page . the same data used to generate the snapshot of the incident may also be made available to the agent so that he / she can examine in detail the elements that where altered on the page . once the external agent has determined the nature of the incident , the agent can acknowledge the system in various ways . the agent can also identify new patterns in order to update one or more patterns ( 140 ) in the static lists . alternatively or in conjunction , embodiments of the present disclosure may also add new patterns to the static lists . acknowledgements provided by an agent may include , for example : this selection may be made when the agent determines that the session didn &# 39 ; t contain any kind of modification . this may occur , for example , when the portal owner introduces changes to the protected page and the system hasn &# 39 ; t yet encountered this new version of the page before . in this case , the system simply could add one or more patterns reflecting this new state to the known - to - be - good list . in this case , the agent determines that the page has been actually modified with malicious purposes . together with this acknowledgment , the agent may provide a label identifying the modification . this label can be an identifier of the malware performing the injection , the name of the attack or any other meaningful text . the system may proceed to determine the modifying elements and to create a pattern to be included in the known - to - be - malicious list so that a match can be found in this list the next time the system analyzes data from a web page is being injected by the same malicious actor . in this case , the agent determines that the page has been modified , but the modification is not malicious . this may occur , for example , when the browser includes extensions / plugins intended to improve the user experience or to provide additional services while the user is browsing . the extracted pattern may be added to the known - to - be - innocuous list for future analyses . in some embodiments , intervention by an external agent ( whether human or another system ) is logged so that the source of modifications to the static lists or risk analysis algorithm ( s ) can be traced . fig6 is a block diagram of system which may be used in conjunction with various embodiments . while fig6 illustrates various components of a computer system , it is not intended to represent any particular architecture or manner of interconnecting the components . other systems that have fewer or more components may also be used . in fig6 , the system 600 includes a server computing system 610 comprising a processor 612 , memory 614 , and user interface 616 . computer system 610 may include any number of different processors , memory components , and user interface components , and may interact with any other desired systems and devices in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure . the functionality of the computer system 610 , including the steps of the methods described above ( in whole or in part ), may be implemented through the processor 612 executing computer - readable instructions stored in the memory 614 of the system 610 . the memory 614 may store any computer - readable instructions and data , including software applications , applets , and embedded operating code . portions of the functionality of the methods described herein may also be performed via software operating on one or more of the user computing devices 620 . the functionality of the system 610 or other system and devices operating in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented through various hardware components storing machine - readable instructions , such as application - specific integrated circuits ( asics ), field - programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ) and / or complex programmable logic devices ( cplds ). systems according to aspects of certain embodiments may operate in conjunction with any desired combination of software and / or hardware components . the processor 612 retrieves and executes instructions stored in the memory 614 to control the operation of the system 610 . any type of processor , such as an integrated circuit microprocessor , microcontroller , and / or digital signal processor ( dsp ), can be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure . a memory 614 operating in conjunction with embodiments of the disclosure may include any combination of different memory storage devices , such as hard drives , random access memory ( ram ), read only memory ( rom ), flash memory , or any other type of volatile and / or nonvolatile memory . data can be stored in the memory 614 in any desired manner , such as in a relational database . the system 610 includes a user interface 616 that may include any number of input devices ( not shown ) to receive commands , data , and other suitable input . the user interface 616 may also include any number of output devices ( not shown ) to provides the user with data , alerts / notifications , and other information . typical i / o devices may include mice , keyboards , modems , network interfaces , printers , scanners , video cameras and other devices . the system 610 may communicate with one or more client computing devices 620 , as well as other systems and devices in any desired manner , including via network 630 . the system 610 and / or client computing devices 620 may be , include , or operate in conjunction with , a laptop computer , a desktop computer , a mobile subscriber communication device , a mobile phone , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a tablet computer , an electronic book or book reader , a digital camera , a video camera , a video game console , and / or any other suitable computing device . the network 630 may include any electronic communications system or method . communication among components operating in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed using any suitable communication method , such as , for example , a telephone network , an extranet , an intranet , the internet , point of interaction device ( point of sale device , personal digital assistant ( e . g ., iphone ®, palm pilot ®, blackberry ®), cellular phone , kiosk , etc . ), online communications , satellite communications , off - line communications , wireless communications , transponder communications , local area network ( lan ), wide area network ( wan ), virtual private network ( vpn ), networked or linked devices , keyboard , mouse and / or any suitable communication or data input modality . systems and devices of the present disclosure may utilize tcp / ip communications protocols as well as ipx , appletalk , ip - 6 , netbios , osi , any tunneling protocol ( e . g . ipsec , ssh ), or any number of existing or future protocols . communication among systems , devices , and components operating in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed using any suitable communication method , such as , for example , a telephone network , an extranet , an intranet , the internet , point of interaction device ( point of sale device , personal digital assistant ( e . g ., iphone ®, palm pilot ®, blackberry ®), cellular phone , kiosk , etc . ), online communications , satellite communications , off - line communications , wireless communications , transponder communications , local area network ( lan ), wide area network ( wan ), virtual private network ( vpn ), networked or linked devices , keyboard , mouse and / or any suitable communication or data input modality . systems and devices of the present disclosure may utilize tcp / ip communications protocols as well as ipx , appletalk , ip - 6 , netbios , osi , any tunneling protocol ( e . g . ipsec , ssh ), or any number of existing or future protocols . while some embodiments can be implemented in fully functioning computers and computer systems , various embodiments are capable of being distributed as a computing product in a variety of forms and are capable of being applied regardless of the particular type of machine or computer - readable media used to actually effect the distribution . a machine readable medium can be used to store software and data which when executed by a data processing system causes the system to perform various methods . the executable software and data may be stored in various places including for example rom , volatile ram , non - volatile memory and / or cache . portions of this software and / or data may be stored in any one of these storage devices . further , the data and instructions can be obtained from centralized servers or peer to peer networks . different portions of the data and instructions can be obtained from different centralized servers and / or peer to peer networks at different times and in different communication sessions or in a same communication session . the data and instructions can be obtained in entirety prior to the execution of the applications . alternatively , portions of the data and instructions can be obtained dynamically , just in time , when needed for execution . thus , it is not required that the data and instructions be on a machine readable medium in entirety at a particular instance of time . examples of computer - readable media include but are not limited to recordable and non - recordable type media such as volatile and non - volatile memory devices , read only memory ( rom ), random access memory ( ram ), flash memory devices , floppy and other removable disks , magnetic disk storage media , optical storage media ( e . g ., compact disk read - only memory ( cd roms ), digital versatile disks ( dvds ), etc . ), among others . the computer - readable media may store the instructions . in various embodiments , hardwired circuitry may be used in combination with software instructions to implement the techniques . thus , the techniques are neither limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software nor to any particular source for the instructions executed by the data processing system . although some of the drawings illustrate a number of operations in a particular order , operations which are not order dependent may be reordered and other operations may be combined or broken out . while some reordering or other groupings are specifically mentioned , others will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and so do not present an exhaustive list of alternatives . moreover , it should be recognized that the stages could be implemented in hardware , firmware , software or any combination thereof . for the sake of brevity , conventional data networking , application development and other functional aspects of the systems ( and components of the individual operating components of the systems ) may not be described in detail herein . furthermore , the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and / or physical couplings between the various elements . it should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system . the various system components discussed herein may include one or more of the following : a host server or other computing systems including a processor for processing digital data ; a memory coupled to the processor for storing digital data ; an input digitizer coupled to the processor for inputting digital data ; an application program stored in the memory and accessible by the processor for directing processing of digital data by the processor ; a display device coupled to the processor and memory for displaying information derived from digital data processed by the processor ; and a plurality of databases . various databases used herein may include : shipping data , package data , and / or any data useful in the operation of the system . various functionality may be performed via a web browser and / or application interfacing utilizing a web browser . such browser applications may comprise internet browsing software installed within a computing unit or a system to perform various functions . these computing units or systems may take the form of a computer or set of computers , and any type of computing device or systems may be used , including laptops , notebooks , tablets , hand held computers , personal digital assistants , set - top boxes , workstations , computer - servers , main frame computers , mini - computers , pc servers , network sets of computers , personal computers and tablet computers , such as ipads , imacs , and macbooks , kiosks , terminals , point of sale ( pos ) devices and / or terminals , televisions , or any other device capable of receiving data over a network . various embodiments may utilize microsoft internet explorer , mozilla firefox , google chrome , apple safari , opera , or any other of the myriad software packages available for browsing the internet . various embodiments may operate in conjunction with any suitable operating system ( e . g ., windows nt , 95 / 98 / 2000 / ce / mobile /, windows 7 / 8 , os2 , unix , linux , solaris , macos , palmos , etc .) as well as various conventional support software and drivers typically associated with computers . various embodiments may include any suitable personal computer , network computer , workstation , personal digital assistant , cellular phone , smart phone , minicomputer , mainframe or the like . embodiments may implement security protocols , such as secure sockets layer ( ssl ), transport layer security ( tls ), and secure shell ( ssh ). embodiments may implement any desired application layer protocol , including http , https , ftp , and sftp . the various system components may be independently , separately or collectively suitably coupled to a network via data links which includes , for example , a connection to an internet service provider ( isp ) over the local loop as is typically used in connection with standard modem communication , cable modem , satellite networks , isdn , digital subscriber line ( dsl ), or various wireless communication methods . it is noted that embodiments of the present disclosure may operate in conjunction with any suitable type of network , such as an interactive television ( itv ) network . the system may be partially or fully implemented using cloud computing . “ cloud ” or “ cloud computing ” includes a model for enabling convenient , on - demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources ( e . g ., networks , servers , storage , applications , and services ) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction . cloud computing may include location - independent computing , whereby shared servers provide resources , software , and data to computers and other devices on demand . various embodiments may be used in conjunction with web services , utility computing , pervasive and individualized computing , security and identity solutions , autonomic computing , cloud computing , commodity computing , mobility and wireless solutions , open source , biometrics , grid computing and / or mesh computing . any databases discussed herein may include relational , hierarchical , graphical , or object - oriented structure and / or any other database configurations . moreover , the databases may be organized in any suitable manner , for example , as data tables or lookup tables . each record may be a single file , a series of files , a linked series of data fields or any other data structure . association of certain data may be accomplished through any desired data association technique such as those known or practiced in the art . for example , the association may be accomplished either manually or automatically . any databases , systems , devices , servers or other components of the system may be located at a single location or at multiple locations , wherein each database or system includes any of various suitable security features , such as firewalls , access codes , encryption , decryption , compression , decompression , and / or the like . encryption may be performed by way of any of the techniques now available in the art or which may become available — e . g ., twofish , rsa , el gamal , schorr signature , dsa , pgp , pki , and symmetric and asymmetric cryptosystems . embodiments may connect to the internet or an intranet using standard dial - up , cable , dsl or any other internet protocol known in the art . transactions may pass through a firewall in order to prevent unauthorized access from users of other networks . the computers discussed herein may provide a suitable website or other internet - based graphical user interface which is accessible by users . for example , the microsoft internet information server ( iis ), microsoft transaction server ( mts ), and microsoft sql server , may be used in conjunction with the microsoft operating system , microsoft nt web server software , a microsoft sql server database system , and a microsoft commerce server . additionally , components such as access or microsoft sql server , oracle , sybase , informix mysql , interbase , etc ., may be used to provide an active data object ( ado ) compliant database management system . in another example , an apache web server can be used in conjunction with a linux operating system , a mysql database , and the perl , php , and / or python programming languages . any of the communications , inputs , storage , databases or displays discussed herein may be facilitated through a website having web pages . the term “ web page ” as it is used herein is not meant to limit the type of documents and applications that might be used to interact with the user . for example , a typical website might include , in addition to standard html documents , various forms , java applets , javascript , active server pages ( asp ), common gateway interface scripts ( cgi ), extensible markup language ( xml ), dynamic html , cascading style sheets ( css ), ajax ( asynchronous javascript and xml ), helper applications , plug - ins , and the like . a server may include a web service that receives a request from a web server , the request including a url and an ip address . the web server retrieves the appropriate web pages and sends the data or applications for the web pages to the ip address . web services are applications that are capable of interacting with other applications over a communications means , such as the internet . various embodiments may employ any desired number of methods for displaying data within a browser - based document . for example , data may be represented as standard text or within a fixed list , scrollable list , drop - down list , editable text field , fixed text field , pop - up window , and the like . likewise , embodiments may utilize any desired number of methods for modifying data in a web page such as , for example , free text entry using a keyboard , selection of menu items , check boxes , option boxes , and the like . the exemplary systems and methods illustrated herein may be described in terms of functional block components , screen shots , optional selections and various processing steps . it should be appreciated that such functional blocks may be realized by any number of hardware and / or software components configured to perform the specified functions . for example , the system may employ various integrated circuit components , e . g ., memory elements , processing elements , logic elements , look - up tables , and the like , which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices . similarly , the software elements of the system may be implemented with any programming or scripting language such as c , c ++, c #, java , javascript , vbscript , macromedia cold fusion , cobol , microsoft active server pages , assembly , perl , php , awk , python , visual basic , sql stored procedures , pl / sql , any unix shell script , and extensible markup language ( xml ) with the various algorithms being implemented with any combination of data structures , objects , processes , routines or other programming elements . further , it should be noted that the system may employ any number of conventional techniques for data transmission , signaling , data processing , network control , and the like . still further , the system could be used to detect or prevent security issues with a client - side scripting language , such as javascript , vbscript or the like . the systems and methods of the present disclosure may be embodied as a customization of an existing system , an add - on product , a processing apparatus executing upgraded software , a stand alone system , a distributed system , a method , a data processing system , a device for data processing , and / or a computer program product . accordingly , any portion of the system or a module may take the form of a processing apparatus executing code , an internet based embodiment , an entirely hardware embodiment , or an embodiment combining aspects of the internet , software and hardware . furthermore , the system may take the form of a computer program product on a computer - readable storage medium having computer - readable program code means embodied in the storage medium . any suitable computer - readable storage medium may be utilized , including hard disks , cd - rom , optical storage devices , magnetic storage devices , and / or the like . the system and method is described herein with reference to screen shots , block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of methods , apparatus ( e . g ., systems ), and computer program products according to various embodiments . it will be understood that each functional block of the block diagrams and the flowchart illustrations , and combinations of functional blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations , respectively , can be implemented by computer program instructions . these computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer , special purpose computer , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine , such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks . these computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer - readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner , such that the instructions stored in the computer - readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks . the computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer - implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks . accordingly , functional blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations support combinations of means for performing the specified functions , combinations of steps for performing the specified functions , and program instruction means for performing the specified functions . it will also be understood that each functional block of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations , and combinations of functional blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations , can be implemented by either special purpose hardware - based computer systems which perform the specified functions or steps , or suitable combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions . further , illustrations of the process flows and the descriptions thereof may make reference to user windows , webpages , websites , web forms , prompts , etc . practitioners will appreciate that the illustrated steps described herein may comprise in any number of configurations including the use of windows , webpages , web forms , popup windows , prompts and the like . it should be further appreciated that the multiple steps as illustrated and described may be combined into single webpages and / or windows but have been expanded for the sake of simplicity . in other cases , steps illustrated and described as single process steps may be separated into multiple webpages and / or windows but have been combined for simplicity . the term “ non - transitory ” is to be understood to remove only propagating transitory signals per se from the claim scope and does not relinquish rights to all standard computer - readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per se . stated another way , the meaning of the term “ non - transitory computer - readable medium ” should be construed to exclude only those types of transitory computer - readable media which were found in in re nuijten to fall outside the scope of patentable subject matter under 35 u . s . c . § 101 . benefits , other advantages , and solutions to problems have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments . however , the benefits , advantages , solutions to problems , and any elements that may cause any benefit , advantage , or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical , required , or essential features or elements of the disclosure . although the disclosure includes a method , it is contemplated that it may be embodied as computer program instructions on a tangible computer - readable carrier , such as a magnetic or optical memory or a magnetic or optical disk . all structural , chemical , and functional equivalents to the elements of the above - described exemplary embodiments that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims . moreover , it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present disclosure , for it to be encompassed by the present claims . furthermore , no element , component , or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element , component , or method step is explicitly recited in the claims . no claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 u . s . c . 112 , sixth paragraph , unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “ means for .” as used herein , the terms “ comprises ”, “ comprising ”, or any other variation thereof , are intended to cover a non - exclusive inclusion , such that a process , method , article , or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process , method , article , or apparatus . where a phrase similar to “ at least one of a , b , or c ,” “ at least one of a , b , and c ,” “ one or more a , b , or c ,” or “ one or more of a , b , and c ” is used , it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that a alone may be present in an embodiment , b alone may be present in an embodiment , c alone may be present in an embodiment , or that any combination of the elements a , b and c may be present in a single embodiment ; for example , a and b , a and c , b and c , or a and b and c . changes and modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . these and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure , as expressed in the following claims . | 6Physics
|
referring now to the drawings , the display device may include software and hardware . the hardware components may include a connector which connects the display device to the video output port of an existing game . the connector receives data from the video output port of the existing game . the hardware components may also include one or more microprocessors , microcontrollers , or programmable logic devices ( including field - programmable gate arrays , or fpgas ) which use software to process game data and generate a new color video output signal . the software includes a frame synchronizer 101 which organizes the data into frames . the software also includes a frame identifier 103 which identifies the frames organized by the frame synchronizer 101 by generating a unique tag for each frame . the generated tag may be compared to preprogrammed tags of frames in a tag lookup table 109 . the preprogrammed tags may be associated with multicolor or high resolution graphical data which can be combined with the original monochrome game or alternately used to replace the original game frames . the output is new color frames that may be representative of the original graphics or is a new theme . the new color frames may be further combined by the device to create output frames which contain more color intensities than the original game frames . the data may be output to a full color display , a full color high resolution display , or other display as desired . a block diagram describing the processing performed by the display device is provided in fig1 . a connection is made from a game &# 39 ; s video output port to the input of a frame synchronizer 101 . the frame synchronizer organizes the data received from the game into frames and conveys the frames to a frame buffer 102 which stores one or more input video frames . the output of the frame buffer is connected to a frame identifier 103 and color processor 105 for further processing . the frame identifier 103 processes data from the frame buffer 102 in order to generate an identification tag and the tags are compared to the contents of an attached programmable identification tag memory 109 . the frame identifier stores memory pointers that are used by a connected color lookup 104 to access color data associated with the identified frames . the color lookup 104 reads color data from an attached programmable color data memory 110 and converts the stored data to red , green , and blue amplitudes which are passed to the color processor 105 . the color processor 105 combines the data from the color lookup 104 and the input frame buffer 102 to produce high - resolution color video frames which are output to a frame combiner 106 . the frame combiner 106 combines multiple color frames together to generate a composite output frame and passes the composite frame to the output display interface 107 . the output display interface 107 reformats the data and delivers it to a connected color display 108 . the display device overcomes this obstacle by providing a solution that is compatible with existing game hardware and software systems , and can be used to upgrade older games for which no inherent color processing exists . the device includes programmable memories which are configured prior to normal device operation . the memories contain data used for frame identification and color processing , and are organized in lookup tables that are accessed during gameplay . the data stored in these memories is generated offline by processing captured video sequences achieved through prior game play or manipulation . because the video sequences displayed by pinball machines often recur from one play of the game to another , captured video frames can be obtained offline and processed to generate frame identification tags and associated color data . frame identification tags are generated by processing regions of the video frame that contain salient features and ignoring features that may be prone to change during game play , such as player scores . an artist uses computer methods to create associated color data for the original frames or creates new color frames . the frame identification tag and corresponding color information is then stored in the device lookup tables , implemented by programmable memories . during normal operation , the same identification processes are used to generate tags for each input frame , and the tags are compared to those previously stored in the internal lookup table . when a match is found , the associated color data is retrieved and used to enhance or replace the input frame . if a match is not found , the display device may display the unaltered input frame using a default color . the colorized frame is displayed by the device on a color display or monitor . in the following , more detailed information is provided about the internal processes performed by the software of the display device . the inputs to the frame synchronizer 101 are digital signals delivered by the normal display interface of a pinball machine . the interface includes a serial data signal , one or more synchronization signals for identifying the start of a new frame , and a clock for latching the data and synchronization signals . the frame synchronizer identifies frame boundaries by monitoring the synchronization signals for indication of the start of a new frame . serial data is captured and organized into data words which represent the intensity levels for each dot in the input video frame . video frames from the pinball machine may be organized into data words that use a single dot to represent the on or off state of each dot in a binary video frame . alternatively , video frames from the pinball machine may be organized into data words that use multiple bits to represent each dot to produce a grayscale frame containing more than two intensity levels . the organized video frame data is stored to a video frame buffer 102 which is capable of storing multiple video frames . the memory is organized as a circular buffer , meaning that as the memory fills older data is overwritten by newer data . buffer writes and reads may occur asynchronously so that data can be output from the buffer at a different frame rate than it is received . the frame buffer 102 is not required for all embodiments of the display device . its main purpose is to support the recall of prior binary frames for frame identification and / or color processing , but can be bypassed when this feature is not required . when present , the frame buffer 102 should be at least three to five times the size of one input video frame . the stored video frames may be combined to produce an output video frame with more intensity levels than the original stored frames . by way of example and not limitation , three stored binary frames can be combined to produce an internal grayscale representation with four intensity levels . more than three frames of storage are useful for frame rate conversion when the output frame rate is asynchronous to the input frame rate . storage of five frames can be used to produce grayscale images and utilize triple buffering techniques for frame rate conversion . triple buffering prevents stored frame data from being overwritten by new frame data while the stored frame is being read from the buffer . with triple buffering , the three most recent complete frames are read from the buffer while older frame data is overwritten by new input frame data . the output of the frame buffer 102 is connected to a frame identifier 103 . the frame identifier 103 processes the data from one or more stored input video frames and performs region - based pattern matching against a set of known patterns . a detailed block diagram showing the processes employed for the frame identifier 103 is provided in fig2 . data masks 201 are used to identify regions for matching and a hash function 202 is applied to reduce the input frame data to a set of small tags that can be used for matching . each mask identifies specific dot locations to be used for pattern matching . locations that are not part of the mask are not processed , or their data are replaced with known values so that the locations are effectively ignored during matching . by way of example and not limitation , the data masks 201 may be applied to each 128 × 32 input frame . the data masks are defined offline during creation of the tag lookup table 109 and color lookup table 110 , and parameters defining the masks are stored to the device along with the game - specific tag and color data . the output of the data mask is applied to a hash processor 202 that performs a jenkins hash function and produces a 32 - bit tag for table lookup 203 . the accessed tables are stored in the attached identification tag memory 109 . the identification tag memory 109 is organized into lists of numerically ordered tags . for each tag , the memory stores a data pair comprised of the tag value and an associated memory pointer . the memory pointer specifies an address in the color data memory 110 for retrieving color data associated with the stored input video frames . the tag and color data memories are programmable . their contents are created offline , customized for each game title , and stored to the device . in fig2 , the display device employs a small tag table lookup 203 for each defined mask . by searching multiple lists , each associated with a specific mask , searches can be performed more rapidly than searching one large list . to perform pattern matching , the generated tags are compared to the stored tags values using binary search techniques . if a match is found , the associated memory address pointer is returned and stored to an address buffer 204 for further processing . otherwise , a default value is written to the buffer to indicate no match was found . like the frame buffer 102 , the address buffer 204 is organized as a circular buffer and supports the recall of color addresses from prior frames . the address buffer 204 contents are accessed by the color lookup 104 to locate associated color data in the color data memory 110 . the color data memory 110 is programmed offline and stores custom color data used to enhance or substitute the game &# 39 ; s normal monochrome frame data . the contents of the color data memory 110 are encoded and compressed to reduce storage requirements . the color lookup 104 reads the color data memory 110 and performs all required memory decoding and decompression , and outputs red , green , and blue ( rgb ) color amplitude data to the color processor 105 . in the embodiment discussed herein , the color data memory 110 stores associated color data for each dot in a 128 × 32 input video frame . color data is prepared by an artist offline , and stored as a series of 4 - bit indices to a rgb lookup table . one color index is stored for each of the 128 × 32 locations . to reduce storage requirements , each of the 32 rows of color indices is compressed using run - length encoding so that strings of consecutive color indices are replaced by the color index and a count . during color lookup 104 , the encoded color indices are read starting from a memory location specified by the address buffer 204 . as color data is read from the memory , decoding is performed to decompress the string of color indices and the color indices are used to look up a triplet of 6 - bit rgb values from a stored rgb lookup table . the uncompressed rgb data is then output to the color processor 105 . the inputs to the color processor 105 are the rgb data from the color lookup 104 and the dot intensity data from the input frame buffer 102 . the color processor combines the retrieved color data with the input frame buffer intensities to produce a colorized version of the input frame . the color processor also converts the combined data to an output format and resolution that is compatible with the color display 108 . for color enhancement modes of operation , the input frame intensities are used to modulate the input rgb color amplitudes and outputs brighter or darker shades of the input color . for color substitution modes of operation , the input frame intensities may be ignored ( and in some embodiments , may not even be present ) and the input color amplitudes are transmitted to the output directly . the displayed output frame resolution may be equal to greater than the input frame resolution . in the current embodiment , a 128 × 32 input frame is displayed using a higher resolution by mapping the input frame to 1280 × 320 pixels of a 1366 × 768 high - resolution flat panel display . to emulate the dots produced by a dot - matrix display , after color combining each colorized dot is mapped to a 10 × 10 pixels in the output frame . within each 10 × 10 region , a set of pixels are set to the same rgb amplitudes to produce the appearance a circular - shaped dot in the output video frame . the high resolution output from the color processor 105 is conveyed to a frame combiner 106 . the frame combiner combines one or more colorized frames to produce a final composite output frame to be sent to the display . the frame combiner improves video quality and helps to eliminate flicker when the output frame rate is slower than the input frame rate . in the current embodiment , the input frame rate is approximately 120 hz and the output frame rate is 60 hz . the frame combiner sums the color amplitudes from a sequence of three colorized frames to produce a single composite colorized output frame . the composite colorized output frame is passed to the output display interface 107 which formats the data using an industry standard video interface and transmits the data to a color display 108 . in the current embodiment , this may be performed using low - voltage differential signaling ( lvds ) over a 30 - pin flat panel display interface cable . the red , green , and blue color data are transmitted serially using a standard signaling method specified by the display manufacturer . the color display 108 is implemented using a high - resolution chi mei optronics m156b1 - l02 flat panel lcd monitor . there are many alternate embodiments of the display device . some of these include : the frame identifier 103 may use multiple input frames for pattern matching . one such embodiment combines multiple input frames from the frame buffer 102 and performing masking 201 and hashing 202 on grayscale image representations . the frame identifier may perform masking 201 and hashing 202 on each of a group of input frames in the ordinary manner but then combines the resulting tags into a composite tag before table lookup 203 . the regions used for masking 201 may be adaptively determined from partial frame data . for example , a pattern of dots that matches an alphanumeric character ( like the number “ 0 ” in a player score ) can be used to identify and mask out a larger region of dots that encompasses the entire score . the jenkins hash function used by the hash processor 202 may be replaced by any mathematical or logic operation that reduces the input data to a smaller sized tag that can be used in a table lookup . the tag produced by the hash processor may be sizes other than 32 - bits . the color processor 105 or frame combiner 106 may perform addition processing to conceal or colorize unidentified frames instead of displaying them with a default color . unidentified frames may be concealed by holding a previous frame . unidentified frames may be colorized using color data obtained from a previously identified frame . other methods for concealing or colorizing unidentified frames are possible . the color lookup 104 and attached color data memory 110 may process and store compressed or uncompressed high - resolution color data that will be substituted for the low - resolution input data . jpeg is a common image compression technique but others are possible . when compression is used , the color lookup 104 would be modified to include corresponding decompression techniques to recover the high resolution rgb data and provide this data directly to the color processor 105 for color substitution . the color data memory 110 could store rgb values directly instead of color indices . the color lookup 104 could map low resolution dots to shapes other than circles , and could add additional color variation to the mapped shape to produce interesting color or lighting effects . the output display interface 107 could make use of any other standard video interfaces or connectors like vga , or could use any size flat panel interface connector such as 20 - pin or 40 - pin connectors . the high - resolution display 108 may be implemented using any color monitor or flat panel display device that contains higher resolution than the input frame data . the various hardware and software aspects of the display device described herein may be implemented in a field - programmable gate array (“ fpga ”) in the form of what is often referred to as programmable hardware . the fpga may also include the use of an embedded microcontroller used to carry out one or more of the tasks disclosed herein . “ firmware ” may refer to embedded software for the microcontroller . the display device may also include true software which runs on a personal computer which is used to colorize the monochrome frames and generate rom files that contain data and / or instructions for use by the display device to carry out the coloring process . the above description is given by way of example , and not limitation . given the above disclosure , one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein . further , the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone , or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein . thus , the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments . | 6Physics
|
exemplary embodiments include a variable data image generator for generating three - dimensional ( 3d ) scenes including variable data , which can be populated according to attributes of identified recipients . embodiments of the variable data image generator can insert various components into the 3d scenes based on populating rules that are applied to recipient attributes and can identify a virtual camera position and orientation from which a screenshot can be captured . the 3d scenes can be converted to static images targeting recipients , and the static images can be output for distribution to the recipients . as used herein , a “ 3d modeling unit ” refers to a tool for implementing 3d scenes in a 3d area . the 3d area allows users generate a 3d scene that can be viewed from different points of view to change a perspective and orientation of the 3d scene with respect to the user viewing the 3d scene . a “ 3d modeling area ” is a simulated environment providing a virtual area in which 3d scenes can be generated . some examples of a 3d area include computer aided design tools , such as autocad from autodesk , inc ., solidworks from dassault systèmes solidworks corp ., topsolid from missler software corp ., cinema 4d from maxon computer gmbh , google sketchup from google inc ., and so on , and virtual worlds , such as second life from linden research , inc . ( linden labs ®), project wonderland from sun microsystems , inc ., qwaq forums from qwaq , inc ., and the like . as used herein , a “ 3d scene ” refers to a virtual space generated in a 3d modeling area , which is rotatable and defined in three - dimensions to permit a user to view the 3d scene from different points of view . as used herein , “ variable ” refers to something that is subject to change , a “ variable data image ” refers to an image in which variable locations have been populated with components , and a “ variable identifier ” refers to a marker used to identify a variable in a 3d scene . a “ variable data image generator ” is a tool for generating variable data images from a 3d scene having locations identified as being variable . as used herein , “ populating ” refers to inserting a component into a 3d scene and a “ populating rule ” refers to a defined procedure for determining which components to use when populating a 3d scene . as used herein , a “ component ” refers to an item that can be inserted into a 3d scene including , for example , a textural component , a 3d model component , a textual component , and the like . a “ textural component ” is a component that imparts texture to a surface or thing in the 3d scene , where texture refers to visual characteristics that create a distinctive appearance . some examples of a textural component include a brick wall , grass , sand , dirt , and the like , that is implemented virtually in a 3d scene . a “ 3d model component ” is defined using three - dimensions such that the 3d model component can be viewed from different points of view to reveal different aspects and features of the 3d model component . some examples of a 3d model component can include , for example , a virtual model of a car , boat , a person , a house , a machine or device , and so on . a “ textual component ” is a component that formed from text . as used herein , an “ attribute ” refers to a characteristic , trait , demographic , feature , or quality that can be associated with a person , place , thing , component , and the like . as used herein , a “ recipient ” refers to a person or group of people for which a variable data image is generated and to which a variable data image can be distributed . as used herein , “ static ” refers to constant and unchanging and a “ static image ” refers to an image that is defined from a single point of view having a fixed perspective and orientation . a static image can be defined in two - dimensions with three - dimensional perspective , but is undefined from other points of view because the static image does not have a defined third dimension that allows the content of the image to be viewed from different points of view . as used herein , “ perspective ” refers to a spatial relationship of components in a scene or image to each other and to the scene or image as a whole to represent three - dimensions and depth relationships . as used herein , “ orientation ” refers to a relationship between a location or position and components of a 3d scene . an orientation can be based on a coordinate system of the 3d scene such that the orientation can be relative to an origin of the coordinate system or other coordinates of the coordinate system . as used herein , a “ surface ” refers to a bounded area having a surface area , such as , for example , a wall in a 3d scene . as used herein , a “ point ” refers to a location in a 3d scene that can be identified by a single x , y , and z coordinate or a group of x , y , and z coordinates which are close together . as used herein , “ virtual camera ” refers to a tool for capturing a screenshot of a 3d scene from a specific point of view to generate a static image of the 3d scene having a fixed perspective and orientation . a screenshot refers to a process of copying a 3d scene as it is , or would be , displayed on a display device . as used herein , a “ point of view ” refers to a position from which a 3d scene can be observed . as used herein , “ capturing ” refer to storing information in computer memory . information captured can be stored in one or more computer file formats . as used herein , “ specify ” refers to defining particulars or specifications , where a “ specified location ” is particular area , region , surface , point , and so on , in a 3d scene . fig1 depicts a block diagram of a variable data image generator 100 ( hereinafter “ generator 100 ”) that includes a 3d modeling unit 110 , a rules engine 130 , a scene populating unit 150 ( hereinafter “ populating unit 150 ”), and an image outputting unit 160 . the generator 100 can interface with a variable component database 170 and a recipient database 180 . in some embodiments , the databases 170 and 180 can be integrated with the generator 100 . the generator 100 provides a three - dimensional ( 3d ) virtual environment in which a 3d scene can be generated to include locations identified as being variable . variable components , such as text , graphical components ( e . g ., 3d modeling of components , such as cars , balloons , signs , buildings , textures , etc . ), and the like can be inserted into the 3d scene at the locations identified as being variable based on the rules applied to attributes of the recipients . the generator 100 uses one or more virtual camera positions and orientations from which a screenshot can be captured to create one or more static images of the scene for each identified recipient . depending on attributes associated with the recipient , different components can be inserted into the scene by the generator 100 . for example , different text can be displayed on a surface identified as being variable , different components can be placed at a point in the scene that is identified as being variable , and / or different camera positions and orientations can be used within the virtual environment to generate the final static image for each identified recipient based on attributes associated with the recipients . the proper perspective and lighting is automatically created by the generator 100 so there is no need to specify or compute any image transformation . the 3d modeling unit 110 includes a modeling area 112 and a variable identifier 116 . the modeling area 112 provides a 3d modeling environment for development of a 3d scene 114 . the modeling area 112 can provide a graphical user interface ( gui ) that allows a user to create the 3d scene 114 being defined in three - dimensions using a 3d coordinate system having an x - axis , a y - axis , and a z - axis such that points in the 3d scene can include x , y , and z coordinates . the modeling area 112 allows a user to rotate the 3d scene 114 to view the 3d scene 114 from different points of view so that , for example , an component in the 3d scene 114 can be viewed from different sides and at different angles while providing the appropriate scale , perspective , and orientation of the component in the 3d scene 114 . the 3d scene 114 can include terrain , surfaces ( with or without texture ), 3d models , text , and the like . the point of view of the 3d scene 114 can be changed by adjusting the camera position and orientation so that components of the 3d scene 114 can be viewed from any locations within the 3d scene . virtual lighting sources can be implemented in the 3d modeling area 112 to illuminate regions of the 3d scene 114 and cast shadows in other regions of the 3d scene 114 . the location and orientation of the virtual light sources can be changed to vary the lighting effects in the 3d scene 114 . the user can specify locations in the 3d scene as being variable using variable identifiers 116 . the variable identifiers 116 can , for example , associate identifiers with coordinates in the 3d scene 114 at which components can be dynamically inserted in response to an application of rules conditioned upon attributes of identified recipients . for example , the user can select or otherwise specify coordinates , such as a set of x , y , and , z coordinates that define a surface in the 3d scene 114 and can associate the variable identifiers 116 with the coordinates . the variable identifiers 116 can include , for example , a string of characters and / or can be a graphical component inserted in the 3d scene at the coordinates to identify the locations as being variable . the variable identifiers 116 can be associated with a set of rules to be applied by the rules engine 130 and can be associated with a set of components that can be inserted at the locations associated with the variable identifiers 116 . the variable component database 170 can include components 172 for insertion into the 3d scene at locations that have been specified as being variable using the variable identifier 116 . the components 172 can be 3d models of textured surfaces , terrain , components , text , and the like . sets of components 172 in the database 170 can be associated with the variable identifiers 116 used to indicate that locations are variable . for example , when the user specifies that a surface in the 3d scene is variable by associating a variable identifier with a surface , a set of texture components can be associated with the variable identifier so that any one of the texture components from the set can be inserted into the 3d scene to cover the surface . a recipient database 180 can identify recipients 182 and attributes 184 of the recipients 182 . the database 180 can include a list of the recipients 182 and can associate some , all , or none of the attributes 184 with the recipients 182 . the recipients 182 can be those individuals or entities for which a custom variable data image can be generated and to whom the custom variable image can be distributed . the attributes 184 can include gender , age , educational level , consumer interests , occupation , income , hobbies , marital status , ethnicity , religious affiliation , political affiliation , information generated from marketing research , and the like . the attributes 184 can be used by the rules engine 130 when determining which of the components 172 from the variable component database 170 should be inserted into the 3d scene as well as at what camera position and camera orientation ( point of view ) a screenshot should be taken to generate a static image for the recipients 182 . the rules engine 130 includes populating rules 132 ( hereinafter “ rules 132 ”) for determining which components 117 should be used to populate the locations in the 3d scene 114 that have been identified as being variable . the rules 132 can include conditional logic for making the determinations based on recipient information 134 to facilitate targeted image generation for identified recipients . as one exemplary implementation , the rules engine 130 can identify a particular component for insertion into the 3d scene if the recipient is between the ages of 18 - 25 years old and can identify another particular component if the recipient is between the ages of 26 - 35 years old . the identifiers used to specify locations in the 3d scene 114 as being variable can be associated with different sets of rules . for example , a first identifier can be associated with a first set of rules directed to the gender of the recipient and a second identifier can be associated with a second set of rules directed to an age of the recipient . the rules 132 can be compound conditions such that for example logic conditions for multiple attributes are performed depending on the level of targeting specificity desired during the image creation . for example , the rules 132 can identify a particular component to be inserted into the 3d scene based on whether the recipient is a female and is between the ages of 35 - 45 years old . the populating unit 150 inserts components identified by the rules engine into the 3d scene at the locations that of been identified as being variable using the variable identifiers 116 . the populating unit 150 inserts the components into the 3d scene 114 at the locations and the modeling unit 110 automatically modifies the components so that a scale , perspective , and orientation of the components are appropriate for the locations at which the components are inserted and for the points of view from which the components can be viewed . the modeling unit 110 can modify the components appearance to conform to the perspective of the location by accounting for the 3d coordinates of the location . as one example , an component can be a brick wall to be cover a surface in the 3d scene 114 that has been identified as being a variable surface . the populating unit 150 can insert the brick wall into the modeling area 112 and the modeling unit 110 can conform the brick wall to the surface so that the brick wall has the same perspective and orientation of the surface . as another example , an component can be a 3d model of a car can be inserted into the 3d scene and the modeling unit 110 can modify the size of the 3d model of the car to ensure that the 3d model has the appropriate perspective for the location at which it is inserted . the modeling area can also rotate the 3d model of the car so that the 3d model has the appropriate orientation in the 3d scene . the image outputting unit 160 captures the 3d scene based on the rules 132 implemented by the rules engine 130 . the rules engine 130 can identify camera positions and orientations ( e . g ., a point of view of the scene from the perspective of an observer ) and the image outputting unit 160 can generate static images from the 3d scene 114 by capturing a screenshot of the 3d scene from the camera position and orientation identified by the rules engine 130 . the static images can include the components inserted by the populating unit 150 and can be output for distribution to the recipients for whom the images were generated . the static images can be distributed as print media , electronic mail ( e - mail ) messages , image files , and the like . fig2 depicts an exemplary computing device 200 for generating variable data images to facilitate personalized static images based on the intended recipients using the generator 100 . the computing device 200 can be a mainframe , personal computer ( pc ), laptop computer , workstation , handheld device , such as a pda , or the like . in the illustrated embodiment , the computing device 200 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 202 and can include a display device 204 . the display device 204 enables the computing device 200 to communicate with an operator through a visual display . the computing device 200 can further include data entry device ( s ) 206 , such as a keyboard , touch screen , and / or mouse . the computing device 200 can include storage 208 for storing data and instructions , such as 3d scenes , variable identifiers , variable components , rules implemented using the rules engine , recipient information , populated scenes , generated images using the scenes , applications , and the like . the storage 208 can include such technologies as a floppy drive , hard drive , tape drive , flash drive , optical drive , read only memory ( rom ), random access memory ( ram ), and the like . applications 210 , such as the generator 100 , or components thereof , can be resident in the storage 208 . the applications 210 can include instructions for implementing the variable data image generator 100 . the storage 208 can be local or remote to the computing device 200 . the computing device 200 includes a network interface 212 for communicating with a network . the cpu 202 operates to run the applications 210 in storage 208 by performing instructions therein and storing data resulting from the performed instructions , which may be presented to a user via the display 204 or by other mechanisms known to those skilled in the art , such a print out from a printer . the data can include the 3d scenes , variable identifiers , variable components , rules implemented using the rules engine , recipient information , populated scenes , generated images using the scenes , and the like . fig3 depicts an exemplary distributed system 300 for implementing embodiments of the generator 100 . the distributed system 300 includes one or more servers 310 and 320 coupled to clients 330 and 340 , via a communication network 350 , which can be any network over which information can be transmitted between devices communicatively coupled to the network . the system 300 can also include repositories or database devices 360 and 370 , which can be coupled to the servers 310 / 320 and clients 330 / 340 via the communications network 350 . the servers 310 / 320 , clients 330 / 340 , and database devices 360 / 370 can be implemented using a computing device , such as a computing device implemented in a similar manner as the computing device 200 of fig2 . in some embodiments , the generator 100 can be implemented using a single computing device or can be implemented using multiple computing devices in a distributed manner . the servers 310 / 320 , clients 330 / 340 , and / or databases 360 can store information , such as 3d scenes , variable identifiers , variable components , rules implemented using the rules engine , recipient information , populated scenes , generated images using the scenes , and the like . in some embodiments , the generator 100 can be distributed among the servers 310 / 320 , clients 330 / 340 , and database devices 360 such that one or more components of the variable data image generator 100 and / or portion of one or more components of the variable data image generator 100 can be implemented by a different device ( e . g . clients , servers , databases ) in the communication network 350 . for example , the 3d modeling unit 110 can be resident on the server 310 and / or the client 330 , the rules engine 130 can be resident on the server 320 , the scene populating unit 150 and image outputting unit 160 can be resident on the client 330 , the variable component database 170 can be implemented using the database device 360 and the recipient database 180 can be implemented using the database device 370 . fig4 is an exemplary 3d scene 400 that can be generated using the generator 100 . the scene 400 can include locations 405 identified as being variable using variable identifiers . for example , a surface 410 can be identified as being variable using a variable identifier 412 , a surface 420 can be identified as being variable using a variable identifier 422 , a surface 430 can be identified as being variable using a variable identifier 432 , and a point 440 can be identified as being variable using a variable identifier 442 . the variable identifiers 412 , 422 , and 432 can be associated with sets of variable components that can be used to populate the 3d scene 400 base on an application of rules to the attributes associated with the recipients . for example , variable identifiers 412 and 422 can be associated textual components stored in the variable component database , the variable identifier 432 can be associated with textural components stored in the variable component database , and variable identifier 442 can be associated with 3d model image components stored in the variable component database . the scene 400 can be associated with a coordinate system , such as an xyz coordinate system 450 having an x - axis 452 , a y - axis 454 , and a z - axis 456 such that the components of the scene 400 can be referenced using a set of x , y , and z coordinates . the scene 400 can be viewed from different directions or locations within the 3d modeling area to change the point of view from which the scene 400 is being viewed . in this manner , every viewable location can be defined to allow a user to implement different camera positions and orientations from which screenshots can be captured . for example , fig5 illustrates another point of view that can be implemented within the scene 400 . in the present example , the scene has been rotated 90 degrees about its y - axis 454 so that the position of the x - axis 452 and z - axis 456 have changed with respect to the point of view of the scene 400 , but the y - axis 454 remains unchanged . the 3d scene allows a user to generate different images from a single 3d scene by changing the variable data locations , changing the camera positions in the 3d scene , and capturing images using at the different camera positions and orientations . fig6 is a populated 3d scene 600 corresponding to the 3d scene 400 of fig4 after the 3d scene 400 has been populated with variable components at the variable data locations identified by the variable identifiers . in the present example , the recipient can be a male having the name “ john ”, which can be representative of attributes of the recipient that can be used by the generator when generating a customized image using the 3d scene 400 . while the present example illustrates a simply application of the generator , those skilled in the art will recognize that more complex applications can be implemented using additional attributes and rules . the populated scene 600 includes textual components 602 and 604 inserted at the variable locations 410 and 420 corresponding to the variable identifiers 412 and 422 , respectively . the variable location 410 can be sign post , which is populated with the textual component 602 , “ home ”, where the text component 602 has been automatically scaled and positioned to fit on the sign post with the correct perspective and orientation so that regardless of the camera position and view perspective the textual component 602 , “ home ”, has the appropriate perspective and orientation for each of the defined points of view . likewise , the variable location 420 can be a sign on a wall of a structure , which is populated with a message in the form of the textual component 604 , which reads “ hi john , you could live here !” the textual component 604 includes a personalization directed to the intended recipient of the image to be generated from the populated 3d scene 600 . the personalization of the message can be performed by the generator using the rules as applied to the recipient attributes . as in the present example , the generator inserts the recipient &# 39 ; s name , john , into the textual component 604 based on an application of the rules . the textual component 604 has been automatically scaled and positioned to fit on the sign with the correct perspective and orientation so that regardless of the camera position and orientation the textual component 604 , “ hi john , you could live here !”, has the appropriate perspective and orientation for each of the defined points of view . the populated scene 600 includes a textural component 606 inserted at the variable locations 430 corresponding to the variable identifiers 432 and a 3d model image component 608 inserted at the variable location 440 corresponding to the variable identifiers 442 . the variable location 430 can be a wall of the structure , which is populated with the textural component 606 , which in the present example is a brick wall . the textural component 606 has been automatically scaled and positioned to fit on the wall with the correct perspective and orientation so that regardless of the camera position and orientation the textural component 606 has the appropriate perspective and orientation for each of the defined points of view . the variable location 440 can be a point in the 3d scene , which is populated with the 3d model image component 608 , which in the present example is an image of a male adult . the image component 608 has been automatically scaled and positioned to fit in the 3d scene with the correct perspective and orientation so that regardless of the camera position and orientation the image component 608 has the appropriate perspective and orientation for each of the defined points of view . once the 3d scene is populated and the camera position and orientation is specified in response to an application of the rules on the recipient attributes , the generator can capture the 3d scene as a screenshot to generate a image for distribution to the recipient . the generated image is static and lacks the 3d properties in that the image only includes a single point of view and does not define different perspectives and orientation so that the image cannot be used to implement different camera positions and orientations from which other images can be captured . fig7 is a flowchart for implementing a variable data image using the variable data image generator 100 . a 3d scene is created using the modeling unit ( 700 ). the 3d scene can include terrain , 3d components , text , and lighting sources , and so on , to provide features and effects within the 3d scene . surfaces in the 3d scene are designated to be variable by assigning variable identifiers to the surfaces ( 702 ). points in the 3d scene are designated as locations for variable components by assigning variable identifiers to the points ( 704 ) and one or more camera positions and orientations are designated in the 3d scene by assigning a unique identifier to the camera positions ( 706 ). a component database is created that includes a set of textures and 3d components that can be inserted into the 3d scene ( 708 ). rules are created that can be applied to facilitate selection of textures , 3d components , and camera positions and orientation based on attributes associated with recipients in the recipients database ( 710 ). the rules are applied to each recipient in the recipient database ( 712 ) and the 3d scene is populated with textures , 3d components , and text identified based on an application of the rules to attributes of the recipients ( 714 ). a screenshot of the scene is captured to generate a static image based on the camera position identified by application of the rules to the attributes of the recipients ( 716 ). the resulting static image is stored in storage ( 718 ) and can be incorporated into a larger targeted document creation process . the above process can be repeated from 712 to 718 for all recipients in the recipient database . it will be appreciated that various of the above - disclosed and other features and functions , or alternatives thereof , may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications . various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives , modifications , variations , or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims . | 6Physics
|
referring now to the drawings , wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only , and not for the purpose of limiting same , fig1 shows a cold rolling mill 10 comprising a pair of rollers 12 supported on a frame 14 , a tension sensing device 16 , a take - up roll 18 and a steel sheet 20 . steel sheet 20 passes between the rollers 12 to strengthen the steel and is wound onto take - up roll 18 under tension . the tension in rolled steel sheet 20 holds the rolled steel sheet 20 against tension sensing device 16 , thereby allowing the internal tension at the portion of the rolled steel sheet 20 in contact with tension sensing device 16 to be measured . it should be noted that , while the invention herein is described in connection with a cold rolled steel sheet , it could also be used to measure tension in a hot - rolled steel sheet or in a sheet of another material . as best shown in fig2 , tension sensing device 16 comprises a plurality of tension sensors 22 positioned along a rotatable drum 24 supported for rotation by supports 26 . such tension sensing devices are known in the art . the number and exact arrangement of sensors on the drum can be varied as desired for a particular application . the preferred tension sensing device 16 described herein has fifty - four tension sensors 22 . each tension sensor 22 generates a signal indicative of the load against the sensor 22 when the sensor 22 engages sheet 20 . the sensors 22 may , for example , include a piezoelectric element that generates a signal proportional to applied load . because drum 24 rotates , each of the sensors 22 will be in contact with rolled steel sheet 20 for part of a rotation only , and will thus periodically generate a signal each time it comes into contact with rolled steel sheet 20 . the sensors 22 are preferably arranged in a spiral around the circumference of the drum 24 , so that fewer than all sensors 22 are in contact with the rolled steel sheet 20 at any one time . each sensor 22 will contact rolled steel sheet 20 once for each rotation completed by drum 24 . the tension sensors 22 are operably connected to a local processor 28 having a memory 30 . processor 26 is connected to a network 32 , such as a lan , wan or the internet , so that data concerning the sensed tension can be remotely retrieved . preferably , tension data is sent over network 32 using udp ( user datagram protocol ), a transmission protocol that offers a minimal transport service without the cumbersome error checking and other features of protocols like tcp . a central processor 34 is also connected to network 32 and includes a memory 36 . various software runs on central processor 34 including data collection software 38 , a database 40 , preferably a sql server tm database , and shape display software 42 . the operation of this software will be described herein . central processor 34 is operably connected to a display 44 , either by line 46 shown in fig2 or over network 32 , and to a secondary database 48 and various users 50 over network 32 . the collection of tension data is well known from the prior art . however , prior art methods and devices were generally unable to extract useful information from the data in a timely and informative way . for example , it would be useful to learn that one of the rollers in a rolling mill had developed a defect as soon the effects of the defect began to become apparent in the sheet of material being rolled , instead of hours later when the defect has degraded the quality of many rolls of steel sheet and potentially rendered them unusable . the collection of data by data collection software 38 will be explained with reference to the flow chart of fig3 . references l 1 - l 9 in the flowchart refer - to listings 1 - 9 in the code provided in the appendix to this application to indicate which listing is responsible for which function . in a startup step 60 , central processor 34 initializes local and global variables , and at step 62 initializes a communications socket to prepare to receive information over network 32 . at step 64 a connection to sql server database 40 is opened , and record sets are initialized at step 66 . at step 68 , arrays are initialized to temporarily hold data received from tension sensing device 16 . at step 70 , central processor 34 waits for data to arrive over network 32 , and this data is read at step 72 . socket data is copied from memory 36 into a global variable at step 74 , and the distance that strip 20 has moved for each packet of data received from local processor 28 is calculated at step 75 . for example , if drum 24 includes fifty - four sensors 22 distributed evenly about a six foot circumference , and local processor 28 sends data at 250 ms intervals , the receipt of 27 tension readings from local processor 28 would indicate that drum 24 had completed one half of a revolution and that strip 20 had moved three feet in that quarter - second period . there is little if any slippage between strip 20 and drum 24 , and drum rotation thus provides a good indication of strip movement . a determination is made at step 76 whether mill 10 is running . if mill 10 is not running , a debugging operation is carried out at step 78 . if mill 10 is running , data is entered into arrays in the database 40 at step 80 , the main database index value is incremented at step 82 and the database main index is put into database arrays where needed at a step 84 . at step 86 , a check is made to determine whether a new roll has been started . steel sheet 20 and other sheets processed by mill 10 are joined together , such a by welding , to produce a continuous sheet with the end of one sheet pulling the beginning of a subsequent sheet through mill 10 . sensors , which may be optical sensors 52 shown in fig2 , for example , detect the presence of a weld and send a signal to central processor 34 to indicate that a sheet end has been detected . if a new roll is not detected at step 86 , additional data from local processor 28 is placed into database 40 at a step 88 . if a new sheet is detected at step 86 , new coil entry work is done at step 90 and product data information ( pdi ) data is loaded into database 40 and associated with tension data from the new sheet . this pdi data is stored in a secondary database 48 and includes detailed information on the sheet being rolled . this information includes , for example , tolerance information for a given sheet and the degree of flatness required for that sheet . at step 92 a determination is made as to whether an event has occurred in the mill , and if an event has occurred , data concerning the event is stored in database 40 at step 94 . if no event has occurred , a determination is made at step 96 as to whether the sheet has moved a given distance , such as six meters . this determination is made from the calculation performed at step 75 . if the sheet 20 has not moved the given distance , sheet data is averaged at step 98 . if strip 20 has moved the given distance , shape data is placed into a main shape display table in step 100 before step 98 is carried out . from step 98 , central processor 40 returns to step 70 and waits for data to arrive over network 32 . by following the above steps , database tables are created that include tension data from fifty - four points across the width of strip 20 , this tension data being related to the tension in a short segment 102 of strip 20 equal to the circumference of drum 24 , and these tension levels are stored in a row of a database table . each time drum 24 rotates , fifty four additional data points are generated and stored in the table . each column in the table will correspond to the tension levels sensed by one of the sensors 22 on drum 24 . thus the first column of the table will represent tension levels sensed at six foot intervals along a first longitudinal band 104 of strip 20 and the second column of the table will represent tension levels sensed at six - foot intervals along a second longitudinal band 106 of strip 20 . the points at which tension is sensed along each band will be slightly offset given the circumferential offset of adjacent sensors 22 on drum 24 . the output signals from tension sensors 22 may be in any form , but are preferably converted to “ i - units ,” a measure of flatness that uses positive and negative numbers to express the amount and direction of flatness deviations . i - units are explained in detail in astm standard a568 / a568m which is hereby incorporated by reference . table 1 below is populated with arbitrary data to illustrate the operation of the present invention . the values in the table are in i - units . 5 . 99 to − 4 , − 3 . 99 to − 2 , − 1 . 99 to − 1 , − 0 . 99 to 0 , 0 to 0 . 99 , 1 - 1 . 99 , 2 - 3 . 99 , 4 - 5 . 99 , 6 - 7 . 99 and 8 - 10 . a color is assigned to each of these ranges . a preferred example of such a color assignment appears below . while other color schemes could be used , the below color assignment provides certain benefits that make it desirable . specifically , under the below assignment , tension levels plotted in green colors are at acceptable levels . orange and red are indicative of tension levels that require immediate attention , and blue regions indicate problems that require less immediate attention . this use of red to identify serious conditions is consistent with most user &# 39 ; s associate of red with a warning or alert . from this information , processor 34 creates another table wherein the tension levels are replaced with their corresponding colors . table 3 below is based on the above data : colors assigned to tension ranges of table 1 sensor # 0 1 2 3 n - 1 n width 1 yellow - light blue orange yellow green green blue width 2 yellow - light blue red - orange orange yellow - green blue green width 3 yellow - light blue orange orange yellow - green blue green width 4 yellow - light blue red - orange yellow green green blue width 5 yellow aqua light blue red - orange yellow green . . . width m - 1 yellow - light blue red - orange yellow green green blue width m yellow aqua light blue red - orange yellow green this data is used by a graphing program , such as olectra chart by componentone , to create two separate graphical outputs shown in display 44 in fig2 and in more detail in fig5 and 6 . the different steps described above may also be divided between software modules in different manners . for example , the color assignments may be made by the charting software itself rather by another program running on central processor 34 . the first graphical output 110 is displayed in a first region 112 of display 44 and shown in detail in fig5 . first graphical output 110 comprises an image 114 of rolled steel sheet 20 plotted in color with different colors representing different tension levels sensed by sensors 22 . image 114 comprises a plurality of contiguous portions 116 corresponding to the short segments 102 of rolled steel sheet 20 measured each time drum 24 rotates . each of these portions 116 is divided into a number of regions 118 , each corresponding to an area on rolled steel sheet 22 at which a given sensor has taken a measurement . thus , even though each measurement taken by each of sensors 22 will be a different distance from an end of the rolled steel sheet , all will be within one short segment 102 , and tension along the entire length of the short segment 114 will be treated as constant . the length of short segments 114 can be decreased , for example , by using a drum having a smaller circumference . based on the above data , the colors of the regions 118 in the first portion 116 of the image 114 , from the bottom to the top of the display , will be yellow - green , light blue , blue and orange . as data is added to table 1 , additional plots are made so that image 114 of strip 20 lengthens as more and more of the strip passes over tension measuring device 16 . the process can also be understood by treating rolled steel sheet 20 as a first sheet , rs l , of a plurality of similar steel sheets rs l . . . rs n , each of which is divided in a lengthwise direction into a plurality of width segments w l . . . w m . each of sensors 22 on sensing device 26 is labeled , in the direction from left to right as seen in fig2 , d l . . . d n . in the preferred embodiment , n = 54 , but n could be larger or smaller depending on the type of sensing device used . on a single revolution of drum 24 of sensing device 26 , each of the sensors d l . . . d n measures tension at a point x l . . . x n across a single width segment , with sensors d l . . . d n corresponding to points d l . . . d n along the width segment . each time drum 24 rotates , n measurements are taken at a group of points x l . . . x n on another one of the width segments w l . . . w m . each time the drum rotates , the n sensors generate n output signals having values s l . . . s n related to the tension sensed at each point x l . . . x n on the width segment being sensed . for each width segment , these values are stored in a row r l . . . r m of a table t l so that all the values for a particular width segment are stored in a single row . each column of the table therefore comprises signals from one of the sensors d l . . . d n . a color is associated with each of the output signals s l . . . s n based on the level of tension represented by the output signal . finally , for each width segment w l . . . w f , points p l . . . p n are plotted on display 44 which points correspond to points x l . . . x n on the width of the steel rs l . the color of each point p l . . . p n is based on the level of tension represented by the output signals s l . . . s n at the corresponding point x l . . . x n . this display provides an operator with the ability to visualize the flatness of the rolled steel sheet 20 in real time and to detect patterns indicative of a problem with the rolling mill 10 or the steel itself much more readily than could be done by reviewing raw numerical data from the sensors 22 . in addition , first graphical output 110 comprises additional images 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 and 130 of previously rolled steel sheets ( not shown ) so that tension variations from one sheet to the next can be compared . the images 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 and 130 are aligned along their respective centerlines so that portions of each sheet that were rolled by the same portions of rollers 12 are aligned and can be compared . this allows defects in the surface of rollers 12 to be quickly detected by observing the similar tension levels they impart to aligned areas of successive rolled steel sheets 20 . the data in table 1 is also used to produce a second graphic output 132 , namely a waterfall chart , shown in a second region 133 of display 44 . this second region 132 is shown in greater detain in fig6 . to produce this second graphical output 132 , tension values in each of the fifty - four columns for a given rolled steel sheet are summed and divided by the number of rows in the column . this provides an average value for the tension level sensed by a given sensor over the length of sheet 20 . the width of the strip is shown along the x axis of the graph , and the magnitude of the average tension value for each longitudinal band 104 , 106 of the rolled steel sheet is plotted on the y - axis , this plurality of points forming a first slice 134 of the waterfall plot . nine additional slices 135 - 143 are also shown in fig6 ; the front - most slice displayed represents data from the most recently rolled sheet . the points are plotted in color based on the color correspondence of table 2 . thus the average of the numbers shown in column 0 of table 1 above is 1 . 5 which corresponds to the color yellow - green . the leftmost point on first slice 134 is thus plotted in yellow - green . each point on first slice 134 thus has a color , even though it may be difficult to distinguish the colors of the fifty - four points along this line . however , the color data becomes more useful when a second slice 136 and subsequent slices are plotted adjacent first slice 134 in the same manner because corresponding points on each slice are connected by lines that indicate the change between the point on one line and the point on the other . thus , for example , if a first point on the first slice 134 is yellow - green while the first point on the second slice 136 is yellow , a line will be plotted that shades gradually from yellow - green to yellow to show the transition . first graphic output 110 and second graphic output 132 together provide an operator with a detailed real - time data concerning the tension in a given sheet and allow corrective action to be taken when tension levels indicative of a problem are noted . line 146 , for example in fig5 shows a low tension area in a rolled steel sheet that varies little from sheet to sheet . observations at a greater level of detail may reveal that this line 146 is actually a series of periodic points . this might suggest that a surface defect on one of the rollers 12 is periodically decreasing tension in the sheets as they are rolled . likewise , the somewhat random distribution of colors at location 148 shows what appear to be normal operating conditions , and / or variations that are due more to the structure of the rolled steel sheet 20 than to the effects of the rollers 12 . likewise , stripe 150 in fig5 shows an area of generally consistently high tension . this real time view also allows the effects of changes to be seen in close to real time . for example , if , in order to lower the tension represented by line 146 in fig5 a certain adjustment is made to rolling mill 10 , the effects of this adjustment on the next sheet will be readily observable from the corresponding illustration on display 44 . fig4 illustrates the steps followed in retrieving data from database 40 . at step 152 , local and global variables are initialized . at step 154 shape display software 42 , which is preferably olectra chart shape display software , connects to database 40 . at steps 156 and 158 , the shape display software is configured to create first graphic output 110 and second graphic output 132 . at step 160 , pdi data for the sheet 20 being processed in mill 10 is obtained from secondary database 48 and displayed on display 44 in step 162 . at step 164 , data representing 60 , 000 feet of rolled steel sheet is obtained from database 40 and plotted in first region 112 at step 166 . at step 168 , a check is made to determine whether a new sheet has entered the mill , by checking the output of optical sensor 52 , for example . if a new sheet is not detected , data representing the current 60 , 000 feet of sheet is updated at step 164 . this process continues , with new colored regions corresponding to short segments 102 of sheet 20 being plotted in first region 112 . only data concerning the current 60 , 000 feet of sheet is maintained ; older data is removed from the tables of database 40 to prevent the size of the database 40 from slowing down the operation of the system . if a new sheet is detected , average tension values for each band on each of the previous ten sheets are obtained from database 40 at step 170 and used to form the waterfall plot in second region 133 at step 172 . pdi data for the new sheet is also obtained from secondary database 48 and displayed on display 44 at step 174 . the system then returns to step 164 and updates the display in first region 112 . it has been found that this use of color allows operators to quickly spot trends and identify problems . while the numerical data generated by such as system could conceivably be processed to locate numbers suggestive of a problem , an experienced operator can often spot patterns more quickly and more reliably than a machine relying upon statistical analyses . moreover the information generated can be stored and later associated with the particular rolled steel sheet . if a particular rolled steel sheet is not sufficiently flat to satisfy the requirements of a certain customer , for example , the saved date concerning its flatness may allow persons to determine another use for which the rolled steel sheet is suitable and / or to find portions of the rolled steel sheet that are acceptable for other uses . for example , if a problem is corrected after 10 percent of the rolled steel sheet has been rolled , the 90 percent of the rolled steel sheet that is defect free may be usable for other purposes . by associating pdi data with each sheet , an operator can also quickly determine whether the sheet is being produced to specification , as the degree of flatness variation that will be acceptable in a given sheet will vary . the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it being understood that obvious modifications and additions to this preferred embodiment will become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art upon a review of this disclosure . it is intended that all such obvious modifications and additions be covered by the present invention to the extent that they are included within the scope of the several claims appended hereto . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
fig1 shows one way of using my invention , in microwave cooking . here , a food - containing package 3 within microwave oven 1 is being used for cooking the food . the package , shown in cross - section in fig2 may include two types of food requiring different surface cooking temperatures , such as a pie 5 and a roast 7 . the key to the temperature control is a unique bottom surface 9 , better seen in fig7 and 8 . before discussing this bottom surface , however , it is best to consider the theoretical aspects of my temperature control system . fig3 shows the thermal aspects when a beam of microwave energy 13 is directed at a continuously coated substrate 15 , here a plastic film 17 with a metal coating 19 , normally aluminum , sometimes called susceptor film . as can be seen from fig3 a portion (&# 34 ; r &# 34 ;) of the radiation energy is reflected from the surface ; another portion (&# 34 ; t &# 34 ;) is transmitted through the metal coating and film ; and a third portion (&# 34 ; a &# 34 ;) is absorbed . the absorbed portion is converted to thermal energy due to resistive loss ( i 2 r ). the percentages of the microwave energy which are reflected , transmitted , and absorbed will vary depending upon the electrical properties of the material , the frequency of the microwave energy , and the angle of incidence . depending on the resistivity of the metallic coating , the total of the three percentages will be almost 100 %. fig4 is a representative plot of the coefficients of reflected , transmitted , and absorbed microwave energy as a function of resistivity . as can be seen by this graph , as the resistivity increases the amount of absorbed energy (&# 34 ; a &# 34 ;) increases until the coefficients of transmitted (&# 34 ; t &# 34 ;) and reflected (&# 34 ; r &# 34 ;) energy become equal . at that point the amount which is absorbed decreases as does the amount which is reflected until there is essentially 100 % transmission . because the absorbed microwave radiation is converted to thermal energy due to resistive loss ( i 2 r ), as the value of resistance changes , the rate at which heat is produced will change and thus temperature will change . typical susceptor film used in some food packages today may have a resistance of about 50 - 150 ohms / square which results in no load surface temperatures of about 500 - 525 ° f . in a 600 watt oven . in a practical sense , to achieve lower surface temperatures , a lower resistivity of the metallic coating would be required . however , it has been found that when the resistivity of a metallic coating such as aluminum becomes lower than about 50 ohms / square , a surface charge accumulates which results in severe arcing on the metal surface . i have found that arcing is reduced by reducing the surface area of the metal . fig5 is illustrative of a series of experiments which i performed . this discloses a card 23 with an adhered film surface 25 carrying a series of metallized aluminum discs 27 which are of the same resistivity but of different diameters ( different areas ). when these are exposed to microwave radiation , all of those discs above a certain area will arc , and all of those below that area will not . in one particular example the aluminum resistivity was 2 ohms / square and was exposed to 600 watts of microwave energy . the disc areas ranged from 490 mm 2 to 32 mm 2 , and arcing occurred on those discs having areas greater than 90mm 2 . as the thickness of the metal decreases , the resistance increases , the reflectance decreases , and the transmission increases . the residual of the total incident radiation becomes absorbed and converted to heat at a rate commensurate with resistive loss ( i 2 r ). depending on the resistivity of the aluminum coating and the power output of the microwave source , this aforementioned residual radiation may not be converted to heat as rapidly as it is arriving at the surface , resulting in a surface charge accumulation and arcing . i have found that the accumulation of this surface charge can be avoided by adjusting the surface area of the metallic deposit relative to its resistivity and thereby preventing the surface charge from becoming critical with respect to arcing . because resistivity is common to both the coefficients of the microwave incident energy and the conversion of this energy to heat , the area of a disc such as 27 can be greater with relatively high or low resistivity values as shown in fig6 . fig6 is a graph of the maximum &# 34 ; spot size &# 34 ; ( area ) of deposited aluminum before arcing is observed against resistivity in a 600 watt microwave oven . as can be seen , for a given microwave oven output , the curve 30 showing the maximum area without arcing begins high ( to the left ), drops down and becomes flat and then rises . in those portions of the curve 30 to the left of point 31 and to the right of point 32 , the absorption , reflectance , and transmission of the incident microwave energy total 100 % and the spot size approaches infinity . in the portion of the curve between 31 and 32 , however , they do not total 100 %. the difference is surface charge upon the metallic deposit . curves similar to those of fig6 can be drawn for ovens of other wattages and for other metals than aluminum . the curve normally used should be the one for the wattage usually found and , to allow a margin , it is best to operate slightly below the curve . the metals used can be any of those normally employed with these films . they can , if desired , include ferromagnetic metals or alloys using them . i would also include electrically conductive polymers in my definition of &# 34 ; metals &# 34 ;. these other materials would result in curves similar to curve 30 but of different dimensions . ferromagnetic metals will affect the magnetic portion of the electromagnetic wave in the microwave oven and so could permit the spots to be bigger and allow one to operate somewhat above the curve 30 ( as made for aluminum ) without departing from my invention , since arcing is avoided . therefore , by controlling the resistivity of the metal deposit and the spot size , rather than using a continuous layer , one can maintain an area - resistivity combination such that it is on or below the curve 30 , between points 31 and 32 , and arcing is avoided . this means that the spots 27 will receive microwave energy and be heated but they will not , however , arc . when discrete spots are subjected to a known intensity of microwave energy , the temperature which the spots will reach depends upon the surface resistivity . an example of this is shown in the graph of fig9 which plots the temperature reached in 45 seconds in a 600 watt oven against surface resistivity . ( usually the spots will reach temperature in less than 45 seconds , by i have used this time in my testing in order to be sure that surface equilibrium has been reached .) the total thermal output which a given area of discrete spot metal coated substrate will produce for a given time will depend upon the surface resistivity of the metallic spots , the percent of area coverage provided by the spots , and upon the strength of the microwave source . as a result , by providing a predetermined type of spot coverage , one can predetermine the thermal characteristics the surface will achieve for a given microwave oven power output ; for ovens having larger or smaller power levels , the resistivity and spot size can be altered so as to arrive at the desired thermal effect . these discrete spots can , then , be tailored to meet the cooking requirements of different foods . fig7 and 8 show a type of bottom surface 9 that might be used for package 3 ( fig2 ). this would include a paperboard base 29 , a film surface or substrate 25 , and discrete spots 27a and 27b of aluminum deposits of different sizes . if we assume that the metallic deposit is of the same resistivity for both sets of spots and that the smaller spots 27a have a lesser percentage film coverage than the larger spots 27b , then the area with 27a spots will generate less total heat energy per unit area for a given time of exposure to microwave than will the area of spots 27b . if the spots 27a are under the pie 5 in the package and the larger spots 27b are under the meat , then the surface of the meat will receive more thermal energy than will the pie . this means that a package can be provided with foods of different heating requirements and be cooked , concurrently , in the same microwave oven . the quantity of energy for surface cooking of different foods is best determined by experiment . a pie crust , for example , probably requires less energy for it to remain crisp while the pie is cooking than does a roast that is being browned . by way of example , if the spots are formed of aluminum with a surface resistivity of 2 . 0 ohms / square , they will reach a temperature of 340 ° f . ( fig9 ). if spots 27a are 5 mm in diameter ( with an area of 19 . 6 mm 2 ; and spots 27b are 10 . 4 mm in diameter ( with an area of 85 mm . sup . 2 ;, these areas will be below the maxima shown by curve 30 of fig6 for surface resistivity of 2 . 0 ohms / square and , so , will not arc . if spots 27a have a surface coverage of 34 % of area and spots 27b have a coverage of 68 % of area and both are subjected to microwave energy of 600 watts for equal amounts of time , then both will reach the same temperature , but the smaller spot area will have a total thermal output that is one - half that of the larger spot area . an alternative system of discrete spots can be used . the spots can be all of the same size and their thickness ( resistivity ) varied . this resistivity can be interpreted in terms of ohms / square , and a typical curve for ohms / square against temperature for a given time of microwave exposure is shown in fig9 . thus , spots 27a under the pie could have a surface resistivity of 2 . 0 ohms / square , giving a temperature of 340 ° f ., and spots 27b under the roast could have a surface resistivity of 5 . 0 ohms / square , giving a temperature of 400 ° f . ( fig9 ). the area of spots 27b would have to be within curve 30 of fig6 i . e ., no greater than 90 mm 2 . alternatively , both size and resistivity can be varied , which would allow for infinite combinations of temperature and total thermal output . although aluminum is usually preferred , other metals can be used if desired simply by following the above principles . in the production of current microwave susceptor films , techniques such as vapor deposition , for applying a thin metallic layer to a substrate , are well known . the metallic coated substrate of my invention can be made by metallizing , i . e ., using vapor deposition techniques , or be coated by other techniques . the substrate can be plastic , paper , or other material . typically50å - 70å aluminum is applied to a plastic substrate , such as polyester , polycarbonate , or other suitable material , in a continuous uniform coating . for the sake of the present invention , the metal is not a continuous coating but discrete spots of a predetermined size , thickness , and percentage of surface covering . this discrete coating is preferably accomplished by vacuum metallizing through perforations in a flexible band that is in contact with the surface of the film to be coated . alternatively , this discrete metallic coating could be printed on the surface of the substrate by using conventional printing processes , or continuously coated film could be further processed in such a way as to selectively remove the metallic coating leaving discrete areas of metallic coating . an example of a specific coating would be aluminum alloy 1100 that is vapor deposited on a 12 μm polyester film in a &# 34 ; staggered center &# 34 ; spot pattern having 2 . 87 spots per cm 2 and a total metal coverage of 53 . 5 % with a surface resistivity of 2 . 0 ohms / square . exposed to a 600 watt microwave oven , the no load surface temperature would reach 340 ° f . and would have a thermal output of about 59 watts / min / cm 2 . my invention has been shown in use in food packaging . it can , of course , be used in other situations where thermal control in a microwave field is desired . examples of these would include ( 1 ) tamper evident labels which have a heat sensitive coating that require a microwave susceptor material to preclude undetected removal of the label by using microwave radiation to soften the label adhesive . ( 2 ) self - venting packages which employ a strip of microwave susceptor material in a seal area that produces enough heat to open the seal upon initial exposure to microwave energy , thus avoiding a potentially hazardous buildup of steam pressure in the food package . ( 3 ) reusable cooking panels which could be purchased separately and placed on or around foods to assist in their cooking , washed , and reused as needed . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
the term “ hyaluronic acid ” ( ha ) as used in the present application refers to hyaluronic acid or salts of hyaluronic acid , such as the sodium , potassium , magnesium and calcium salts , among others . the term “ hyaluronic acid ” is also intended to include not only elemental hyaluronic acid , but hyaluronic acid with other trace of elements or in various compositions with other elements , as long as the chemical and physical properties of hyaluronic acid remain unchanged . in addition , the term “ hyaluronic acid ” as used in the present application is intended to include natural formulas , synthetic formulas or combination of these natural and synthetic formulas . embodiments of this invention are directed to a technique where a relatively large amount of hyaluronic acid , for example an entire syringe , is emptied into one area creating a deep nodule of the hyaluronic acid material in the deep tissue that does not break down readily , perhaps by limiting access to the hyaluronidase . the deep nodule or bolus lifts up the skin . the methods of the invention may be beneficially used to correct tissue prolapse and / or tissue atrophy ( or loss ) in any area , and are particularly useful when applied in the area of the upper middle face and cheek . the methods of the invention involve administering injections into the deep part of the skin ( i . e ., deep fat or just above the bone ) using large injections of a hyaluronic acid composition that has been formulated for injection into the superficial part of the skin . by defining certain important injection sites , the present inventor has been able to develop a technique which allows the cheek to be sculpted and also raises the groove under the eye giving a more youthful appearance . embodiments of this invention include raising the cheek and lifting the groove under the eye to a higher location , as is typically seen in a younger face . one unique feature of the tri - site bolus ™ technique of the present invention is the creation of the bolus , that is , creating a small nodule in the deep tissue that can obliterate the groove and also raise the cheeks and also have a longer durability . the nodule can be , for example , approximately the size of a grape . however , modification of the shape and size of the nodule to suit the particular application is envisioned in accordance with the present invention . in another embodiment of this invention , an injection can be made the same way into the chin to create the effect of a chin implant . such implants can also be created in other locations where a raised contour is desired , such as the cheekbones . creating the non - visible nodule in the deeper tissue may have applications for other areas . for example , the nodule may be formed in the fatty tissue of the cheek , in order to counter the hollow - cheeked appearance that commonly occurs as a result of aging . in another embodiment of this invention , the same bolus technique is utilized to repair what is referred to as malar bags , which are sacks of loose skin seen under the eyes . typically , surgery cutting out the excess skin was the only option . fig1 - 4 are photos that show the correction of a prominent malar bag under the left eye of a patient using the methods of the present invention . thus , the bolus technique can be effectively utilized for correction of malar bags using injections of hyaluronic acid . the injections used in the methods of the present invention can be made , for example , at a depth of 0 . 3 - 1 . 5 cm below the surface of the skin . however , one of skill in the art will appreciate that the depth at with the injection is made will vary depending on the specific injection site . further , the injections can be administered without requiring large bore needles or surgical incisions , as the methods of the present invention utilize small bore needles . preferably , the hyaluronic acid bolus is injected into the skin using a needle having a gauge of from 24 ( 0 . 559 mm ) to 30 ( 0 . 305 mm ), where the bolus is more preferably injected using a needle having a gauge of from 26 ( 0 . 457 mm ) to 28 ( 0 . 356 mm ), and is most preferably injected using a 27 gauge needle ( 0 . 406 mm ). a hyaluronic acid product having a thickness of 30 viscosity is presently preferred . examples of products that can be used include juvederm ® ( a highly - crosslinked hyaluronic acid product sold by allergan , inc .) and restylane ® perlane ® ( a non - animal stabilized hyaluronic acid product used to fill deep folds , sold by q - med ab ). for example , the product juvederme ® 30 can be effectively used in the embodiments of this invention . however , use of any medically - acceptable hyaluronic acid product is envisioned in accordance with the present invention . in some embodiments of this invention , about 1 . 5 to 6 , preferably about 3 to 4 , full syringes ( for example 0 . 7 cc or 0 . 8 cc syringes ) can be injected on each side of the subject &# 39 ; s face to fill wrinkles or folds in the skin . it is preferred that at least 1 cc , more preferably at least 2 cc , even more preferably about 2 to 3 cc , are injected on each side . one of skill in the art will appreciate that the amount of hyaluronic acid to be injected will also vary depending on the specific injection site . although the methods of the present invention primarily address the use of hyaluronic acid , use of other injectables is also envisioned . additional uses for the methods of the present invention , beyond use in the cheeks , under the eyes , and in the chin , are also envisioned . for example , and without limitation , the methods of the present invention may also be useful for filling scars or other surface deformities in the skin . it will , of course , be appreciated that the above description has been given by way of example only and that modifications in detail may be made within the scope of the present invention . the invention is capable of modification , alteration , and equivalents in form and function , as will occur to those ordinarily skilled in the pertinent arts having the benefit of this disclosure . while the present invention has been described for what are presently considered the preferred embodiments , the invention is not so limited . to the contrary , the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the detailed description provided above . | 0Human Necessities
|
provided herein is a polymer formed of fluorinated monomers and hydrophilic monomers . the fluorinated monomers can provide mechanical strength and / or flexibility , biocompatibility , and physiologic durablity for the polymer . the hydrophilic monomers impart drug permeability to the polymer , and can provide additional biobeneficial properties . in one embodiment , the polymer can be a random or block polymer having a general formula as shown below ( formula i ): where m and n can be 0 or positive integers ranging from , e . g ., 1 to 100 , 000 and m + n ≠ 0 ; and o can be a positive integer ranging from , e . g ., 1 to 100 , 000 . the strength fluoro monomer can be in the range of , e . g ., from about 60 mole % to about 90 mole %, the flexibility fluoro monomer can be in the range of , e . g ., from about 0 mole % to about 40 mole %, and the hydrophilic monomer can be in the range from above 0 mole % to about 20 mole %. the strength fluoro monomers are generally fluorinated ethylene monomers such as — cf 2 — cf 2 —, — ch 2 — cf 2 —, — ch 2 — chf —, — cf 2 — chf —, — chf — chf —, or cf 2 — crf — where r can be phenyl , cyclic alkyl , heterocyclic , heteroaryl , fluorinated phenyl , fluorinated cyclic alkyl , or fluorinated heterocyclic . the flexibility fluoro monomers are generally substituted fluorinated ethylene monomers bearing a substituent ( r ), — cf 2 — crf —, — chf — crf —, and — cf 2 — crh —. r can be trifluoromethyl , f , cl , br , i , short chain alkyl groups from c 2 to c 12 , fluorinated short chain alkyl groups from c 2 to c 12 , and combinations thereof . the hydrophilic monomers can be any vinyl monomer having pyrrolidone group ( s ), carboxylic acid group ( s ), sulfone group ( s ), sulfonic acid group ( s ), amino group ( s ), alkoxy group ( s ), amide group ( s ), ester group ( s ), acetate group ( s ), poly ( ethylene glycol ) group ( s ), poly ( propylene glycol ) group ( s ), poly ( tetramethylene glycol ) group ( s ), poly ( alkylene oxide ) group ( s ), hydroxyl group ( s ), or a substituent that bears a charge and / or any of pyrrolidone group ( s ), carboxylic acid group ( s ), sulfone group ( s ), sulfonic acid group ( s ), amino group ( s ), alkoxy group ( s ), amide group ( s ), ester group ( s ), acetate group ( s ), poly ( ethylene glycol ) group ( s ), poly ( propylene glycol ) group ( s ), poly ( tetramethylene glycol ) group ( s ), poly ( alkylene oxide ) group ( s ), and hydroxyl group ( s ). some exemplary hydrophilic monomers are vinyl pyrrolidone , hydroxyethyl methacrylate , hydroxypropyl methacrylate , methyl vinyl ether , alkyl vinyl ether , vinyl alcohol , methacrylic acid , acrylic acid , acrylamide , n - alkyl acrylamide , hydroxypropylmethacrylamide , vinyl acetate , 2 - sulfoethyl methacrylate , 3 - sulfopropyl acrylate , 3 - sulfopropyl methacrylate , and peg - methacrylate . some exemplary substituents bearing a charge can be , for example , choline , phosphoryl choline , 2 - aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride , n -( 3 - aminopropyl ) methacrylamide hydrochloride , 2 - n - morpholinoethyl methacrylate , vinylbenzoic acid , vinyl sulfonic acid , and styrene sulfonates . the monomers for strength generally account for about 60 mole % to about 90 mole % of the total monomers forming the polymer , the monomers for flexibility generally account for about 0 mole % to about 40 mole % of the total monomers forming the polymer , and the hydrophilic monomers for enhancing permeability generally account for about 0 mole % to about 20 mole % of the total monomers forming the polymer . by varying the mole percentages of the three components of the polymer , one can fine - tune physical properties of the polymer . in some embodiments , the polymer of formula i has a structure of formula ii or formula iii : the vinyl pyrrolidone is known to be miscible with the vinylidene fluoride as both have strong dipolar interactions . therefore , there is not a large driving force for phase separation . the vinylidene fluoride has a propensity to crystallize and , therefore provides the strength for the polymer . this strength can be tuned by the amount of hexafluoropropene , which lowers the crystallinity and promotes the flexibility of the polymer . the pyrrolidone is a hydrophilic monomer and will increase the water absorption of the polymer . water absorption of the polymer strongly influences the drug permeability of the polymer . for example , poly ( vinylidene fluoride - co - hexafluoropropene ) has a very low water absorption of & lt ; 0 . 04 w %, and it has a low drug permeability . addition of small amounts of vinyl pyrrolidone in the range between about 1 mole % to about 10 mole % will appreciably alter drug permeability of the polymer . in formula iii , the pyrrolidone would inhibit the crystallization of the vinylidene fluoride monomers , which will increase the flexibility of the polymer . the pyrrolidone group would also impart hydrophilicity to the polymer , thereby increasing drug permeability of the polymer . in another embodiment , the polymer of formula i has a structure of formula iv : in this polymer , the tetrafluoroethylene monomer imparts strength to the polymer , and the hexafluoropropene monomer provides flexibility to the polymer . the hydrophilicity of the polymer can be tuned by the amount of 3 - hydroxypropyl methacrylate . in addition , with an adequate amount of 3 - hydroxypropyl methacrylate , in the range of 5 – 25 mole %, incorporated in to a terpolymer with 5 – 15 mole % hexafluoropropene , this polymer can be made solvent soluble . the polymers described herein can be synthesized by methods known in the art ( see , for example , d . braun , et al ., polymer synthesis : theory and practice . fundamentals , methods , experiments . 3 rd ed ., springer , 2001 ; hans r . kricheldorf , handbook of polymer synthesis , marcel dekker inc ., 1992 ; g . odian , principles of polymerization , 3 rd ed . john wiley & amp ; sons , 1991 ). for example , one method that can be used to make the polymer can be free radical methods ( see , for example , d . braun , et al ., polymer synthesis : theory and practice . fundamentals , methods , experiments . 3 rd ed ., springer , 2001 ; hans r . kricheldorf , handbook of polymer synthesis , marcel dekker inc ., 1992 ). polymerization by suspension or emulsion techniques utilizing free radical initiation is commonly employed . block copolymers and terpolymers can be produced by atom transfer polymerization . grafting of hydrophilic monomers onto pre - made poly ( vinylidene fluoride - co - hexafluoropropylene ) can be accomplished by ozonation of the fluoropolymer followed by thermally induced graft polymerization of the hydrophilic monomer . polymerization in solvent can also be used to synthesize the polymers described herein . in another embodiment , a hydrophobic polymer of fluorinated monomers such as polyvinylidene fluoride ( pdvf ) or poly ( vinylidene fluoride - co - hexafluoropropylene ) ( pvdf - co - hfp ) can be blended with one or more additional biocompatible polymers having different hydrophilicity and / or flexibility to generate a polymer blend coating material that has desired flexibility and drug permeability . generally , useful polymers that can be blended with the polymer of fluorinated monomers are substantially miscible with the polymer of fluorinated monomers . in a further embodiment , any of the polymers of formulae i - iv can be blended with one or more additional biocompatible polymer , which is described below . the additional biocompatible polymer can be biodegradable ( both bioerodable or bioabsorbable ) or nondegradable , and can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic . hydrophilic is defined to have a δ value greater than about 8 . 5 , e . g ., a δ value of about 8 . 5 , about 9 . 5 , about 10 . 5 or about 11 . 5 . representative biocompatible polymers include , but are not limited to , poly ( ester amide ), polyhydroxyalkanoates ( pha ), poly ( 3 - hydroxyalkanoates ) such as poly ( 3 - hydroxypropanoate ), poly ( 3 - hydroxybutyrate ), poly ( 3 - hydroxyvalerate ), poly ( 3 - hydroxyhexanoate ), poly ( 3 - hydroxyheptanoate ) and poly ( 3 - hydroxyoctanoate ), poly ( 4 - hydroxyalkanaote ) such as poly ( 4 - hydroxybutyrate ), poly ( 4 - hydroxyvalerate ), poly ( 4 - hydroxyhexanote ), poly ( 4 - hydroxyheptanoate ), poly ( 4 - hydroxyoctanoate ) and copolymers including any of the 3 - hydroxyalkanoate or 4 - hydroxyalkanoate monomers described herein or blends thereof , poly polyesters , poly ( d , l - lactide ), poly ( l - lactide ), polyglycolide , poly ( d , l - lactide - co - glycolide ), poly ( l - lactide - co - glycolide ), polycaprolactone , poly ( lactide - co - caprolactone ), poly ( glycolide - co - caprolactone ), poly ( dioxanone ), poly ( ortho esters ), poly ( anhydrides ), poly ( tyrosine carbonates ) and derivatives thereof , poly ( tyrosine ester ) and derivatives thereof , poly ( imino carbonates ), poly ( glycolic acid - co - trimethylene carbonate ), polyphosphoester , polyphosphoester urethane , poly ( amino acids ), polycyanoacrylates , poly ( trimethylene carbonate ), poly ( iminocarbonate ), polyurethanes , polyphosphazenes , silicones , polyesters , polyolefins , polyisobutylene and ethylene - alphaolefin copolymers , acrylic polymers and copolymers , vinyl halide polymers and copolymers , such as polyvinyl chloride , polyvinyl ethers , such as polyvinyl methyl ether , polyvinylidene halides , such as polyvinylidene chloride , polyacrylonitrile , polyvinyl ketones , polyvinyl aromatics , such as polystyrene , polyvinyl esters , such as polyvinyl acetate , copolymers of vinyl monomers with each other and olefins , such as ethylene - methyl methacrylate copolymers , acrylonitrile - styrene copolymers , abs resins , and ethylene - vinyl acetate copolymers , polyamides , such as nylon 66 and polycaprolactam , alkyd resins , polycarbonates , polyoxymethylenes , polyimides , polyethers , poly ( glyceryl sebacate ), poly ( propylene fumarate ), poly ( n - butyl methacrylate ), poly ( sec - butyl methacrylate ), poly ( isobutyl methacrylate ), poly ( tert - butyl methacrylate ), poly ( n - propyl methacrylate ), poly ( isopropyl methacrylate ), poly ( ethyl methacrylate ), poly ( methyl methacrylate ), epoxy resins , polyurethanes , rayon , rayon - triacetate , cellulose acetate , cellulose butyrate , cellulose acetate butyrate , cellophane , cellulose nitrate , cellulose propionate , cellulose ethers , carboxymethyl cellulose , polyethers such as poly ( ethylene glycol ) ( peg ), copoly ( ether - esters ) ( e . g . peo / pla ); polyalkylene oxides such as poly ( ethylene oxide ), poly ( propylene oxide ), poly ( ether ester ), polyalkylene oxalates , polyphosphazenes , phosphoryl choline , choline , poly ( aspirin ), polymers and co - polymers of hydroxyl bearing monomers such as hema , hydroxypropyl methacrylate ( hpma ), hydroxypropylmethacrylamide , peg acrylate ( pega ), peg methacrylate , 2 - methacryloyloxyethylphosphorylcholine ( mpc ) and n - vinyl pyrrolidone ( vp ), carboxylic acid bearing monomers such as methacrylic acid ( ma ), acrylic acid ( aa ), alkoxymethacrylate , alkoxyacrylate , and 3 - trimethylsilyipropyl methacrylate ( tmspma ), poly ( styrene - isoprene - styrene )- peg ( sis - peg ), polystyrene - peg , polyisobutylene - peg , polycaprolactone - peg ( pcl - peg ), pla - peg , poly ( methyl methacrylate )- peg ( pmma - peg ), polydimethylsiloxane - co - peg ( pdms - peg ), poly ( vinylidene fluoride )- peg ( pvdf - peg ), pluironic ™ surfactants ( polypropylene oxide - co - polyethylene glycol ), poly ( tetramethylene glycol ), hydroxy functional poly ( vinyl pyrrolidone ), biomolecules such as collagen , chitosan , alginate , fibrin , fibrinogen , cellulose , starch , collagen , dextran , dextrin , fragments and derivatives of hyaluronic acid , heparin , fragments and derivatives of heparin , glycosamino glycan ( gag ), gag derivatives , polysaccharide , elastin , chitosan , alginate , and combinations thereof . in some embodiments , the polymer can exclude any one of the aforementioned polymers . as used herein , the terms poly ( d , l - lactide ), poly ( l - lactide ), poly ( d , l - lactide - co - glycolide ), and poly ( l - lactide - co - glycolide ) can be used interchangeably with the terms poly ( d , l - lactic acid ), poly ( l - lactic acid ), poly ( d , l - lactic acid - co - glycolic acid ), and poly ( l - lactic acid - co - glycolic acid ), respectively . the copolymer of fluorinated monomers and hydrophilic monomers can form a coating optionally with a biobeneficial material . the combination can be mixed , blended , or coated in separate layers . the biobeneficial material useful in the coatings described herein can be a polymeric material or non - polymeric material . the biobeneficial material is preferably non - toxic , non - antigenic and non - immunogenic . a biobeneficial material is one which enhances the biocompatibility of a device by being non - fouling , hemocompatible , actively non - thrombogenic , or anti - inflammatory , all without depending on the release of a pharmaceutically active agent . representative biobeneficial materials include , but are not limited to , polyethers such as poly ( ethylene glycol ); copoly ( ether - esters ) ( e . g . peo / pla ); polyalkylene oxides such as poly ( ethylene oxide ), poly ( propylene oxide ), poly ( ether ester ), polyalkylene oxalates , polyphosphazenes , phosphoryl choline , choline , poly ( aspirin ), polymers and co - polymers of hydroxyl bearing monomers such as hydroxyethyl methacrylate ( hema ), hydroxypropyl methacrylate ( hpma ), hydroxypropylmethacrylamide , poly ( ethylene glycol ) acrylate ( pega ), peg methacrylate , 2 - methacryloyloxyethylphosphorylcholine ( mpc ) and n - vinyl pyrrolidone ( vp ), carboxylic acid bearing monomers such as methacrylic acid ( ma ), acrylic acid ( aa ), alkoxymethacrylate , alkoxyacrylate , and 3 - trimethylsilylpropyl methacrylate ( tmspma ), poly ( styrene - isoprene - styrene )- peg ( sis - peg ), polystyrene - peg , polyisobutylene - peg , polycaprolactone - peg ( pcl - peg ), pla - peg , poly ( methyl methacrylate )- peg ( pmma - peg ), polydimethylsiloxane - co - peg ( pdms - peg ), poly ( vinylidene fluoride )- peg ( pvdf - peg ), pluronic ™ surfactants ( polypropylene oxide - co - polyethylene glycol ), poly ( tetramethylene glycol ), hydroxy functional poly ( vinyl pyrrolidone ), biomolecules such as fibrin , fibrinogen , cellulose , starch , collagen , dextran , dextrin , hyaluronic acid , fragments and derivatives of hyaluronic acid , heparin , fragments and derivatives of heparin , glycosamino glycan ( gag ), gag derivatives , polysaccharide , elastin , chitosan , alginate , silicones , polyactive ™, and combinations thereof . in some embodiments , the coating can exclude any one of the aforementioned polymers . the term polyactive ™ refers to a block copolymer having flexible poly ( ethylene glycol ) and poly ( butylene terephthalate ) blocks ( pegt / pbt ). polyactive ™ is intended to include ab , aba , bab copolymers having such segments of peg and pbt ( e . g ., poly ( ethylene glycol )- block - poly ( butyleneterephthalate )- block - poly ( ethylene glycol ) ( peg - pbt - peg )). in a preferred embodiment , the biobeneficial material can be a polyether such as poly ( ethylene glycol ) ( peg ) or polyalkylene oxide . the polymeric coatings or the polymeric substrate described herein may optionally include one or more bioactive agents . these bioactive agents can be any agent which is a therapeutic , prophylactic , or diagnostic agent . these agents can have anti - proliferative or anti - inflammatory properties or can have other properties such as antineoplastic , antiplatelet , anti - coagulant , anti - fibrin , antithrombonic , antimitotic , antibiotic , antiallergic , antioxidant as well as cystostatic agents . examples of suitable therapeutic and prophylactic agents include synthetic inorganic and organic compounds , proteins and peptides , polysaccharides and other sugars , lipids , and dna and rna nucleic acid sequences having therapeutic , prophylactic or diagnostic activities . nucleic acid sequences include genes , antisense molecules which bind to complementary dna to inhibit transcription , and ribozymes . some other examples of other bioactive agents include antibodies , receptor ligands , enzymes , adhesion peptides , blood clotting factors , inhibitors or clot dissolving agents such as streptokinase and tissue plasminogen activator , antigens for immunization , hormones and growth factors , oligonucleotides such as antisense oligonucleotides and ribozymes and retroviral vectors for use in gene therapy . examples of anti - proliferative agents include rapamycin and its functional or structural derivatives , 40 - o -( 2 - hydroxy ) ethyl - rapamycin ( everolimus ), and its functional or structural derivatives , paclitaxel and its functional and structural derivatives . examples of rapamycin derivatives include methyl rapamycin ( abt - 578 ), 40 - o -( 3 - hydroxy ) propyl - rapamycin , 40 - o -[ 2 -( 2 - hydroxy ) ethoxy ] ethyl - rapamycin , and 40 - o - tetrazole - rapamycin . examples of paclitaxel derivatives include docetaxel . examples of antineoplastics and / or antimitotics include methotrexate , azathioprine , vincristine , vinblastine , fluorouracil , doxorubicin hydrochloride ( e . g . adriamycin ® from pharmacia & amp ; upjohn , peapack n . j . ), and mitomycin ( e . g . mutamycin ® from bristol - myers squibb co ., stamford , conn .). examples of such antiplatelets , anticoagulants , antifibrin , and antithrombins include sodium heparin , low molecular weight heparins , heparinoids , hirudin , argatroban , forskolin , vapiprost , prostacyclin and prostacyclin analogues , dextran , d - phe - pro - arg - chloromethylketone ( synthetic antithrombin ), dipyridamole , glycoprotein iib / iiia platelet membrane receptor antagonist antibody , recombinant hirudin , thrombin inhibitors such as angiomax ä ( biogen , inc ., cambridge , mass . ), calcium channel blockers ( such as nifedipine ), colchicine , fibroblast growth factor ( fgf ) antagonists , fish oil ( omega 3 - fatty acid ), histamine antagonists , lovastatin ( an inhibitor of hmg - coa reductase , a cholesterol lowering drug , brand name mevacor ® from merck & amp ; co ., inc ., whitehouse station , n . j . ), monoclonal antibodies ( such as those specific for platelet - derived growth factor ( pdgf ) receptors ), nitroprusside , phosphodiesterase inhibitors , prostaglandin inhibitors , suramin , serotonin blockers , steroids , thioprotease inhibitors , triazolopyrimidine ( a pdgf antagonist ), nitric oxide or nitric oxide donors , super oxide dismutases , super oxide dismutase mimetic , 4 - amino - 2 , 2 , 6 , 6 - tetramethylpiperidine - 1 - oxyl ( 4 - amino - tempo ), estradiol , anticancer agents , dietary supplements such as various vitamins , and a combination thereof . examples of anti - inflammatory agents including steroidal and non - steroidal anti - inflammatory agents include tacrolimus , dexamethasone , clobetasol , combinations thereof . examples of such cytostatic substance include angiopeptin , angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors such as captopril ( e . g . capoten ® and capozide ® from bristol - myers squibb co ., stamford , conn . ), cilazapril or lisinopril ( e . g . prinivil ® and prinzide ® from merck & amp ; co ., inc ., whitehouse station , n . j .). an example of an antiallergic agent is permirolast potassium . other therapeutic substances or agents which may be appropriate include alpha - interferon , bioactive rgd , and genetically engineered epithelial cells . the foregoing substances can also be used in the form of prodrugs or co - drugs thereof . the foregoing substances are listed by way of example and are not meant to be limiting . other active agents which are currently available or that may be developed in the future are equally applicable . the dosage or concentration of the bioactive agent required to produce a favorable therapeutic effect should be less than the level at which the bioactive agent produces toxic effects and greater than the level at which non - therapeutic results are obtained . the dosage or concentration of the bioactive agent can depend upon factors such as the particular circumstances of the patient ; the nature of the trauma ; the nature of the therapy desired ; the time over which the ingredient administered resides at the vascular site ; and if other active agents are employed , the nature and type of the substance or combination of substances . therapeutic effective dosages can be determined empirically , for example by infusing vessels from suitable animal model systems and using immunohistochemical , fluorescent or electron microscopy methods to detect the agent and its effects , or by conducting suitable in vitro studies . standard pharmacological test procedures to determine dosages are understood by one of ordinary skill in the art . as used herein , an implantable device may be any suitable medical substrate that can be implanted in a human or veterinary patient . examples of such implantable devices include self - expandable stents , balloon - expandable stents , stent - grafts , grafts ( e . g ., aortic grafts ), artificial heart valves , cerebrospinal fluid shunts , pacemaker electrodes , and endocardial leads ( e . g ., fineline and endotak , available from guidant corporation , santa clara , calif .). the underlying structure of the device can be of virtually any design . the device can be made of a metallic material or an alloy such as , but not limited to , cobalt chromium alloy ( elgiloy ), stainless steel ( 316l ), high nitrogen stainless steel , e . g ., biodur 108 , cobalt chrome alloy l - 605 , “ mp35n ,” “ mp20n ,” elastinite ( nitinol ), tantalum , nickel - titanium alloy , platinum - iridium alloy , gold , magnesium , or combinations thereof . “ mp35n ” and “ mp20n ” are trade names for alloys of cobalt , nickel , chromium and molybdenum available from standard press steel co ., jenkintown , pa . “ mp35n ” consists of 35 % cobalt , 35 % nickel , 20 % chromium , and 10 % molybdenum . “ mp20n ” consists of 50 % cobalt , 20 % nickel , 20 % chromium , and 10 % molybdenum . devices made from bioabsorbable or biostable polymers could also be used with the embodiments of the present invention . the device itself , such as a stent , can also be made from the described inventive polymers or polymer blends . in accordance with embodiments of the invention , a coating of the various described embodiments can be formed on an implantable device or prosthesis , e . g ., a stent . for coatings including one or more active agents , the agent will retain on the medical device such as a stent during delivery and expansion of the device , and released at a desired rate and for a predetermined duration of time at the site of implantation . preferably , the medical device is a stent . a stent having the above - described coating is useful for a variety of medical procedures , including , by way of example , treatment of obstructions caused by tumors in bile ducts , esophagus , trachea / bronchi and other biological passageways . a stent having the above - described coating is particularly useful for treating occluded regions of blood vessels caused by abnormal or inappropriate migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells , thrombosis , and restenosis . stents may be placed in a wide array of blood vessels , both arteries and veins . representative examples of sites include the iliac , renal , and coronary arteries . for implantation of a stent , an angiogram is first performed to determine the appropriate positioning for stent therapy . an angiogram is typically accomplished by injecting a radiopaque contrasting agent through a catheter inserted into an artery or vein as an x - ray is taken . a guidewire is then advanced through the lesion or proposed site of treatment . over the guidewire is passed a delivery catheter which allows a stent in its collapsed configuration to be inserted into the passageway . the delivery catheter is inserted either percutaneously or by surgery into the femoral artery , brachial artery , femoral vein , or brachial vein , and advanced into the appropriate blood vessel by steering the catheter through the vascular system under fluoroscopic guidance . a stent having the above - described coating may then be expanded at the desired area of treatment . a post - insertion angiogram may also be utilized to confirm appropriate positioning . the embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated by the following set forth prophetic examples . all parameters and data are not to be construed to unduly limit the scope of the embodiments of the invention . a 20 gallon glass lined autoclave is filled with 11 gallons of deionized water , and then sparged with nitrogen to remove oxygen . the autoclaved is then charged with 3 . 47 kg of vinylidene fluoride ( vdf ) and 1 . 53 kg of hexafluoropropylene ( hfp ). 40 g of a 70 % solution of tertiary butyl hydroperoxide in water is diluted to 250 ml with deionized water . 31 g of sodium metabisulfite and 6 . 3 g of ferrous sulfate heptahydrate is diluted to 250 ml with deionized water . these two solutions are added separately to the autoclave over a ten period time period . the autoclave is maintained throughout the entire polymerization between 15 – 25 ° c . after 30 minutes into the polymerization , vinyl pyrrolidone is pumped into the autoclave . after consumption of the initial charge of vdf and hfp , vdf and hfp are added to the autoclave at the stoichiometric ratio to maintain a reactor pressure of 50 – 130 psig . in total , 25 kg of vdf , 11 kg of hfp , and 2 . 7 kg of vinyl pyrrolidone is added to the autoclave . after consumption of all monomers , the autoclave is vented , and the water removed . the polymer is purified by extracting twice with 20 liters of methanol followed by drying in vacuo . synthesis of poly ( vinylidene fluoride - co - hexafluoropropene - co - vinyl pyrrolidone ), molar ratio 80 / 18 / 2 by atom transfer polymerization to a 2 . 5 gallon stainless steel autoclave equipped with agitation is added copper bromide ( 28g , 0 . 195 mole ), 2 , 2 ′- bipyridine ( 60 . 9 g , 0 . 39 mole ), and 1 , 2 - diiodoethane ( 55 g , 0 . 195 mole ). the autoclave is purged with argon to remove all oxygen . co 2 is introduced to reach a pressure of 1200 psig and the autoclave thermostated to ambient temperature . the autoclave is then charged with 1 kg of vdf and 528 g of hfp . the temperature is raised to 40 ° c . and the reaction allowed to proceed for 20 hours . vinyl pyrrolidone is added ( 43 . 4 g ) and the polymerization allowed to proceed for 11 more hours . after venting the autoclave the polymer is dissolved in 5 liters of acetone and then isolated by precipitation into methanol . preparation of a drug eluting stent coating using the polymer of example 1 a polymer solution containing between about 0 . 1 mass % and about 15 mass %, for example , about 2 . 0 mass % of pbma and the balance , a solvent mixture of acetone and cyclohexanone , the solvent mixture containing about 60 mass % of acetone and about 40 mass % of xylene is prepared . the solution is applied onto a stent to form a primer layer . to apply the primer layer , a spray apparatus , such as an efd 780s spray nozzle with a valvemate 7040 control system ( manufactured by efd , inc . of east providence , r . i .) can be used . the efd 780s spray nozzle is an air - assisted external mixing atomizer . the composition is atomized by air and applied to the stent surfaces . during the process of applying the composition , the stent can be optionally rotated about its longitudinal axis , at a speed of 50 to about 150 rpm . the stent can also be linearly moved along the same axis during the application . the poly ( butyl methacrylate ) ( pbma ) solution can be applied to a 1 2 - mm small vision stent ( available from guidant corporation ) in a series of 10 - second passes , to deposit , for example , 10 μg of coating per spray pass . between the spray passes , the stent is dried for about 10 seconds using flowing air with a temperature of about 60 ° c . five spray passes can be applied , followed by baking the primer layer at about 80 ° c . for about 1 hour . as a result , a primer layer can be formed having a solids content of about 50 μg . “ solids ” means the amount of the dry residue deposited on the stent after all volatile organic compounds ( e . g ., the solvent ) have been removed . ( a ) between about 0 . 1 mass % and about 15 mass %, for example , about 2 . 0 mass % of the polymer of example 1 ; ( b ) between about 0 . 1 mass % and about 2 mass %, for example , about 0 . 8 mass % of an active agent , for example , everolimus ; and ( c ) the balance , a solvent mixture of acetone , the solvent mixture containing about 70 mass % of acetone and about 30 mass % of cyclohexanone . in a manner identical to the application of the primer layer , nineteen spray passes is performed , followed by baking the drug - polymer layer at about 50 ° c . for about 2 hours , to form the drug - polymer reservoir layer having a solids content between about 30 μg and 750 μg , for example , about 190 μg , and a drug content of between about 10 μg and about 250 μg , for example , 50 μg . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects . therefore , the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
the present invention involves the discovery of particular conditions under which by - products , starting materials and color bodies can be extracted from the starting crude in an organic phase , while retaining the desired pap end product in an aqueous phase ( raffinate ) from which it can be separated by precipitation and obtained in pure form . the materials and conditions which are used in carrying out the process of this invention are : the entire purification process is carried out in a manner to avoid exposure to oxygen , preferably under a nitrogen atmosphere . the crude 4 - aminophenol ( pap ), adjusted to ph 4 . 0 - 5 . 0 , is mixed with toluene at a temperature ranging between about 75 °- 85 ° c ., most preferably at 80 ° c . the ph is adjusted as required with ammonia ( liquid ammonia i . e . anhydrous ammonia works best ; aqueous ammonia is usable but the resultant yields are lower ) to ph 4 . 0 - 5 . 0 , preferably to ph 4 . 6 - 4 . 8 and most preferably is maintained as close to ph 4 . 65 as possible . after the mixing is stopped and the mixture is allowed to settle , two layers are formed . most of the by - products , starting materials and color bodies ( except for the by - product ortho - aminophenol ) will now be in the top organic layer . the two layers are each separately removed from the extractor . the bottom aqueous raffinate layer , after sampling and analysis by high performance liquid chromatography ( hplc method ) is returned to the extractor . the extraction with toluene is repeated in the same way , as many times as is required . the analysis determines when the undesired materials have been removed . at this point the use of charcoal , preferably activated carbon , for decolorization of the resultant final raffinate is desirable , as is the use of a material like sodium hydrosulfite which acts to both decolorize the pap in the resultant final raffinate and protect it from reacting with oxygen . while sodium hydrosulfite ( na 2 s 2 o 4 ) is preferred , we can also use other types sodium sulfite salts i . e . sodium salts containing at least one tetravalent sulfur atom e . g . sodium bisulfite ( na 2 so 3 ), sodium disulfite ( na 2 s 2 o 5 ) and sodium pyrosulfite ( na 2 s 2 o 5 ). we will refer to these as &# 34 ; sodium sulfite type salts &# 34 ; for purposes of this invention . after the charcoal and sodium sulfite type salts have been removed , the filtrate , which now contains mainly pap and by - product ortho - aminophenol , is adjusted as required with ammonia ( again , liquid anhydrous ammonia is preferred over aqueous ) to ph 6 . 5 - 8 . 0 , preferably to between ph 7 . 0 and 7 . 4 and most preferably to ph 7 . 2 , after which the system is gradually cooled below 10 ° c ., preferably to about 0 ° c . or lower , while maintaining said ph level . while temperatures which are very low ( e . g .- 5 ° c . and below ) give best results , cost considerations make us prefer to use 0 ° c . the pure pap precipitates out ( while the by - product ortho - aminophenol remains in the filtrate ) and is filtered out , and rinsed with an aqueous solution containing a sodium sulfite type salt to remove any remaining color bodies . the pure pap can be used wet to make apap by acetylation , or can be dried and used for other purposes . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the crude 4 - aminophenol ( pap ) starting material which is purified by the purification procedure of the present invention , was obtained by the catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene in aqueous sulfuric acid , which process is described in applicant &# 39 ; s copending patent application u . s . ser . no . 43 , 784 , filed even date herewith , and is also described in the following preparation 1 . the nitrobenzene starting material used was a high quality commercial grade nitrobenzene free of thiophene and other sulfur - containing compounds and of any catalyst poisons . the high quality commercial grade sulfuric acid used was treated with hydrogen peroxide prior to use to remove catalyst poisons . one percent by weight of a 30 percent hydrogen peroxide solution was added to the sulfuric acid , which was then stirred until gas bubbling ceased and the color and the sulfuric acid became water clear , which took about 2 - 4 hours . the catalyst used was a 5 percent platinum on carbon , dry pack catalyst , the carbon support available from engelhard industries as cp - 86 . the following procedure of preparation 1 was then used to obtain the crude pap starting material . a five liter , three neck , four - baffled round bottom flask ( hydrogenator ) equipped with a heating mantle , overhead mechanical stirring motor [ the stirrer motor is controlled by a controller which has both speed and torque readouts and controls ] driving a curved blade impeller , and an inlet for gas feed into the vapor space is charged with 1700 ml of deionized water at an initial temperature of between 20 ° c . and 23 ° c . next , 217g of hydrogen peroxide pretreated 93 % sulfuric acid ( made as described previously ) is added to the system with moderate agitation . the acid addition generates a fairly strong exotherm , raising the temperature of the solution to between 36 ° c . and 38 ° c . this provides a convenient point to start heating the system to the desired reaction temperature of 94 ° c . a variac setting of 80v gives heating at a suitable rate . next , for the initial run in a series , 271 g of nitrobenzene is added . addition of the nitrobenzene normally decreases the system temperature by about 1 ° c . for runs in a series using recycled catalyst , 40 - 50 g nitrobenzene would be recycled with the catalyst to aid handling and the charge of fresh nitrobenzene would be reduced accordingly . 2 . 25 ml of dodecyldimethyl amine or other surfactant is added and the system closed . a nitrogen purge with a flow rate of about 100 ml / min is commenced at this point to remove oxygen and any trace volatile catalyst poisons from the system . a constant positive pressure is maintained with a twelve inch water column in the gas exit bubbler . this is equivalent to a moderate , positive pressure of about 26 mmhg above atmosphere . the agitation rate is increased to 700 rpm or higher and the nitrogen purge continued . exceedingly vigorous agitation is very important . the power input was calculated from torque and speed readings . adjustment of speed was made to achieve the desired power input , which is 0 . 01 horsepower per gallon or higher . for a five inch impeller , a speed of 700 rpm gives a power input of 0 . 0225 . agitator depth is another critical parameter . for a given power input , maximum gas - liquid interfacial area is generated with the agitator depth equal to 50 % of the liquid depth . for practical purposes , the reaction rate is directly proportional to the power input and agitator position . after maintaining the initial nitrogen purge for ten minutes , 1 . 40 g of dry packed 5 % platinum on carbon catalyst is added through an emerging stream of nitrogen , rinsed in with 25 ml deionized water , the system resealed , and the 100 ml / min nitrogen purge continued for at least a further 10 minutes . during the period when reagents are being charged to the system , the temperature must be monitored carefully to ensure that it does not exceed 90 ° c . the heating variac should be adjusted , if necessary , to maintain the temperature below this point . after completion of the nitrogen purge , addition of hydrogen gas begins . the initial demand can be up to 700 ml / min and the gas source must be able to maintain a positive system pressure at all times while meeting this flow rate . a major explosion may result if the system is allowed to generate a partial vacuum and suck air back into the reactor . the hydrogenation is exothermic and a mild exotherm which raises the temperature of the system by about 4 ° c . occurs as the reaction begins . the reaction is allowed to proceed to 75 - 85 % conversion ( indicated by hydrogen uptake ) so that the catalyst remains sufficiently wetted by the unreacted nitrobenzene . this is achieved in 2 - 3 hours . to terminate the hydrogenation reaction a final nitrogen purge is used . initially , up to 700 ml / min of nitrogen may be required to maintain the system at positive pressure . the flow rate should gradually be reduced to 100 ml / min and agitation stopped . increase the variac setting as needed to maintain a temperature of about 85 ° c . the aqueous layer [ which contains the crude 4 - aminophenol ( pap )] is pumped under nitrogen to a 3 liter jacketed flask ( decanter ) with bottom valve . the reactor jacket is hooked into a circulating bath at 80 ° c . a nitrogen atmosphere is maintained throughout the work - up procedure because the reaction mixture quickly colors if exposed to air . the purification process which is the subject of the present invention is further described below . the equipment in which the procedure of example 1 was conducted , is as disclosed in fig1 . fig1 is a schematic drawing of an extractor ( decanter ) 1 which is a 3 liter , three - neck , round bottom glass flask , where the bottom has a stop - cock fitted funnel 10 , to act as a separatory funnel . the middle neck contains an overhead mechanical stirring motor 3 which drives a stirring rod 4 with a curved blade impeller 5 at its lower end . one side neck contains a ph electrode 7 ( which is connected to a ph meter 7a ) and also a feed bottle 6 to allow the crude starting material , toluene and ammonia to be added to the flask . the third neck containsa thermometer 8 and a condenser 9 vent . the flask is inside a jacket 2 permitting its contents to be heated or cooled with liquid from a temperature bath . under nitrogen atmosphere , the crude - pap containing aqueous layer from preparation 1 is pumped into the extractor of fig1 where the reactor jacket contains 80 ° c . fluid . the ph of said aqueous layer from preparation 1 which is now at 80 ° c ., is then adjusted to 4 . 6 - 4 . 8 with liquid ammonia . about 80 ml ( 54 g ) are normally required . it is then extracted four to seven times ( until the color is clear and the extract phase remains colorless ) with 300 ml ( 260 . 1 g ) of toluene in order to remove dissolved impurities , i . e . aniline , nitrobenzene and oxydianiline ( oda ). the ph must be adjusted periodically as the extraction proceeds because it will tend to drop as impurities are removed into the organic layer . the toluene extractions are combined and the toluene , nitrobenzene , and aniline are recovered by subsequent distillation . the nitrobenzene recovered in this step is recycled to the hydrogenator of preparation 1 . after the extraction cycle is completed , 10 gm of activated carbon is charged ( for decolorization ). 5 . 0 g of sodium hydrosulfite are also charged here for decolorization and to protect the product from reacting with oxygen . the charcoal is removed via filtration through a standard 12 . 5 cm buchner filter using a # 3 whatman filter paper . the carbon cake is rinsed twice with 100 g aliquots of hot deionized water and discarded . the filtrate and wash are transferred back to the extractor flask . after a nitrogen atmosphere is reestablished over the reaction mixture , the ph is adjusted to 7 . 2 with liquid ammonia . about 30 ml ( 20 . 2 g ) are normally required . the system is slowly cooled to 0 ° c . over a period of 1 . 5 - 2 hours and then held for 1 hour with the ph maintained at 7 . 2 . 4 - aminophenol is isolated by vacuum filtration , rinsed twice with two 200 g aliquots of cold 1 % sodium hydrosulfite solution and sucked dry on a frit for several minutes . the material ( which can be acetylated at this point to make apap ) was dried at 50 ° c . in vacuo overnight . the dried 4 - aminophenol was white and stable , and weighted 139 g . the purity of 4 - aminophenol as analyzed by the hplc method is over 99 %. this represents 68 % isolated yield based on the nitrobenzene reacted . following the procedure of example 1 the aqueous reaction mixture from preparation 1 was charged to a 3 liter round bottom , agitated , glass flask ( extractor ). the content was agitated and heated to 80 ° c . the ph of the solution was adjusted by liquid ammonia to 4 . 6 - 4 . 8 . a weighed amount of toluene ( specified in table i ) was added and agitated for 30 minutes . the mixture was settled for 30 minutes and layers separated . each layer was drained into a separate flask . the bottom aqueous raffinate layer was sampled , analyzed by hplc method and charged back to the extractor . extraction with toluene was repeated four more times . the ph value was checked and adjusted with ammonia , if necessary . the aqueous reaction mixture contains several solutes ; i . e . the desired product - pap ; by - products - oap ( ortho aminophenol ), anl ( aniline ), oda ( oxydianiline ), and starting material , nb ( nitrobenzene ). the objective of extraction is to remove by - products , starting materials , and unidentified color bodies , but to retain the desired pap product in the aqueous phase for separation therefrom by precipitation . the amount of color bodies removed from each extraction is not quantified , but is indicated by the color of the pap recovered ; i . e ., the performance is based on recovering pure white stable pap from the final raffinate after further charcoal treatment . the extraction results obtained are as shown in table i below . table i______________________________________temperature 80 ° c . oap anl oda wt . g . pap g . g . g . g . nb g . ______________________________________feedsolution 2201 . 00 143 . 69 10 . 09 37 . 59 1 . 81 8 . 021st extracttoluene 260 . 70raffinate 1 2144 . 40 144 . 23 8 . 94 15 . 73 0 . 89 0 . 002nd extracttoluene 259 . 80raffinate 2 2104 . 40 143 . 54 8 . 83 7 . 63 0 . 56 03rd extracttoluene 260 . 50raffinate 3 2077 . 30 140 . 4 8 . 59 3 . 74 0 04th extracttoluene 259 . 50raffinate 4 2049 . 40 138 . 6 8 . 26 2 . 17 0 05th extracttoluene 259 . 20raffinate 5 2024 . 20 137 . 51 8 . 21 1 . 47 0 0______________________________________ | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
|
referring to fig1 a barrier section 10 includes a base 12 , an intermediate foot section 14 and an upstanding section 16 . the base 12 , intermediate foot section 14 and the upstanding section 16 are preferably integrally formed and are referenced as separate sections only for ease of description . the barrier section 10 further includes a projection 18 at an end 20 and a corresponding recess 22 at the opposite end 24 , a duct 26 and a plurality of drainage scuppers 28 . referring to fig2 the duct 26 preferably has a bottom surface 30 that is preferably parallel to the longitudinal axis of the base 12 so that the base 12 and the bottom 30 of the duct 26 make the same angle with the horizontal . the duct 26 is shown to be comprised of a pair of sections 32 and 34 that are mirror images of one another . the upper sections 32 and 34 have upper edges 36 and 38 that taper toward the bottom 30 of the duct 26 so that the duct 26 is narrower at central portion 40 where the sections 32 and 34 meet than at the ends 20 and 24 . the section 32 has an opening 42 at the end 20 of the barrier 10 . the opening 42 has a greater cross sectional area than the end of the section 32 at the central portion 40 of the duct 26 . similarly , the portion 34 has an opening 44 at the end 24 . the openings 42 and 44 have substantially the same dimensions with the primary difference between the openings 42 and 44 being a projection 46 extending from the end 20 around the opening 20 and a recess 48 extending into the end 24 . the projection 46 fits into a recess similar to the recess 48 when the barrier section 10 is connected to an end similar to the end 24 of another barrier ( not shown ). referring to fig1 and 4 , the openings 42 , 44 may include a male key 52 and a female key 54 , respectively . the male key 52 and female key 54 may be of any suitable configuration to interconnect a pair of barriers such as the barrier 10 end - to - end . as shown in fig1 the male key 52 and the female key 54 have octagonal cross sections with the male key 52 having sides slightly smaller than those of the female key 54 . the dimensions of the sides of the male key 52 and the female key 54 are such that the male key 52 easily penetrates into the female key as shown in fig4 . an end 56 of the male key 52 abuts an end 58 of a second barrier section 60 when the barrier sections 10 and 60 are properly connected to form a joint 57 . the male key 52 has a pair of surfaces 62 and 64 that are parallel with and slightly spaced apart from a pair of corresponding surfaces 66 and 68 on the female key 54 when the surfaces 56 and 58 abut one another . a suitable sealant ( not shown ) may be placed between the surfaces 62 , 64 and the surfaces 66 , 68 to prevent moisture from flowing into or out of the joint 57 between barrier sections 10 and 60 . fig1 and 3 illustrate details of the drainage scupper 28 . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the drainage scupper 28 includes a generally rectangular opening 70 that leads into a duct 72 , as best shown in fig3 . the duct 72 intersects the duct 26 so that watermay flow through the opening 70 and the duct 72 into the duct 26 . although the barrier 10 is shown to have two drainage scuppers 28 , any desired number of similar drainage scuppers could be included . the preferred method of forming the barrier section 10 is to mount a pair of tapered mold plugs 76 and 78 in a conventional concrete form . the mold plugs 76 and 78 may be frusto - conical as shown in fig5 but may have trapezoidal cross sections having lower edges which form the desired flat bottom portion in the duct 26 . the preferred embodiment thus provides a method for forming barrier sections that may be placed end - to - end to include a straight , horizontal duct with no low spots in water which could collect and stagnate . if the mold plugs 76 and 78 are frusto - conical , then they must have surfaces 80 and 82 , respectively formed on the smaller ends thereof which butt together to form a continuous mold . the taper of the mold plugs is ordinarily only about 203 inches of diameter for 10 feet of length . therefore , the duct 26 has only a small deviation from the cylindrical ducts ( not shown ) included in previous barriers . in order to form smooth inner surfaces in the duct 26 , the ends 80 and 82 must be formed to match closely with one another . as best shown in fig6 the end 80 of the mold plug 76 is generally planar , making a small acute angle with respect to the vertical . the mold plugs 76 and 78 each have a second end 84 and 86 , respectively , which may be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof . the end 82 of the mold plug 78 , therefore , must be formed to abut the end 80 of the mold plug 76 so that there are no gaps therebetween . the mold plugs 76 and 78 , being tapered , are easy to pull out of the concrete barrier section 10 . appreciable resistance is encountered only during initial movement of the mold plugs , unlike cylindrical mold plugs , which experience substantial frictional resistance to their withdrawal along the entire length thereof . | 4Fixed Constructions
|
fig4 shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention . it is a ffl system having a half - bridge driver circuit . in which , the burst mode dimming circuit includes the switches m 3 and m 4 . the ffl system further includes a dc power source vdc , switches m 1 and m 2 , a transformer t , a ffl and capacitors c 1 and c 2 . fig5 shows the startup operation of the burst mode dimming circuit according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention . while starting , switches m 1 and m 4 are turned on , and the voltage across vdc is directed applied to the primary winding of the transformer t . at this moment , the voltage applies to the ffl is twice that of the normal operating voltage . thus , the ffl could reach the totally lit up status within the time period of the first pulse , and then the switch m 4 is turned off , the switch m 3 is turned on , and the driver circuit becomes a conventional half - bridge driver circuit . fig6 and 7 show that after the ffl is totally lit up , the operations enter the first and the second statuses of the normal half - bridge driving respectively . fig8 shows the last operation when the turn - on time of the burst mode is ended , the switch m 3 is turned off firstly , and the switch m 4 is turned on then . switches m 2 and m 4 , and the transformer t form a closed loop , and the energy stored in the ffl are mostly released . the remaining electrical charges form the remaining wall voltage in the ffl . the remain wall voltage does not appear as a voltage to the external , thus it will not form a stress to the transformer , and it will help a lot to the next light - up of the ffl . fig9 displays the changing statuses of the first driving voltage ( ua ) of the ffl within the turn - on time of a dimming period . the first half cycle is the high voltage pulse driving , and it enters the normal half - bridge operating status since the second half - cycle . at the end of the on time , the ffl generates a self - discharging as shown in fig8 , which releases part of the energy stored in the ffl , and avoids the occurrence of the voltage oscillation . fig1 and 11 show the effects of the high voltage startup . viewing from which , notice that the first high voltage pulse causes the ffl enters the totally lit up status , accomplishes the target of quick startup , and there still remain wall voltage ( vcs ) existed after the on time is ended , which results in certain help to the next startup . fig1 mainly displays a flux density curve of the transformer during a dimming period . viewing from which , turning on switch m 4 at the end of the on time causes the flux density curve of the transformer goes back to zero , which avoids the generation of the interference , and ensures the magnetic balance of the transformer . considering from these aspects , the ffl system as shown in fig4 has a relatively strong controllability . fig1 displays a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is another ffl system having a half - bridge driver circuit . the burst mode dimming circuit also includes switches m 3 and m 4 . while repeated starting in the burst mode , switches m 2 and m 4 are turned on firstly , and the transformer t is employed to generate a voltage higher than twice that of the driving voltage . after a period of time , switches m 2 and m 4 are turned off , switch m 3 is turned on , and then switches m 1 and m 2 are turned on and turned off alternately to drive the ffl to work normally . as shown in fig1 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is a ffl system having a combination of a full - bridge and a half - bridge driver circuits . while starting in the burst mode , switches m 1 , m 2 , m 4 and m 5 are working under the full - bridge working mode , the transformer t is employed to generate a voltage higher than twice that of the driving voltage continuously , switches m 4 and m 5 are turned off after the ffl is breaking through , switch m 3 is turned on , and then switches m 1 and m 2 are turned on and turned off alternately to drive the ffl to work normally . as shown in fig1 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is a ffl system having a push - pull driver circuit with a diode d 1 . while starting in the burst mode , switch ml is turned on firstly , a high voltage is generated employing the turns ratio of the central tap winding and the secondary winding of the transformer t , switch m 1 is turned off then , and after that switches m 2 and m 3 are employed to be turned on and turned off alternately to drive the ffl to work normally . as shown in fig1 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is a ffl system having a push - pull driver circuit with diodes d 1 and d 2 . while starting in the burst mode , switches m 1 and m 3 are turned on and turned off alternately firstly , a high voltage is continuously generated using the turns ratio of the central tap winding and the secondary winding of the transformer t , switches m 1 and m 3 are turned off after the ffl is breaking through , and then changing to that switches m 2 and m 4 are turned on and turned off alternately to drive the ffl to work normally . as shown in fig1 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is a ffl system having a push - pull driver circuit . the operational principles of the ffl system as shown in fig1 and the ffl system as shown in fig1 are similar , and the difference is that the diode d 1 in fig1 is replaced by a switch m 4 in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the seventh preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is a ffl system having a push - pull driver circuit . the operational principles of the ffl system as shown in fig1 and the ffl system as shown in fig1 are similar , and the difference between these two is that the diodes d 1 and d 2 in fig1 are replaced by two switches m 5 and m 6 in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the eighth preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is a ffl system having a full - bridge driver circuit . while starting in the burst mode , switches m 1 , m 3 , m 4 and m 5 are turned off firstly , switches m 2 and m 6 are turned on such that a capacitor c 1 is charged via a diode d , a resistor r 1 and the switch m 2 . the driver circuit further includes the dc power source vdc , a capacitor c 2 , the ffl and the transformer t . switches m 2 and m 6 are turned off when the charging of c 1 is ended , and switches m 1 , m 4 and m 6 are turned on such that the voltage across the vdc and the voltage across c 1 commonly apply to the primary winding of the transformer t to generate a high voltage . after that , switches m 1 , m 4 and m 6 are turned off , switches m 2 , m 3 and m 5 are turned on , and then it goes into the normal operational status . as shown in fig2 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the ninth preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is a ffl system having a full - bridge driver circuit . while in the stage of starting the high voltage of the burst mode , switches m 1 , m 3 and m 6 are turned on such that a high voltage is generated employing the turns ratio of the central tap winding and the secondary winding of a transformer t , switches m 1 , m 3 and m 6 are turned off after that , switches m 2 , m 4 and m 5 are turned on , and then it goes into the normal operational status . the driver circuit further includes the dc power source vdc , the diode d , the capacitor c 2 and the ffl . as shown in fig2 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the tenth preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is a ffl system having a full - bridge driver circuit . there is a central tap of the primary winding of the transformer t , and the switch m 3 ( a mosfet ) is electrically connected to a ground . while starting in the burst mode , switches m 1 and m 3 are turned on , and switches m 2 , m 4 , m 5 and m 6 are turned off . a high voltage is generated employing the turns ratio of the central tap winding and the secondary winding of the transformer t , switches m 1 and m 3 are turned off after that , and the switch m 4 is turned on . and then two groups of switches formed by m 1 and m 6 , and m 2 and m 5 are turned on and turned off alternately to drive the ffl to work normally . the driver circuit further includes the dc power source vdc , a capacitor c 2 and the ffl . as shown in fig2 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the eleventh preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is also a ffl system having a full - bridge driver circuit . there is a central tap of the primary winding of the transformer t , and the mosfet m 3 is electrically connected to the dc power source vdc . while starting in the burst mode , switches m 2 and m 3 are turned on , and switches m 1 , m 4 , m 5 and m 6 are turned off . a high voltage is generated employing the turns ratio of the central tap winding and the secondary winding of the transformer t , switches m 2 and m 3 are turned off after that , and the switch m 4 is turned on . and then two groups of switches formed by m 1 and m 6 , and m 2 and m 5 are turned on and turned off alternately to drive the ffl to work normally . the driver circuit further includes the capacitor c 2 and the ffl . as shown in fig2 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the twelfth preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is a ffl system having a half - bridge driver circuit . while starting in the burst mode , the switch m 2 is turned on , and a capacitor c 3 is charged by a middle point potential of capacitors c 1 and c 2 via the diode d and the switch m 2 . and then switches m 1 and m 4 are turned on , switches m 2 and m 3 are turned off , the dc input voltage across vdc and the voltage across c 3 commonly apply to the primary winding of the transformer t , and a high voltage for quick startup is finally generated . switches m 1 and m 4 are turned off and switches m 2 and m 3 are turned on after that , and then switches m 1 and m 2 are turned on and turned off alternately to enter a normal half - bridge operating status . the driver circuit further includes the ffl . as shown in fig2 , it shows a schematic circuit diagram of a ffl system having a burst mode dimming circuit according to the thirteenth preferred embodiment of the present invention , and it is also a ffl system having a half - bridge driver circuit . while starting in the burst mode , the switch m 2 is turned on , and the capacitor c 3 is charged by the voltage across the dc power source vdc via the resistor r 1 , the diode d and the switch m 2 . switches m 1 and m 4 are turned on and switches m 2 and m 3 are turned off such that the dc input voltage across vdc and the voltage across the capacitor c 3 commonly apply to the primary winding of the transformer t so as to generate a high voltage for a quick startup . switches m 1 and m 4 are turned off and switches m 2 and m 3 are turned on right after that , and then switches m 1 and m 2 are turned on and turned off alternately to enter the normal half - bridge operating status . the driver circuit further includes capacitors c 1 , c 2 and c 4 , a resistor r 2 and the . ffl . from the above - mentioned descriptions , the provided dbdl system and the driving method thereof have a relatively better performance , and reduce the startup time . in the present invention , a method of increasing the starting voltage is employed to accomplish the quick startup . the detail method of increasing the startup speed is to increase the driving voltage applied to the dbdl such that the dbdl is quickly breaking through and enters the totally lit up status . and then , restore the external driving voltage of the dbdl in normal status . being verified , this method is quite effective to the quick startup of the dbdl , the effects are more obvious especially during the dimming process , and could dramatically improve the blinking light problem under the relatively lower dimming value of the dbdl . the present invention elaborates a method of employing a pulse or several pulses higher than the normal operating voltage during the startup so as to decrease the blinking light problem in burst mode dimming solution and the correspond circuits to supply high driving pulse voltage during the dbdl startup stage . while the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention should not be limited to the disclosed embodiment . otherwise , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures . therefore , the above description and illustration should not limit the scope of the present invention which is defined by the appended claims . | 7Electricity
|
fig4 a is a plan view showing an embodiment of the solid state image sensor according to the invention , and fig4 b is a cross section cut along a line x - x &# 39 ; in fig4 a . in the drawing , a reference numeral 21 denotes an n + silicon substrate forming a drain of sit , 22 an n - epitaxial layer constituting a channel region , 23 a source of the sit , 24 a p + gate region of the sit and a reference numeral 25 denotes an isolation region for isolating the sit from adjacent sits . on a surface of the epitaxial layer 22 is provided an insulating film 26 made of sio 2 or psg ( phospho silicate glass ). a gate electrode 27 is connected to the gate region 24 through a contact hole 28 formed in the insulating film 26 . there is further provided a source electrode 29 connected to the source region 23 . it should be noted that the source electrode 29 is commonly connected to the source regions of sits aligned in a column . in the present embodiment , there is further provided on the gate electrode 27 a photoconductive layer 30 made of amorphous silicon and compound semiconductor such as znse . a transparent electrode 31 is further provided on the photoconductive layer 30 . as shown in fig4 a , the transparent electrode 31 is divided into strips which extend in a direction perpendicular to the source electrode 29 , i . e . in a row direction . in the solid state image sensor , the gate electrode 27 , transparent electrodes 31 and photoconductive layer 30 interposed therebetween form a capacitor . further the transparent electrodes 31 consititute row lines similar to the row lines 11 - 1 , 11 - 2 . . . shown in fig1 b and the source electrodes 29 form the column lines 12 - 1 , 12 - 2 . . . therefore , the solid state image sensor of the present embodiment may be formed substantially in a similar manner to that explained above with reference to fig1 b and the pixels can be readout by the xy address method . now the operation of the solid state image sensor of the present embodiment will be explained also with reference to the circuit diagram illustrated in fig1 a and the waveforms shown in fig2 a to 2f . when the vertical scanning signal φg1 is changed to the high reset voltage v . sub . φr , the voltage v . sub . φr is applied to the column line 11 - 1 , and thus p - n junctions between gates and drains of sits 10 - 11 , 10 - 12 . . . 10 - 1n connected to the column line 11 - 1 are forwardly biased . therefore , the capacitor formed by the gate electrode 27 , photoconductive film 30 and transparent electrode 31 is charged up to the voltage ( v . sub . φr - φb ), wherein φb is a forward voltage of the pn - junction . thereafter , when the vertical scanning signal φg1 is changed to 0 v , the voltage ( v . sub . φr - φb ) is stored in the capacitor and the gate voltage v g of each of sits 10 - 11 , 10 - 12 . . . 10 - 1n becomes equal to -( v . sub . φr - φb ). under the above condition , when light is made incident upon a sit , the resistance of the photoconductive film 30 is decreased , so that the charge stored in the capacitor is discharged to increase the gate voltage v g . the increment of the gate voltage is substantially proportional to an amount of the incident light . after a readout period has elapsed , when the vertical scanning signal φg1 is changed to v . sub . φg , the voltage v . sub . φg is applied to the row line 11 - 1 . then , the gate voltages of the sits 10 - 11 , 10 - 12 . . . 10 - 1n are further increased by v . sub . φg . therefore , the sits 10 - 11 , 10 - 12 . . . 10 - 1n are successively read out by making the column transistors 13 - 1 , 13 - 2 . . . 13 - n successively conductive by means of the column selection signals . in this manner , a video signal of one line is derived . then , the vertical scanning signal φg1 is changed into v . sub . φr , the gates of sits 10 - 11 , 10 - 12 . . . 10 - 1n are simultaneously reset and the gate potential becomes equal to -( v . sub . φr - φb ). in the manner expalined above , sits of successive rows are to obtain a video signal of one frame . as explained above , in the present embodiment of the solid state image sensor according to the invention , since the photoelectric conversion is carried out in the photoconductive film arranged on the gate electrode , there can be obtained high sensitivity over the whole visible light spectrum wavelength range . moreover , an aperture ratio of the light receiving portion can be made high , and thus high density and high integration can be attained . fig5 a is a plan view showing another embodiment of the solid state image sensor according to the invention , and fig5 b is a cross section cut along a line x - x &# 39 ; in fig5 a . also in the present embodiment , on a silicon substrate 21 forming a drain region of sit is provided an n - expitaxial layer 22 forming a channel region and in the epitaxial layer is formed a source region 23 and a gate region 24 of the sit . the sit is separated by an isolating region 25 having a recess formed in the epitaxial layer , and in the recess an extended gate electrode 27 , an insulating film 32 and a capacitor electrode 33 are deposited successively . this construction may be manufactured by the following steps . ( 1 ) a u - shaped recess is formed in the epitaxial layer 22 by means of a reactive ion etching ( rie ). ( 2 ) walls of the u - shaped recess in the epitaxial layer is changed into a sio 2 film 25 by means of a thermal oxidation . ( 3 ) a polysilicon film serving as the gate electrode 27 is formed by the cvd method . ( 4 ) the insulating film 32 made of sio 2 is formed by thermally oxidizing the polysilicon film 27 . ( 5 ) the photoconductive film 30 is applied on the gate electrode 27 and then the capacitor electrode 33 is formed in the photoconductive film 30 . in fig5 a and 5b , a reference numeral 29 denotes a source electrode and a reference numeral 31 represents a transparent electrode formed in contact with the capacitor electrodes 33 . the source electrodes 29 and transparent electrodes 31 are arranged perpendicular to each other to form column lines and row lines , respectively . in the present embodiment , the gate electrode 27 , insulating film 32 and electrode 33 construct a capacitor which is connected across the gate region 24 and transparent electrode 31 in parallel with a capacitor formed by the gate electrode 27 , photoconductive film 30 and transparent electrode 31 . therefore , the total capacitance becomes substantially larger than the capacitor of the embodiment illustrated in fig4 a and 4b . usually , the photoconductive film 30 has a thickness of several micrometers in order to obtain a sufficiently high sensitivity . therefore , in the first embodiment of fig4 a and 4b , the capacitance of the capacitor might be smaller than that which is necessary for storing sufficiently large signal charges . contrary to this , in the present embodiment , the total capacitance can be increased materially . further , since the capacitor is formed substantially vertically in the isolating region , it is possible to obtain the large capacitance while an area forming the capacitor is small . the operation of the solid state image sensor of the present embodiment is entirely same as the previous embodiment . fig6 a is a plan view showing still another embodiment of the solid state image sensor according to the invention , and fig6 b is a cross sectional view cut along a line x - x &# 39 ; in fig6 a . also in the present embodiment , on a silicon substrate 21 forming the drain of sit is formed an epitaxial layer 22 constituting a channel region in which are formed a source region 23 and a gate region 24 . on a part of the gate region 24 are successively deposited a thin insulating film 34 made of sio 2 and a capacitor electrode 35 to form a capacitor . the capacitor electrodes 35 of sits arranged in a row are interconnected with each other . to the gate region 24 is further connected a gate electrode 27 through a contact hole 28 formed in a relatively thick insulating film 26 . the electrode 27 is extended over the capacitor electrode via an insulating film 36 made of phospho silicate glass , and a photoconductive layer 30 and a transparent electrode 31 are successively applied on the gate electrode 27 . in the present embodiment , the photoconductive layer 30 and transparent electrode 31 are not patterned , but are formed uniformly . the capacitor electrode 35 and source electrode 29 are extended perpendicular to each other to form the row line and column line , respectively . fig7 is a circuit diagram showing a whole construction of the solid state image sensor according to the invention . the capacitor electrodes 35 constitute row lines 51 - 1 , 51 - 2 . . . 51 - m and source electrodes 29 form column lines 52 - 1 , 52 - 2 . . . 52 - n . to gate regions 24 of sits 50 - 11 , 50 - 12 . . . 50 - mn forming pixels are connected capacitors 40 - 11 , 40 - 12 . . . 40 - mn , respectively formed by the photoconductive layer 30 and transparent electrode 31 . the uniformly deposited transparent electrode 31 which constitutes outer electrodes of the capacitors 40 - 11 , 40 - 12 . . . 40 - mn is connected to a target voltage source v t . now the operation of the solid state image sensor of the present embodiment will be explained also with reference to the signal waveforms illustrated in fig2 a to 2f . when the vertical scanning signal φg1 is increased to the reset voltage v . sub . φr , this voltage v . sub . φr is applied to the row line 51 - 1 and the pn junctions of sits 50 - 11 , 50 - 12 . . . 50 - 1n connected to the row line 51 - 1 are forwardly biased and then the capacitors 50 - 11 , 50 - 12 . . . 50 - 1n formed by the gate region 24 dielectric film 34 and capacitor electrode 35 are charged up to ( v . sub . φr - φb ). after that , when light is made incident upon a pixel and the resistance of the photoconductive film 30 is decreased , an electric current flows into the gate region 24 of sit of the respective pixel from the target voltage source v t through the transparent electrode 31 and the photoconductive film 30 and the gate potential of the relevant sit is increased . the increased gate potential is substantially proportional to an amount of light impinging upon the sit . after the readout period , when the vertical scanning signal φg1 is changed to the voltage v . sub . φg , the voltage v . sub . φg is applied to the row line 51 - 1 and thus the gate potentials of sits 50 - 11 , 50 - 12 . . . 50 - 1n connected to the respective row line 51 - 1 are increased by v . sub . φg . therefore , when the column selection transistors 53 - 1 , 53 - 2 . . . 53 - n are made successively conductive by means of the column selection signals φs1 , φs2 . . . φsn , the signals are readout on a video line 54 from the sits 50 - 11 , 50 - 12 . . . 50 - 1n . in this manner , all the sits are successively read out to derive the video signal of one frame . in the embodiment just explained above , since the patterning for the photoconductive film and transparent electrode is not required , but they can be formed unfiromly , the manufacturing process becomes simpler . as explained above in detail , according to the invention , since the photoconductive film serving as the light receiving region is provided on the gate region of the sit constituting the pixel and is connected thereto , even if the dimension of the pixel is made small , it is possible to attain high light receiving efficiency and high sensitivity over the whole spectrum of visible light . this results in the solid state color image sensor having the high density and sensitivity . moreover , in the solid state image sensor according to the invention , the crosstalk between adjacent pixels can be completely avoided and therefore high definition can be obtained and color mixing can be effectively removed . | 7Electricity
|
the present invention relates to a solid - state filter realized on a monolithic integrated circuit ( ic ). the ic is capable of physically realizing a broad class of filters over a wide frequency range . the filter class includes low pass , high pass , band pass , and band reject . the frequency range is either : audio , sub - audio , radio , video or hf , as well as uhf . an object of the invention is to physically realize filters without the need of inductors or capacitors , and instead , utilizes operational amplifiers ( op - amps ) and resistors ; hence the name op - r . starting with the inductance element , fig1 shows the equivalence of an op - amp 1 ( a 1 ) and an associated feedback resistor 2 ( r 2 ) to a lossy inductor composed of inductor 3 ( l 3 ) and its associated parallel resistor 4 ( r 4 ). both equivalent circuits are driven by the same voltage source 5 ( v 5 ). each circuit draws current 6 ( 16 ) and has a responding voltage 7 ( v 7 ). the equivalence of the two circuits is given in terms of the input impedance , seen by voltage source v 5 , and described in fig1 . in the equivalence , the op - amp gain - bandwidth ω t emerges as the main control of the filter inductor l 3 , which from fig1 is defined by : next the capacitance element equivalence is shown in fig2 . here op - amp 8 ( a 8 ) and resistor 9 ( r 9 ) are equivalent to the capacitance 11 ( c 11 ) and its associated series resistor 10 ( r 10 ). again , both circuits are driven by voltage source voltage source 12 ( v 12 ) and respond with current 13 ( 113 ) resulting in voltage 14 ( v 14 ). again the op - amp gain - bandwidth ω t controls the capacitor c 11 in fig2 defined by : with both inductance and capacitor parameters established , fundamental first order low pass and high pass filters can be realized . fig3 shows high pass filter equivalence between op - r ( left ) and the passive high pass prototype ( right ). in the op - r high pass filter of fig3 voltage source 15 ( v 15 ) drives op - amp 16 ( a 16 ) through resistor 17 ( r 17 ). feedback resistor 18 ( r 18 ) realizes the equivalent inductor and the output is taken at node point 20 . the equivalent inductor shown in the passive high pass prototype is given as : for the values cited in fig3 the cut - off frequency is given by : f c = r 17 2 π l 19 = r 17 f t r 18 = ( 1 k ) ( 1 mhz ) 1 m = 1 khz [ equation ( 4 ) ] where the nominal value of the op - amp a 16 &# 39 ; s gain - bandwidth is taken as 1 mhz . this value is for the lm741 op - amp shown selected for the audio range . fig4 shows the equivalence between the op - r and passive low pass prototype filter . here voltage source 26 ( v 26 ) drives op - amp 25 ( a 25 ) through resistor 22 ( r 22 ). resistor 23 ( r 23 ) realizes the equivalent capacitor 21 ( c 21 ) defined as : the output is taken at node point 24 . for the values cited , the cut - off frequency is given by : f c = 1 2 π r 22 c 21 = r 23 f t r 22 = ( 1 k ) ( 1 mhz ) 100 k = 10 khz [ equation ( 6 ) ] where again the nominal gain - bandwidth of a 25 is taken for the lm741 op - amp as 1 mhz . next we turn our attention to the band pass filter . fig5 shows the op - r and passive band pass prototype filter equivalence . this circuit combines the op - r &# 39 ; s inductor and capacitor in parallel . both contain lossy resistance elements as previously demonstrated in fig1 and fig2 . their parallel combination in series with a resistor 26 ( r 26 ) forms a 0 . 8 mhz band pass at 1 . 6 mhz center frequency . in this case the band pass is in the video range as contrasted to the previous low and high pass filters in the audio range . the reason for the higher frequency performance is the choice of op - amps 29 and 30 ( a 29 and a 30 ), namely the opa627 . the opa627 &# 39 ; s gain - bandwidth is 16 mhz as compared to 1 mhz for the lm741 in the previous case . as the equivalent inductor / capacitor elements show a higher ω t indicates lower equivalent inductor and capacitor values , thereby yielding a higher cut - off frequency filter . the design equations follow from the passive prototype filter as : f o = 1 2 π l 29 c 30 = f t r 28 r 27 [ equation ( 7 ) ] bw = f o q = f o l 29 / c 30 r eq = f t r 28 r 27 r 27 r 28 r eq = f t r 28 r eq [ equation ( 8 ) ] r eq = r 33 ( 1 + q c 2 // r 27 // r 26 ; [ equation ( 9 ) ] q c = x c r = 1 2 π f o c 30 r 28 = f t f o [ equation ( 10 ) ] where equations ( 7 ), ( 8 ), ( 9 ), and ( 10 ) represent the center frequency , circuit 3 db bandwidth , equivalent parallel resistance , and quality factor , respectively . r 26 = 14 kω r 27 = 40 kω r 28 = 400ω f t = 16 mhz ( opa627 ) equations ( 7 ), ( 8 ), ( 9 ), and ( 10 ) are computed to be : in order to realize a broader class of filters , one being band reject , it will be necessary to employ floating impedances . fig6 shows an example of a passive band reject prototype filter and its lossy counterpart . the lossy counterpart anticipates the resistances naturally occurring in op - r equivalent circuits . in both circuits the inductor l 34 is a floating impedance element . the lossy band reject circuit is then realized by a floating impedance inverter ( fii ), which in turn is realized with a floating op - r circuit block . the technique to be employed in realizing floating impedance is to use otas ( operational transconductance amplifiers ). fig7 shows an fii circuit model in a quad ota configuration that realizes a scaled floating admittance y = g 2 z , where z is grounded impedance 45 . elements 41 , 42 , 43 and 44 represent a plurality of otas where g is the transconductance of any ota , all assumed to equal in value . a single ota block 48 is defined as ideal transconductance controlled source 49 , shown at the right of the fii circuit block in fig7 . the ota is chosen over a mosfet to realize a single transconductance source because it requires less circuitry to bias . the fii output is taken at node 46 . * ieee trans . on circuits & amp ; systems , theory & amp ; applications , vol . 43 , no . 6 , june 1996 . fig8 shows an equivalent passive equivalent circuit model of fig7 . for convenience , where the ota transconductances are assumed to be equal , i . e ., g 1 = g 2 = g 3 = g 4 = g . for example , the fii of fig8 then transforms the series r 53 - c 54 grounded impedance in the left part of fig9 into a floating lossy inductor in the equivalent circuit at the right part of fig9 . this can be termed an fii conversion or transform . the ideal transformer 50 in fig8 vanishes under the assumption that g 1 = g 4 = g . furthermore , the series impedance 51 simplifies to ( zg 2 ) − 1 under the assumption that g 3 = g 4 = g . next the op - r realization for the series r 53 - c 54 results in the complete ic circuit of fig1 . we are now in a position to realize the lossy floating inductor l 34 in the band reject filter of fig6 employing the same fii technique . in addition , the grounded lossy capacitor comprised of c 35 and r 37 of fig6 are realized as previously derived in fig2 . combining designs for both floating and grounded elements results in the complete ic of fig1 . simulations run for all of the filter types demonstrated complete and accurate agreement with theory , thereby establishing the op - r technique as a viable and useful technique in filter design . filter design would be incomplete without an adjustment procedure often referred to as tunability . tunability is required because of component tolerances , also known as production spread , and temperature variations . the main parameter in op - r design that affects tunability is the op - amp &# 39 ; s gain - bandwidth parameter , f t . it is well known that for an op - amp that the gain - bandwidth is linearly related to transconductance g m and junction capacitance c j by : where i c is the collector current of an intermediate miller stage , φ t is the so - called thermal voltage , k is boltzman &# 39 ; s constant , q is the charge on an electron , and t is absolute temperature in degrees kelvin . it is easy to see that adjustment of the collector current will afford control of f t , if necessary . this is performed with a current mirror cm . the operation of a current mirror is as follows **: ** a short discussion of the operational transconductance amplifier ( ota ), eugene m . zumchak , url : http :// www . emusic - diy . org / references / ota , february 1999 . fig1 shows a simple current mirror , and an alternate form with a diode . an external resistor r e is connected between the positive rail , say + 12 volts , and the collector of q a . since the collector of q a is connected to its base there is just a diode drop from collector to emitter . let us assume that this diode drop is 0 . 6 volts . thus , if v − is at ground potential the voltage across resistor r e is 11 . 4 volts . otherwise , if it is at the negative rail , say − 12 volts , then the voltage across resistor r e is 23 . 4 volts . in either case value of resistor can selected the to fix the current i ′. i ′ is the sum of the base current and the collector current ( beta times the base ) of q a , where the base current is defined by resistor r e . since transistors q a and q b are monolithic and matched , and their base - emitter junctions are in parallel , whatever collector current flows in q a defines the same collector current i in q b . we say that i is a mirror of i ′. also , since transistor q a acts like a diode , it is typically shown as a diode , as in the right side of fig1 . for our case , current i is the current that establishes g m and hence the gain - bandwidth f t . thus , the external resistor r e tunes f t and hence the equivalent op - r &# 39 ; s l and c components . furthermore , since the product of l and c yields a filter &# 39 ; s critical frequency f n or f c , while the ratio of l and c yield stage q , external resistor r e tunes the filter &# 39 ; s critical frequency while not affecting its q factors or frequency response shape . temperature acts to vary f t by the same mechanism that enables tunability , and thus will misadjust the filter &# 39 ; s critical frequencies . since φ t varies directly with temperature t it is necessary to increase collector current i c to keep f t constant , as can be seen by equation ( 11 ). one way of increasing i c with temperature is use the fact that the base - emitter voltage of a transistor , such as q a or a silicon zener diode , has a negative temperature coefficient ( tc ) of − 2 . 2 mvolts /° c . so if we insert a zener diode in series with the external resistor r e the potential difference across r e increases with temperature 4 . 4 mvolts /° c . the current i ′ ( see fig1 ) increases by 0 . 0044 / r e amps /° c . by current mirror action collector current i also increases with temperature thereby tracking the thermal voltage φ t . for example , it is well known that the temperature coefficient ( t . c .) of an op - amp &# 39 ; s f t is − 0 . 0033 /. degree . c . to offset this variation with current tracking assume that a 5 . 6 volt zener in series with external resistor r e is connected between the positive 12 - volt rail and a grounded negative rail yielding a base current of : which is equivalent to collector current i by current mirror action , as shown in fig1 . thus , the fractional change in collector current is : δ i / i =[ 0 . 0044 / r e /° c . ]/ 5 . 8 / r e = 0 . 0008 /° c ., [ equation ( 13 )] which is too small to track the f t variation of − 0 . 0033 /° c . completely . by the same analysis the choice of larger zener breakdown of 10 . 07 volts completely tracks the f t variation . finally , it should be said that since op - r filters enjoy the same minimum sensitivity due to parameter variation as their passive counterpart filters , excellent filter performance should be expected with regard to production spread . even then f t trimming may still be required on a per stage basis for proper alignment . in addition to sensitivity , noise is also a prime consideration in filter design . here careful arrangement of filter section order minimizes output noise . for example , placing the lowest q stage closest to the output optimally reduces output noise . of course , component noise in passive filters is still superior , owing to the absence of active elements present in the active filter class , of which op - r filters belong . | 7Electricity
|
referring now to fig1 there is shown schematically a printing apparatus 3 ( hereinafter referred to as printer 3 ) which is typical of the printers on which the present invention can be usefully employed . the printer 3 comprises a print head 11 , a cylindrical platen 12 and a dye donor film transport device 13 . in operation , successive sheets of recording - media receivers 20 are placed on the platen 12 and transported across the print head 11 by rotation of the platen 12 . an image is formed on the receiver 20 in a responds to various image - forming signals transmitted to the print head from a computer - driven image source ( not shown ). the printer 3 and a method of printing , which is disclosed herein , is disclosed and claimed in the co - pending u . s . patent application which is cited in the cross reference to related patent applications section hereinabove . referring now to fig2 there is shown a perspective view of a receiver transporting apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention . the receiver transporting apparatus 10 is shown as a portion of the printer 3 of fig1 and reference numbers of common element are the same . the receiver transporting apparatus 10 comprises the cylindrical platen 12 , a clamp 14 and a stripper bar 16 . the clamp 14 is secured to the platen 12 along a pivot axis 18 and is adapted to engage and disengage with the receiver 20 when pivoted about the axis 18 . the receiver transporting apparatus 10 , hereinafter referred to as a receiver transport 10 , can be utilized in many types of printers , but it is particularly useful in small thermal printers ( e . g ., printers capable of producing images on five inch by seven inch receivers ). the operation of the inventive receiver transport 10 is therefore described in the context of its operation within a small full - color thermal printer such as the printer 3 schematically illustrated in fig1 . in a typical print cycle , the receiver 20 is moved to a point where a leading edge of the receiver 20 is secured to the platen 12 with the clamp 14 . after the receiver 20 is secured to the platen 12 , the platen is rotated in a clockwise direction one and one half revolutions while a first primary - color image is formed on the receiver 20 . after the first primary - color image has been formed , the rotation of the platen 12 continues and a second primary - color image overlying the first image is formed on the receiver 20 . the second image formation occurs while the platen 12 is rotated one additional revolution . the process is repeated one more time for a third primary - color image . however , while the platen 12 is rotating during the forming of the third image , the clamp 14 is released from the receiver 20 when the leading edge of the receiver 20 becomes aligned with the stripper bar 16 . the leading edge of the receiver 20 is thus ejected from the platen 12 while formation of the third image is still taking place on other portions of the receiver 20 . because the receiver 20 is being progressively ejected from the platen 12 during the formation of the third image , there is no need to drive the platen 12 through an additional revolution of travel prior to ejection of the receiver . thus the overall printing cycle for a three stage printing operation is held to three and one half revolutions of the platen 12 . this is to be compared with four and one half revolutions that are required if the receiver 20 is not released during the formation of the third image . this present inventive technique produces an effective reduction of more than 25 % in print cycle time as compared to prior apparatus in which the receiver is not released during image formation . because image formation occurs while the clamp 14 is being released , it is imperative that the actuation of the clamp 14 be accomplished without disturbing the rotational speed of the paten 12 or the surface speed of the receiver 20 . the details of the actuation of the clamp 14 can be understood by referring to fig3 through 6 . referring now to fig3 and 5 , there are shown cross - sectional views of portions of the receiver transport 10 . some elements which are not shown in fig2 are shown in fig3 and 5 and some of the elements shown in fig2 are not shown in fig3 and 5 . in particular , the additional elements shown in fig3 and 5 comprise an actuating shaft 26 having an outer end 27 and an inner end 28 , a lifting lever 30 ( also denoted operating member ) having a clamp - engaging surface 32 and a pivot axis 34 , a solenoid 38 having a plunger 40 and a pneumatic damper 41 , an operating slot 42 formed in the platen 12 , and platen - support bearings 44 . the platen 12 also supports the clamp 14 , but in fig3 and 5 the clamp 14 is removed for purposes of clarity . fig3 and 5 differ from one another by illustrating the lifting lever 30 in differing positions . the actuating shaft 26 is adapted to move axially within the platen 12 . the actuating shaft 26 , at its inner end 28 , is pressed against the lifting lever 30 . the lifting lever 30 is adapted to pivot on the axis 34 within the slot 42 formed in the platen 14 . the actuating shaft 26 is driven inwardly toward the lifting lever 30 by the solenoid 38 . the plunger 40 of the solenoid 38 contacts the actuating shaft 26 to push the shaft 26 inwardly . at all other times during the operation of the receiver transport 10 , the plunger 40 and the actuating shaft 26 are disengaged . in another embodiment of the present invention ( not shown ), the actuating shaft 26 is moved by a cam driven by a conventional gear - motor drive system . in the context of the present invention , the elements of the apparatus which apply operating force to the actuating shaft 26 are denoted as actuating means . referring now to fig4 and 6 , there are shown end views of the printer transport 10 of fig3 and 5 , respectively , showing an extension spring 46 ( deleted from fig3 and 5 for clarity ), the platen 12 , the clamp 14 , and the lifting lever 30 . the solenoid 38 of fig3 and 5 is removed for purposes of clarity . referring now to fig3 through 6 , there is shown the operation of the clamp 14 . fig3 and 4 show the operation of the lifting lever 30 as it functions to release the clamp 14 . it can be seen , by comparing fig3 and 4 with fig5 and 6 , that axial movement of the actuating shaft 26 is translated into radial movement of the clamp - engaging surface 32 of the lifting lever 30 . when the clamp - engaging surface 32 is at the position shown in fig3 the clamp 14 is in an open position as shown in fig4 . when the clamp - engaging surface 32 is at the position shown in fig5 the clamp 14 is in a closed position as shown in fig6 . the clamp 14 moves to its closed position through force created by the extension springs 46 which pull the clamp inwardly toward the platen 14 . the elements shown in fig3 through 6 for operating the clamp 14 are designed to operate in a way that introduces no discernible variations of rotational speed of the platen 12 . accordingly , no visually discernible ( i . e ., visible to an unaided human eye ) distortions are generated on an image formed on the receiver 20 during the operation of the clamp 14 . there are three design features which contribute to achieving this non - disturbing mode of operation . first , the actuating shaft 26 , at its outer end 27 , is formed with a spherical shape . the spherically shaped end 27 is driven axially by a flat surface formed on the plunger 40 of the solenoid 38 . the contact area between the actuating shaft 26 and the solenoid plunger 40 is thus reduced to a single point . in other words , the contact area has effectively a zero diameter . this configuration results in virtually no torque being transmitted across the interface formed by the actuating shaft 26 and the solenoid plunger 40 . thus the operation of the solenoid 38 occurs without introducing essentially any speed change in the rotating platen 12 . second , the platen - support bearings 44 are combination thrust and radial ball - bearings which are designed to absorb , with very little friction , thrust forces created when the actuating shaft 26 is moved axially by the plunger 40 . because of the use of these low - thrust friction bearings 44 , the platen 12 continues to rotate with essentially no change in torque when the actuating shaft 26 is moved axially by the plunger 40 . third , the plunger 40 , while driven by a conventional fast - acting solenoid , has its velocity controlled by the pneumatic damper 41 incorporated onto the solenoid 38 . the damper 41 assures that the actuating shaft 26 is moved with very low acceleration . thus there are essentially no vibrations transmitted to the receiver 20 when the solenoid 38 operates . the clamp 14 operates in a very smooth and non - disturbing manner as a result of spherical shaping of the actuating shaft end 27 , the use of low - thrust friction bearings 44 , and the use of the pneumatic damper 41 . even in the context of a very compact thermal printer used to make images on five by seven inch receivers , the clamp 14 operates during a print cycle with essentially no discernible change in rotational speed of the platen 12 . thus the clamp 14 can be operated during the formation of an image on the receiver 20 without introducing any distortion which is discernible to an unaided human eye . the clamp 14 , in addition to being operable without any discernible disturbance of the rotational speed of the platen 12 , is also provided with a unique configuration that permits it to operate without disturbing the surface speed of the receiver 20 . the key to ejecting the receiver 20 from platen 12 without disturbance is in permitting the leading edge of the receiver 20 to follow its natural locus . the principles of this unique configuration can be best understood by referring to fig7 , 9 , 9a , 9b and 9c . referring now to fig7 a series of positions of the receiver 20 are illustrated symbolically as the receiver 20 would progressively move away from the platen 12 if allowed to follow an undisturbed course . the path or locus of the leading edge of the receiver 20 is an involute shown by a broken line 48 . referring now to fig8 there is shown a diagram which demonstrates the difficulties encountered in attaining a non - disturbing release of a receiver from a platen when a prior art clamp is used . fig8 shows , symbolically , portions of a prior art receiver transport 51 comprising a holding portion 49 of a prior art clamp 58 which , as is typical of such clamps , is disposed to move radially with respect to a platen 50 . the holding portion 49 is shown in two positions . a closed position is shown by a solid line rectangle and a fully open position is shown with a dashed line rectangle . other portions of the clamp 58 are deleted from fig8 for purposes of clarity , but are shown and discussed later in fig9 a , 9b and 9c . fig8 also shows two dashed locus lines 48 and 54 . the locus line 54 ( clamp locus ) represents a locus of travel of a receiver - engaging edge 52 of the holding portion 49 . the locus line 48 ( receiver locus ) represents the locus of the leading edge of the receiver 20 shown in fig7 . for purposes of clarity , the receiver 20 is not shown in fig8 . because the prior art clamp moves radially with respect to the platen 50 , the clamp locus 54 is a line which is parallel to a radius 53 of the platen 50 . as is typical of the prior art clamps , the clamp locus 54 overlaps with the receiver locus 48 in the space between the platen 50 and the fully open holding portion 49 of the prior art clamp . this means that , even when the prior art clamp 58 is fully open , the leading edge of the receiver 20 is not free to follow the receiver locus 48 . thus the receiver 20 is not fully released by the prior art clamp 58 when the clamp is fully open . referring now to fig9 a , 9b and 9c , there is illustrated in detail a typical form of disturbance that occurs when the receiver 20 is released and ejected from a prior - art receiver transport 51 that uses a prior art clamp transport 51 is shown in more detail in fig9 a , 9b and 9c than in fig8 . fig9 a , 9b and 9c illustrate the platen 50 , the radially operating prior art clamp 58 on which there is a lifting cam 60 , and a stripper bar 62 . the clamp 58 is shown in a fully open position . the lifting cam 60 and stripper bar 62 are used to positively eject the receiver 20 from the platen 50 . fig9 a shows the position of the receiver 20 when the lifting cam 60 begins the ejection of the receiver 20 . it can be seen ( as explained in fig8 ) that the receiver engaging portion 49 of the prior art clamp 58 is in position to restrain outward movement of the leading edge of the receiver 20 even though the lifting cam 60 is operating to eject the receiver from the platen 50 . fig9 b shows the platen 50 in a rotated position in which the stripper bar 62 is engaged with the leading edge of the receiver 20 . in this position the leading edge of the receiver 20 is still constrained by the prior art clamp 58 from moving outwardly of the platen 50 . as a consequence of the constraint , the receiver 20 is buckled backwardly by the stripper bar 62 . fig9 c shows the platen 50 in a position in which the leading edge of the receiver 20 is free of the previously constraining prior art clamp 58 . it can be seen , by comparing fig9 b and 9c , that the receiver 20 is subjected to a rapid distortion during ejection from the platen 50 . this distortion manifests itself in a disruption of the surface speed of the receiver 20 . if an image were being formed on the receiver 20 during the ejection , an undesirable distortion of the image would occur . referring now to fig1 , there is illustrated a partial end view of the receiver transport 10 of fig2 . in particular , there is illustrated , in detail , a configuration of the clamp 14 . in fig1 , the clamp 14 is illustrated in a closed position holding the leading edge of the receiver 20 against the platen 12 . the platen 12 , while generally cylindrical in shape , has a flat surface 64 formed inwardly of its outer circumferential surface . the clamp 14 engages and holds the receiver 20 against the flat surface 64 . additionally , the pivot axis 18 of the clamp 14 is displaced circumferentially from the clamp - engaging surface 32 of the lifting lever 30 . radial movement of the clamp - engaging surface 32 , as shown in fig3 through 6 , results in a rotational movement of the clamp 14 . referring now to fig1 , there is shown an enlarged portion of the receiver transport 10 of fig1 with the clamp 14 in a fully open position . in particular , fig1 illustrates an arcuate path or locus of travel of an extremity 66 of a receiver - engaging surface 65 of the clamp 14 as the clamp rotates about the pivot axis 18 . this clamp locus is designated by a broken line 68 . also shown on fig1 is the natural locus 48 of the leading edge of the receiver 20 ( shown in fig7 ). it can be seen that the two loci intersect before the clamp 14 has reached its fully open position . in other words , the leading edge of the receiver 20 is completely free from the receiver - engaging surface 65 before being ejected from the platen 12 . thus the receiver speed distortions created by the prior art clamp 58 shown in fig9 a , 9b and 9c are eliminated . also shown in fig1 , is a lifting cam 70 formed as a portion of the clamp 14 . the lifting cam 70 ejects the leading edge of the receiver 20 from the platen as the cam 70 rotates with the clamp 14 . in the context of the present invention , the lifting cam 70 is also denoted as an ejecting means . referring now to fig1 , the receiver transport 10 of fig1 is shown with the platen 12 rotated to a point at which the leading edge of the receiver 20 is just beginning to contact the stripper bar 16 . the clamp 14 does not constrain the receiver 20 at this point . referring now to fig1 , the receiver transport 10 of fig1 is shown with the platen 12 rotated further . it can be seen that the leading edge of the receiver 20 glides freely onto the stripper bar 16 as the rotation of the platen 12 continues . the stripper bar 16 thus acts to eject the leading edge of the receiver 20 from the platen 12 . in that context the stripper bar 16 may be denoted as an ejecting means . alternatively the stripper bar 16 and the lifting cam 70 of the clamp 14 may work in combination to eject the leading edge of the receiver 20 from the platen 12 . in this alternative context , the stripper bar 16 and the lifting cam 70 are denoted collectively as an ejecting means . it can be seen that when the inventive receiver transport 10 is used in a printer , no undesirable accelerations of any portions of the receiver 20 occur during the ejection . the receiver 20 may therefore be released during image formation without the generation of undesirable image distortions . it is to be understood that the specific design described as an exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative of the spirit and scope of the invention . modifications can be made in the specific design consistent with the principles of the invention . for example , although the invention has been described in terms of its primary applicability to full - color thermal printing , it has application to laser printing or to any forms of printing where precise control of the surface speed of a receiver and reduced print - cycle times are critical factors of operation . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
referring to fig1 - 3 , a cover 1 having a guide projection 1a is secured to a camera body 3 by screws 2 . a slidable hinge 4 having translation grooves 4a fitted over the guide projection 1a and a riser portion 4b may be guided by the guide projection 1a between the camera body 3 and the cover 1 and is slidable up and down as viewed in fig1 . a biasing member 5 such as a spring is disposed between the cover 1 and the riser portion 4b of the slidable hinge 4 to bias the slidable hinge 4 downwardly as viewed in fig1 namely , in a direction to urge a back lid 6 against the camera body 3 . one end of the hinge type back lid 6 is rotatable about a hinge shaft 70 supported by the slidable hinge 4 . locked pins 6a and 6b are studded in the other end of the hinge type back lid 6 . a locking plate 7 is guided vertically as viewed in fig2 ( in the direction of the height of the camera ) by guide pins 8 studded in the camera body , and is biased upwardly as viewed in fig2 by a biasing member 9 such as a spring . the locking plate 7 is provided with two retaining portions 7a and 7b corresponding to the locked pins 6a and 6b . these retaining portions 7a and 7b are formed with right ramps ( cams ) 7a &# 39 ; and 7b &# 39 ; for pressing the locked pins 6a and 6b rightwardly as viewed in fig2 ( downwardly as viewed in fig1 ), namely , in a direction to urge the back lid 6 against the camera body , when the hinge type back lid 6 is closed and the locking plate 7 is biased upwardly as viewed in fig2 by a biasing member 9 . the elements 7 - 9 together constitute a locking device . an elastic water - proof packing 10 such as an o - ring configured along the peripheral edge of the back lid 6 is disposed between the camera body 3 and the back lid 6 so that it is pressed in thrust direction by these when the hinge type back lid 6 is closed . the strength of the biasing members 5 and 9 is set so that , when the back lid 6 is closed , they press the packing 10 with a predetermined force to provide a suitable crushing tolerance and prevent water leakage even at normal pressure . the framing surfaces 3a , 3b of the camera body 3 and the framing surfaces 6c , 6d of the back lid 6 are engaged with one another when external pressure exceeds a predetermined value , thus preventing permanent deformation of the packing 10 . operation will now be described . when the back lid 6 is rotated to bring it from its open position to its closed position , the locked pins 6a and 6b become engaged with the left ramps ( unnumbered ) of the corresponding retaining portions 7a and 7b . when the back lid 6 is further rotated from this position , the locked pins 6a and 6b depress the retaining lever 7 downwardly along the left ramps of the retaining portions 7a and 7b , as viewed in fig2 against the force of the biasing member 9 . when the locked pins ride over the retaining portions 7a and 7b , they come into recesses ( unnumbered ). since the retaining portions 7a and 7b are provided with the right ramps 7a &# 39 ; and 7b &# 39 ;, the locked pins 6a and 6b are moved rightwardly as viewed in fig2 by the upward sliding movement of the retaining lever 7 corresponding to the restitution of the biasing member 9 toward its original position . thus , the packing 10 sandwiched between the back lid 6 and the camera body 3 is urged in thrust direction . on the other hand , the back lid 6 is subjected to the biasing force of the biasing member 5 through the rotary shaft 7 and the slidable hinge 4 and therefore , when the back lid 6 is closed , the packing 10 is held down between the back lid 6 and the camera body 3 by such biasing force . in this manner , the packing 10 is given a crushing tolerance . of course , the structure of the back lid 6 is such that the pressure force exerted on the packing 10 is substantially uniformly provided to the entire packing . even when water pressure is exerted , the packing 10 is pressed in a direction in which it is further collapsed by the water pressure , thereby preventing water leakage . to open the back lid 6 , the locking plate 7 may be pulled downwardly against the force of the biasing member 9 , as viewed in fig2 . the elements 1 - 5 are not always necessary . it is because , since the back lid 6 and the camera body 3 constitute a hinge mechanism when the back lid 6 is simply supported for rotation relative to the camera body 3 , the intended effect may be obtained even by holding down the packing adjacent to the center of rotation of the back lid between the back lid 6 and the camera body 3 when the back lid 6 is closed and by fixing the position of the rotary shaft of the back lid 6 so as to provide a suitable crushing tolerance . referring to fig4 - 8 , the hinge type back lid 6 is provided with an auxiliary hinge 20 operable during the opening - closing of the back lid . a locked pin 21 having a tapered portion ( cam ) 21a and a strut portion 21b is studded in the auxiliary hinge 20 . projections 22a and 22b are provided on the camera body 3 . a locking plate 23 has guide slots 23a , 23b , bent portions 23c , 23d , a locking groove 23e for receiving therein the locked pin 21 , and operating portions 23f , 23g . a spring 24 is compressedly supported between the projection 22a and the bent portion 23c , and a spring 25 is compressedly supported between the projection 22b and the bent portion 23d . these springs 24 and 25 act to bias the locking plate 23 leftwardly as viewed in the drawing . a screw 26 is threaded into the camera body 3 through a hole 28a in a cover 28 and the slot 23a , and a screw 27 is threaded into the camera body 3 through a hole 28b in the cover 28 and the slot 23b . thus , the locking plate 23 is slidable in the direction of the arrow by being guided by the screws 26 , 27 and the slots 23a , 23b . of course , the locking plate 23 is normally biased leftwardly as viewed in the drawing by the springs 24 and 25 . the cover 28 is provided with a hole 28c formed in opposed relationship with the locking groove 23e and into which the locked pin 21 is forced when the back lid 6 is closed . to close the back lid 6 , the auxiliary hinge 20 may be clockwisely rotated to force the locked pin 21 into the locking groove 23e through the hole 28c . thereupon , the tapered portion 21a of the pin 21 bears against the end of the locking plate 23 which forms the locking groove 23e and by the force - in operation , this tapered portion 21a causes the locking plate 23 to slide rightwardly against the forces of the springs 24 and 25 , as viewed in the drawing . when the tapered portion 21a fully comes into the back side of the locking plate 23 in the vicinity of the end of the force - in operation , the locking plate 23 slides leftwardly until it bears against the strut 21b by the biasing forces of the springs 24 and 25 . when the locking plate 23 bears against the strut 21b , the back lid 6 is subjected to the biasing forces of the springs 24 and 25 through the pin 21 and the auxiliary hinge 20 . these biasing forces are the forces which press the water - proof packing 10 . the slidable hinge 4 , hinge shaft , etc . at one end of the back lid are similar to those shown in fig1 and therefore are not shown . to open the back lid , the operating portions 23f and 23g may be manually pushed rightwardly as viewed in fig4 and in such state , the locking plate 20 may be rotated counter - clockwisely to withdraw the pin 21 from the groove 23e and the hole 28c . | 6Physics
|
the reactor and regenerator structure depicted in fig1 is commonly referred to as the &# 34 ; uop high efficiency &# 34 ; design and is described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 893 , 812 and 3 , 926 , 778 , both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties . however , other types of reactor and regenerator structures may also be used with the present invention . while the present invention will be described with reference to the fcc process , it can also be used in various other fluidized solids circulating systems , including those described in my u . s . pat . no . 4 , 859 , 315 , issued aug . 22 , 1989 , and entitled &# 34 ; liquid - solid separation process and apparatus &# 34 ; and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 263 , 128 , issued apr . 21 , 1981 , and entitled &# 34 ; upgrading petroleum and residual fractions thereof ,&# 34 ; both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties . as shown in fig1 combustion air is introduced into regenerator 15 through line 10 into the bottom portion of regenerator mix chamber 12 where it is mixed with spent catalyst introduced through line 14 , and regenerated catalyst introduced through line 13 . the flow of spent catalyst is regulated by spent catalyst slide valve 14 &# 39 ; on reactor 5 level control and the flow of regenerated catalyst is regulated on flow control to maintain the desired temperature in lower combustor 16 by slide valve 13 &# 39 ;. the resulting mixture is fluidized upwardly with the combustion air through the lower combustor 16 , combustor riser 17 , and into the upper combustion chamber 18 . in regenerator 15 carbonaceous deposits are burned from the spent catalyst to form regenerated catalyst and flue gas . the upper combustor normally contains two stage cyclones to separate the regenerated catalyst from the flue gas exiting the upper combustor 18 through line 18 &# 39 ;. the regenerated catalyst settles into the bottom of the upper combustor 18 where it can flow downwardly through slide valve 13 &# 39 ; as discussed above or through regenerated catalyst slide valve 20 on reactor outlet vapor 11 temperature control into the bottom portion of lift pipe 22 . in the bottom portion of lift pipe 22 , the regenerated catalyst and entrained inerts are mixed with a well dispersed lift media , which is introduced through line 23 to achieve intimate contact . preferably , the lift media is steam , which is generated and superheated in exchangers 24 and 25 . the resulting mixture of regenerated catalyst , entrained inerts and lift media flow upwardly through lift pipe 22 into the first stage of cyclone separators 26 . only one cyclone separator is shown but in the preferred embodiment there would be two stages of cyclone separation . the regenerated catalyst essentially free of inerts is separated in cyclone 26 and flows downwardly through dipleg 27 where it is accelerated downwardly with a dispersion media introduced through line 38 into the mscc contactor 5 &# 39 ; located in the top of reactor 5 wherein the downwardly flowing dispersed regenerated catalyst and hydrocarbon feed introduced horizontally through line 19 are mixed together as described in my u . s . pat . no . 4 , 985 , 136 . the catalyst to oil weight ratio in the mscc reactor 5 &# 39 ; preferably is greater than 10 to 1 , and may be up to 25 to 1 or greater . the reactor vapors exit the reactor through line 11 after separation from the spent catalyst . the spent catalyst flows downwardly through stripper 20 and through spent catalyst slide valve 14 &# 39 ; to complete the circuit . the vapors and a majority of the catalyst fines and entrained inerts that otherwise , in a &# 34 ; conventional &# 34 ; fcc process design , would have exited the reactor cyclones in the reactor vapors now exit cyclones 26 via line 21 and flow into exchanger 24 which acts to desuperheat the vapors from cyclones 26 and superheat the lift media flowing in line 23 . the desuperheated vapors from exchanger 24 enter exchanger 25 where the vapors are condensed into water . the water from exchanger 25 enters exchanger 35 where the water is cooled to about 100 ° f . with cooling water supplied via line 36 . the resultant cooled water together with catalyst fines and inerts enters receiver 28 where the catalyst fines and water are separated from the inerts . the inerts exit the top of receiver 28 on differential pressure control between the reactor 5 and receiver 28 through line 30 to disposal . the water and catalyst fines exit the bottom of receiver 28 through pump 31 which adds additional head to the water so that it can flow first through a catalyst / water separating device 32 , such as hydroclones , and then through flow control 37 and exchanger 25 to become steam and exchanger 24 to be superheated before entering lift pipe 22 through line 23 . the separated catalyst fines are sent to disposal or back to the reactor or regenerator vessels through line 33 . make - up lift media can be added through line 34 . by using steam as the lift media and installing this process to recover the heat in the vapors by superheating the steam to within 50 ° to 100 ° f . of the regenerator catalyst temperature , the coke yield increase required to heat this media to operating conditions will be greatly reduced compared to utilizing a saturated steam as lift media . if it is desired to use water as the lift media instead of steam so that one can eliminate or reduce the need for regenerated catalyst coolers , the only required changes in the above design are to bypass exchangers 25 and 24 with the condensed water from receiver 28 and pump 31 and go on flow control 37 directly to the lift pipe 22 through line 23 after the water - catalyst separator 32 . the cooling media used in exchanger 25 can then be boiler feed water which will produce steam in exchanger 25 and be superheated in exchanger 24 before it is added to the refinery steam system . other cooling medias could be used in exchangers 24 and 25 , but boiler feed water and steam are the preferred media . the use of hydrocarbon lift media will normally require a once through system wherein the lift media is added through line 34 , and line 23 is eliminated . exchangers 24 and 25 may be converted to serve for steam generation as discussed above and pump 31 may or may not be necessary . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention regenerated catalyst flow control valve 20 is used to regulate the flow of regenerated catalyst into lift pipe 22 using a lift media , such as steam , water , sour water from the downstream fractionation system , fuel gas , whose primary composition is ethane and lighter , propane , butane , or other hydrocarbon liquids or gases . in order to minimize the pressure drop across the lift pipe , the lift pipe should be vertical . the quantity of lift media used should be that needed to control the density in the lift pipe at less than 15 , preferably between 2 . 0 and 15 , #/ ft 3 at a velocity of less than 120 , preferably between 12 and 120 , feet per second ( fps ). the catalyst residence time in the lift pipe should be as short as possible , preferably less than 10 seconds , and with less than 4 seconds most preferred . at the top of the lift pipe 22 the catalyst and vapors enter one or two stages of cyclone separators 26 to separate at substantially all , e . g ., at least 99 %, of the circulating catalyst from the lift media vapors . the separated hot regenerated catalyst , which is free of most of the catalyst fines , flows down the cyclone dipleg 27 where the catalyst can either be collected into a regenerated catalyst surge vessel ( not shown ) or flow directly down into the mscc contactor 5 &# 39 ; after having been dispersed and accelerated with dispersion media as discussed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 985 , 136 . the type of lift media employed in the lift riser will be determined by the objective to be accomplished . steam may be used to reduce the quantity of inerts entrained with the regenerated catalyst into the mscc reaction zone . the inerts may be replaced by steam vapors so that the amount of gas entering the reaction system and downstream gas compressor will be reduced and the quality of the fuel gas will be improved by having less inerts and more btu value . in cases where the feed to the mscc unit is residual oil of greater than 2 . 0 w % conradson carbon , water or sour water from the main column overhead receiver may be used to cool the regenerated catalyst and reduce or eliminate the amount of catalyst cooling required in the regenerator . the hot regenerated catalyst may be cooled by vaporizing the water at the base of the lift line . the resulting vapor can act as the lift media . using water as the lift media will also reduce the quantity of inerts entrained with the regenerated catalyst into the reaction section . use of water and steam will also hydrate the catalyst and improve the circulating activity . fuel gas of low molecular weight , mainly c 2 minus , can be used as a lift media to reduce the inerts entrained into the reaction section with the regenerated catalyst . this type of fuel gas would have little or no conversion , so it would not lay down coke on the regenerated catalyst and thereby reduce the circulating catalyst activity . the use of propane , butanes , and other such light hydrocarbon liquids and gases as lift media to produce olefins and petrochemical feedstocks will also reduce the inert carryover into the reaction system . this type of operation will lay down coke on the catalyst in the lift line and therefore reduce the circulating catalyst activity . therefore in most cases , this type of lift media would be used along with steam or water to control the amount of coke deposition or loss in effective circulating catalyst activity . the use of water , since it acts to cool the regenerated catalyst , will increase the catalyst circulation rate and therefore can be used to maintain the effective catalyst activity at the point of feed and catalyst contact . the use of h 2 s or gases containing h 2 s as the lift media can be used to sulfide the metals , such as nickel , vanadium , iron , and sodium , on the circulating catalyst to reduce their activity . on regenerated catalyst with less than 0 . 1 wt % carbon on catalyst , hydrocarbons heavier than ethylene can be used as the lift media to take the edge off the catalyst activity by depositing carbon on the circulating catalyst . the separated hot regenerated catalyst exiting the bottom of the cyclone separator 26 is now of improved quality . it is essentially free of catalyst fines , inerts , and lift media and has been improved by proper selection of the lift media . the vapors and small amount of catalyst fines separated from the regenerated catalyst in the cyclone separator ( s ) exit the cyclone and can be vented off to proper disposal or either compressed and sent back around to the bottom of the lift line to contact new regenerated catalyst or , in the preferred mode , condensed in a series of exchangers to produce a liquid and gas product . in the latter case , the liquid product can be recycled back to the bottom of the lift line as lift media or vaporized by exchange with the cyclone vapors and used as a vapor lift media . the gas product can be vented off on pressure control to recovery . if desired , it is possible to recycle the cyclone vapors by compressing the vapors ( i . e ., boosting the pressure ) and recycling them back to the bottom of the lift line . in this case there would be no increase in the coke yield , and one could use only inerts that are entrained from the regenerator to the bottom of the lift line with the regenerated catalyst as the lift media . in the majority of operations , the selection of the lift media will be between steam / water or low molecular weight fuel gas . for operations where the regenerated catalyst is above 1350 ° f ., a low molecular weight fuel gas is preferred unless one wishes to produce petrochemical feedstocks and olefins . for regenerated catalyst temperatures below 1350 ° f ., steam or water is the preferred lift media , with water preferred down to about 1230 ° f . and steam below 1230 ° f . as an example , in a 25 , 280 bpd mscc unit operating at 35 psi in both the reactor 5 and regenerator 18 , circulating 70 . 9 tons per minute ( t / m ) of regenerated catalyst , the lift riser would be about 4 feet in diameter and require about 160 , 000 pounds per hour of lift steam . this lift steam rate is about 50 w % of the feed rate or about 250 mole % of the reactor vapor . the maximum amount of inerts entrained with the regenerated catalyst into the lift riser is estimated to be about 13 , 000 pounds per hour , or about 4 w % on feed and about 12 mole % on reactor vapors . the stripping of these inerts from the reactor vapors reduces the gas compressor and gas concentration loadings and increases the value of the fuel gas produced . the 70 . 9 t / m of 1250 ° f . regenerated catalyst and 13 , 000 #/ hr of entrained inerts flows through slide valve 20 into lift pipe 22 where it is contacted with 160 , 000 #/ hr of superheated lift steam from line 23 and line 34 . the resultant mixture at about 1240 ° f . and 70 fps is transported up the lift line 22 to cyclone 26 where a catalyst stream comprising 99 %+ of the regenerated catalyst with entrained steam plus a minor portion , e . g ., plus less than 10 %, of the original entrained inerts is separated from a vapor stream which consists of the lift vapors and remaining inerts and catalyst fines . the separated catalyst stream flows downwardly through dipleg 27 where it is dispersed with dispersion media from line 38 . the dispersed catalyst is mixed with hydrocarbon feed from line 19 in mscc contactor 5 &# 39 ; in reactor 5 to produce reactor vapors and spent catalyst stream . after separation , the reactor vapors exit through line 11 and separated spent catalyst flows downwardly into the stripper 20 , spent catalyst slide valve 14 &# 39 ; and into the regenerator mix chamber 12 to be regenerated and returned to the base of the lift riser 22 to complete the circuit . the reactor vapors exiting through line 11 contain less catalyst fines because of the pre - separation in cyclone 26 , and with only a small percentage of the original inerts entrained with the regenerated catalyst the vapors exit reactor 5 to be fractionated into the desired products in the main fractionator and gas concentration unit ( not shown ). cyclone 26 vapors at about 1240 ° f . enter exchanger 24 to be desuperheated by heat exchange with steam . the desuperheated vapors enter exchanger 25 to be condensed by heat exchange with water to produce steam . the condensed water from exchanger 24 enters exchanger 35 to be cooled by cooling water from line 36 to about 100 ° f . the cooled condensate with the catalyst fines and inerts flows into receiver 28 where the water and catalyst are separated from the inerts . the inerts with some water vapor exit receiver 28 on differential pressure control between the reactor 5 and receiver 28 . the condensed water ( condensate ) plus catalyst fines and some inerts that are in solution are pumped by pump 31 into hydroclones 32 to separate the water and 99 %+ of the catalyst fines . the catalyst fines plus entrained water from hydroclones 32 are sent to disposal . the condensate , essentially free of catalyst fines , flows to exchanger 25 through flow control 37 where it is vaporized to steam . the steam flows to exchanger 24 where it is superheated before it is injected into the bottom of lift line 22 through line 23 to complete the circuit . additional lift media can be added through line 34 to make up for the lift media entrained with the catalyst from cyclone 26 , lost with the inerts from receiver 28 and lost with the catalyst fines from hydroclones 32 . line 34 is shown as one line , but it may be as many lines as desired for different lift media as discussed above , so that more than one lift media could be used at a time . if desired , line 34 may enter at any point after the cyclone vapors exit the cyclone 26 and the base of the lift line 22 as indicated in fig1 . having described preferred embodiments of the present invention , it should be understood that modifications and variations thereof falling within the spirit and scope of the invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art , and the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
|
the embodiment of fig2 even if complex , is given to show the process in its most general form and thus to make it easy to understand . in step 1 , a cad output is applied to a non - photographic plotter , such as a graphical plotter gp . with this plotter it is possible to reproduce , on three separate sheets f1 , f2 and f3 , for example , the designs of a pcb component side , soldering side , solder resist , and any other designs that may be needed . sheets f1 , f2 , and f3 are made of moisture and heat proof films , which are preferably flexible , have a thickness of from 5 to 200 microns , and can receive ink . the sheets f1 , f2 and f3 are preferably made of polyethylene - terephthalate , such as sold under the dupont trademark mylar . each sheet f1 - f3 is drawn with ink , e . g ., f1 with the component side design , f2 with the soldering side design and f3 with the solder resist design . these designs may have a graduated scale greater than 1 : 1 in order to reduce errors during printing . printing , performed in step 2 , consists of applying and fixing conducting material ( e . g ., copper powder ) on the designs on shsets f1 , f2 and f3 . thus , printed sheets fs1 , fs2 and fs3 , shown at 3 , have the printed circuit layout and solder resist patterns impressed on them . in step 4 , the printed sheets fs1 - fs3 are firmly applied ( e . g ., with glue ) to the two faces of rigid dielectric materials . in step 5 , a treatment is performed to thicken the sections of the printed designs on sheets fs1 and fs2 with conducting material . such treatment may be done with chemical means ( e . g ., by applying chemical copper ) and / or mechanical means ( e . g ., overmelting or with other known suitable means ). in step 6 , a final quality test is carried out and in step 7 , mechanical processes take place to obtain the desired shape ( blocking - out ) of the finished board in case of surface mounting of pcbs without holes . if the printed circuit boards outgoing from step 5 are provided with metallized holes , they will undergo the conventional treatment of traditional boards , such as drilling , pickling , sensitization , covering , chemical copper catalysis , galvanic copper flash , surface activation , galvanic copper , activation , sn - pb alloy deposit , solder resist printing , solder resist boiling , final testing and mechanical processing . in summary , the printed circuit boards according to the invention consist of a rigid support s , e . g ., a board of synthetic material having a thickness from 0 . 5 to 20 mm ., and two flexible sheets , one of them , fs1 , carrying the circuit design , and the other one , fs2 , the pattern of the soldering side . sheets fs1 - fs3 obtained from non - photographic plotted sheets , f1 , f2 and f3 , are printed according to desired patterns with conducting material , and then are fixed to the support s major faces before thickening of the conductors in step 5 and conventional treatments in steps 6 and 7 . fig3 which is similar to fig1 shows key stages of the process of pcbs being manufactured . fig3 a illustrates a flexible sheet , e . g ., fs1 , which may be of 50 micron mylar . fig3 b illustrates track iii first designed with a graphic plotter and then printed with conducting material on sheet fs1 . fig3 d shows track iii applied to sheet fs1 and thickened with a second layer of copper or other conducting material iii &# 39 ;. fig4 shows an embodiment of the invention , wherein step 1 &# 39 ; shows one of the films , e . g ., film f1 on which the circuit design is graphically plotted in ink . sheet f1 preferably is a china ink master in a graduated scale from 1 : 1 to 4 : 1 . in step 2 &# 39 ;, a simple system for applying conducting material to inked design on film f1 is shown . the plotted upper surface of f1 is illuminated by a light source 21 ( e . g ., a flash ) the rays of which 22 are reflected ( as rays 23 ) to a lens system 24 . the output rays 25 of system 24 are directed towards a drum 26 , which may be selenium . in this way , on the drum a labile image of the ink plotted design is formed . a metallic powder 27 is applied to the plotted design image . the metallic powder is in a colloidal state preferably containing cu , ag , zn and au and being able to attach only on the opposite electrostatic charge regions , i . e ., only on the image . this photostatic application procedure is similar to the application of toner in a photostatic copying machine . in step 3 &# 39 ;, selenium drum 26 prints and fixes the metallic pattern on sheet fs1 . printing and fixing are repeated for sheet fs2 that carries the pattern of the soldering side . in step 4 &# 39 ;, sheets fs1 and fs2 are glued to the two major faces of a rigid support s , which is much thicker than sheets fs1 and fs2 , e . g ., by 0 . 5 to 20 mm . essentially , support s is a substrate obtained by compressing or injecting synthetic material , e . g ., one or more ( co ) polymers of olefines , vinyl compounds , esters , amids , dichloroethylenes , etc . these materials have the advantage of being dielectric and stable and may be treated on the surface to increase adhesion to the printed sheets fs1 - fs3 . however , the rigid support s can also be metallic or partially metallic . in fact , upon increasing the degree of integration , hence the concentration of electronic components , much more heat is produced per surface unit support of s and must be dispersed . therefore , if support s is made of synthetic material , it is coupled to a heat sink of aluminum , for example . the process of the invention in which the circuit and soldering patterns are applied , not directly to the rigid support s , but instead to thin flexible sheets fs1 , fs2 has the further advantage that support s can be designed to efficiently conduct away from circuit components mounted on sheet fs1 or fs2 . after laminating step 4 &# 39 ;, board s is drilled with squared reference holes from cam in step 5 &# 39 ;. the boards outgoing from step 5 &# 39 ; are treated in step 6 &# 39 ; to thicken the pattern of conductors , and upon having been quality tested in step 7 &# 39 ;, are sent for final working in step 8 , which will be exclusively mechanical for surface mounted boards without holes 8 &# 34 ;, or other mechanical , drilling or electrochemical processes if traditional pcbs with metallic holes are involved . fig5 shows the most preferred embodiment of the invention . in this case the first three steps of the process of fig2 i . e ., the use of the cad signal , its application to a graphic plotter , and the preparation of the ink plotted sheets f1 , f2 and f3 are eliminated by directly using a digitized graphic output 10 from a computer ( not shown ) and by applying this digital signal to a photoelectric transfer unit 1 &# 34 ;. unit 1 &# 34 ; transfers the graphic output directly to a photoconductor drum 26 &# 39 ; ( corresponding to drum 26 of fig4 ). drum 26 &# 39 ; receives toner 27 and then provides in step 2 &# 34 ; the sheets fs1 and fs2 . these sheets are then submitted to the same further operations of fig4 i . e ., are fixed to a support s ( step 5 &# 34 ;) to provide a pcb with support s bearing the printed sheets fs1 and fs2 . the thus - formed pcb is treated in step 6 &# 34 ; to thicken the conductive patterns , and is subjected to a final quality test 7 &# 34 ;, and conventional workings 8 &# 34 ; to complete the pcb . directly applying graphic digitized output 10 ( fig5 ) to a drum 26 &# 39 ; eliminates the need for a graphic plotter 1 &# 39 ;, the relevant master f1 and the optical transfer system 21 through 25 of fig4 . fig6 shows a preferred embodiment of the transfer unit 1 &# 34 ; of fig5 . it comprises , as shown in fig6 a cathode ray tube 40 , a synchronizer 41 , and a control unit 1 &# 34 ; for the cathode ray tube and scanning synchronizer . scanning synchronizer 41 delivers signals to command the positioning on the y axis of drum 26 &# 39 ; through line 30 and synchronizer 41 , and of the x axis ( line 31 ) and the z axis ( line 32 ) of the drum . control signals on lines 31 and 32 act on the rays leaving tube 40 . such rays are directed through optical line system 42 to create a labile image on drum 26 &# 39 ;. control unit 1 &# 34 ; also comprises a deflection unit 10 &# 34 ; acting on cathode ray tube 40 through line 33 . as in fig4 and 5 , the drum 26 &# 39 ; undergoes operation 27 ( toner application ) and 2 &# 34 ; ( transfer of the toner tracks from drum 26 to print the sheets fs1 - fs2 ). as is apparent from the foregoing specification , the method and products of the present invention are susceptible of being embodied with various alterations and modifications which fall within the scope of the invention , whereby the specification and drawings are intended as illustrative and not restrictive . | 7Electricity
|
fig1 discloses a system that can be used to put a first embodiment of the invention into practice . in fig1 is shown an internet protocol ip network system in which voice or other time - sensitive data are sent in payload parts of packets from a server to a client or vice versa . some examples of data are real - time image and voice , still image and text . two access networks wcdma / a , wcdma / b of the type wideband code division multiple access mobile communication systems are shown in fig1 . a mobile terminal / subscriber msa is located in the wcdma / a network and communicates via a radio base station rbs . packets from msa are hereby sent from the rbs to a radio network controller rnc in the wcdma / a . the rnc is the main element in a radio network subsystem that controls the use and the reliability of the radio resources . packets arriving from terminal msa are forwarded from the rnc to a gateway gprs support node ggsn / a in packet domain . the ggsn / a supports the edge routing function of the gprs network . ggsn / a performs the task of an ip router to external packet data networks . in this example , as indicated in fig1 , packets are sent from wcdma / a via the ip network to wcdma / b . a mobile terminal / subscriber msb is located within wcdma / b network that is attached to the ip network via a gateway gprs support node ggsn / b . in fig1 a packet stream 1 - 4 can be seen in the ip network . in the example that will be further explained below , information such as data and / or voice from terminal msa is sent as payload packets 1 - 4 from ggsn / a , via the ip network and via the ggsn / b to terminal msb . send time stamps s 1 - s 4 representing send time of day may be generated in the ggsn / a out of packets sent from ggsn / a . send time stamps are then stored in a list in a database dba in the ggsn / a . in the same way receive time stamps r 1 - r 2 representing receive time of day may be generated in the ggsn / b from the packets when received to ggsn / b , in a database dbb in the ggsn / b . a method of measuring network performance according to the invention will know be explained together with fig1 . the method comprises the following steps : a stream of packets 1 - 4 aimed for terminal msb is sent from terminal msa to ggsn / a . each packet comprises a header section and a payload section . while the header section comprises information such as time correction and parity bits , the payload section comprises the actual data information such as e . g . speech . from now on the packets 1 - 4 will be called payload packets 1 - 4 . the payload packets 1 - 4 are transmitted one by one from the sending node ggsn / a via the internet protocol network ip to the receiving node ggsn / b . a send specification that in this example is a send time stamp s 1 - s 4 for each packet 1 - 4 which is generated in the sending node ggsn / a . a send time stamp indicates a packet &# 39 ; s send time of day from the ggsn / a . important to note is that in this embodiment all packets sent from ggsn / a to ggsn / b are send time stamped . the time stamps s 1 - s 4 are stored in the ggsn / a , in a storage , a so called list , in the database dba . the payload packets 1 - 4 are received , one by one , to the receiving node ggsn / b from the sending node ggsn / a . payload packets that are of interest to analyse are selected in the ggsn / b to be receive time stamped . a receive time stamp indicates a packet &# 39 ; s receive time of day to the ggsn / b . the selection is based upon certain pre - defined criteria that will be further discussed below . in this example the payload packets 1 and 2 are selected among the sequence of packets arriving from ggsn / a . a receive specification that in this example comprises a receive time stamp r 1 and r 2 for each selected packet 1 and 2 is generated and stored in the database dbb . according to the invention , the time stamp list comprising stored send time stamps s 1 - s 4 is placed in a payload section of a packet x . the packet x is transmitted from the sending node ggsn / a via the internet protocol network ip to the receiving node ggsn / b . it is to be noted that the type of transmission path for the packet x through the ip network is of minor importance for the invention . also a transmission path outside the ip network could be possible without influencing the general idea behind the invention . in order to find out which send and receive time stamps that correspond i . e . belong to the same packet , a packet numbering procedure will be necessary both of send time stamps arriving in the list and of packets arrived to ggsn / b from ggsn / a . this requires however that no packets are lost during transmission since that would cause shift of the packet sequence numbering . the time difference between the selected received packets 1 and 2 i . e . the time difference δout = r 2 − r 1 is calculated in the ggsn / b . the send time difference between corresponding payload packets 1 and 2 i . e . the time difference δin = s 2 − s 1 is also calculated in the ggsn / b . the time differences δout and δin are handled in an algorithm to create a bart estimate of available bandwidth . the bart method for available bandwidth estimation is well known to those of skill in the art . aspects of bart have been published at several conferences , see for example those mention in the background part of this application . to be observed is that the bart method is just one example and not the only method that can be used to estimate network performance by using the invention . as mentioned above , the selection of packets can be based upon certain pre - defined criteria . packet identifications may be created so receive time stamps can be correlated with send time stamps . this can be done for example by calculating a hash sum for each selected packet sent from ggsn / a , and put the calculated hash sum and adherent send time stamp in the list . at the receiving side , a hash sum for each selected received packet is calculated in the ggsn / b . by comparing hash sums arriving in the list to the receiving side with calculated hash sums for received packets , corresponding packets ( time stamps ) can be found . in case all packets are considered selected packets i . e . a hash sum is calculated for all packets both on the sending and on the receiving side , a further selection procedure may be applied . examples of further selection procedures are as follows : 1 . the selection is based on a pre - defined rule , for example , packets are selected if having a pre - defined value , or a value within a defined interval , in a specific field in the tcp / ip header ( dscp , tcp port number , ip - sender address . . . ). a selection of this type does not have to be communicated between the sending and receiving side . the selection may be based on the ip - addresses for wcdma / a and / or wcdma / b so that packets aimed for other networks than wcdma / b not have to be selected by ggsn / a , and so that ggsn / b not have to select packets from other networks than wcdma / a . to be noted is that this selection procedure of course also can be used without the above mentioned hash sum calculation , but then still with a remaining risk of errors due to packet loss . 2 . only packets with a certain time distance from a previous packet is selected . this type of selection is controlled by only one of the nodes , and needs the hash sum calculation . if for example ggsn / a selects the packets , only hash sum and time stamp for selected packets are sent in the list to ggsn / b , a so called short list . in ggsn / b the hash sum for all received packets are calculated and put in a list , a so called long list . the short and long lists are brought together and packets with corresponding hash sums are used to estimate the network performance . the use of hash sums to find corresponding packets is just an example and as is obvious to someone skilled in the art , also other methods can be used . only one pair of terminals a and b is shown in the example above . apparent to someone skilled in the art is that also aggregated packet streams between more than one terminal pair are applicable when using the invention . to be noted is also that instead of an ip network , other type of networks may be used such as for example an asynchronous transfer mode atm network . furthermore , the packets received from msa to the sending side can be in two ways . one way is “ as - we - get - it ”, with creation times depending on the applications . in this scenario statistical fluctuations will ensure enough spreading of creation times to get good estimations . another scenario is to shape some of the traffic in a way that suites the estimation method , e . g . by sending the packets as packet trains with specific time intervals between the packets . in a second embodiment that now will be discussed , the use of hash sums to identify packets will be further discussed . fig2 discloses the second embodiment of the invention . in fig2 is shown two enterprise networks enterprise / a / b that communicates via an ethernet based network . in the computer industry , the term enterprise is often used to describe any large organization that utilizes computers . an intranet , for example , is an example of an enterprise computing system . ethernet comprises local area network architecture . ethernet uses a bus or star topology and currently supports data transfer rates from 10 mbps to 10 gbps . the ethernet specification served as the basis for the ieee 802 . 3 , which specifies the physical and lower software layers . in fig2 a terminal / subscriber a is attached to enterprise / a . subscriber a communicates via a gateway node gw / a with the ethernet based network . in the same way , a terminal / subscriber b is attached to enterprise / b that communicates via a gateway node gw / b with the ethernet . in fig2 a packet stream 11 - 14 can be seen in the ethernet network . in this embodiment information such as data from terminal a is sent as payload packets 11 - 14 from gw / a , via the ethernet network and via the gw / b to terminal b . send time stamps , representing packets &# 39 ; send time of day and packets &# 39 ; hash sum , representing packets &# 39 ; identification may be generated in the gw / a out of packets sent from gw / a , and then stored in a list l in a database in the gw / a . in the same way packets &# 39 ; receive time stamps and packets &# 39 ; hash sum may be generated in the gw / b from packets received to gw / b , in a database in the gw / b . a method of measuring network performance according to the second embodiment of the invention will now be explained together with fig2 . the method comprises the following steps : a stream of packets 11 - 14 aimed for terminal b is sent from terminal a to gw / a . each packet comprises a header section and a payload section . the payload section comprises the actual data . the payload packets 11 - 14 are transmitted one by one from the sending node gw / a via the ethernet network to the receiving node gw / b . a send specification that in this example comprises a send time stamp and a packet identification s 11 - s 12 , sid 11 - sid 12 for each selected packet is generated in the sending node gw / a . payload packets that are of interest to analyse are hereby selected in the gw / a to be send time stamped and identified . important to note is that in this embodiment not all packets sent from gw / a to gw / b are send time stamped and identified but just packets 11 and 12 . in this example the packets 11 and 12 are selected due to a pre - defined value that was found in the packets &# 39 ; protocol headers . the time stamps / identifications s 11 - s 12 , sid 11 - sid 12 are stored in the gw / a , in a list l in the database , a so called short list . the payload packets 11 - 14 are received from the sending node gw / a to the receiving node gw / b , one by one . all the payload packets 11 - 14 received to gw / b from gw / a are selected in gw / b to receive a specification i . e . to be receive time stamped / identified r 11 - r 14 , rid 11 - rid 14 . the identification is performed , like in the gw / a , by calculating the packets &# 39 ; hash sums . time stamps and identifications r 11 - r 14 , rid 11 - rid 14 are placed in a list , a so called long list , in gw / b . according to the invention , the time stamp list l comprising stored send time stamps s 11 - s 12 and identifications sid 11 - sid 12 is placed in a payload section of a packet y . the packet y is transmitted from the sending node gw / a via the ethernet to the receiving node gw / b . like before , also a transmission path outside the ip network could be possible without influencing the general idea behind the invention . the short list and long list are put together and the hash sums are compared in gw / b to determine which packets in the long list correspond to the selected packets in the short list . the send time difference between selected sending packets 1 and 2 i . e . the time difference δin = s 12 - s 11 is calculated in the gw / b . the time difference between the corresponding received packets 1 and 2 i . e . the time difference δout = r 12 - r 11 is calculated in the gw / b . the time differences δout and δin are handled in an algorithm to create a bart estimate of the available bandwidth . fig3 discloses a third embodiment of the invention . the system in fig3 is in many parts equal to the system disclosed in fig1 and is by that considered explained in the first embodiment . in this third embodiment , in fig3 a third node n 3 can be seen . the node n 3 is a validation centre that can be located in any optional place in the system , for example in an operator &# 39 ; s network operations centre or in an enterprise &# 39 ; s computer centre . in fig3 a packet stream 21 - 24 can be seen in the ip network . in the example that will be further explained below , information such as data and / or voice from terminal msa is sent as payload packets 21 - 24 from ggsn / a , via the ip network and via the ggsn / b to terminal msb . send time stamps representing send times of day s 21 - s 24 and packet identifications sid 21 - sid 24 may be generated in the ggsn / a out of packets sent from ggsn / a . send time stamps / identifications are then stored in a s - list in the ggsn / a . in the same way receive time stamps representing receive time of day r 21 - r 22 may be generated from packets received to ggsn / b and stored in an r - list in the ggsn / b . in this embodiment , an estimation of available bandwidth is desired and consequently the sizes of the packets are needed in an estimation algorithm and must be stored in the r - list . a method of measuring network performance according to the third embodiment will know be explained together with fig3 . the method comprises the following steps : a stream of packets 21 - 24 aimed for terminal msb is sent from terminal msa to ggsn / a in a way similar to the first embodiment . the payload packets 21 - 24 are transmitted one by one from the sending node ggsn / a via the internet protocol network ip to the receiving node ggsn / b . a send specification that in this example comprises send time stamps s 21 - s 24 and identifications sid 21 - sid 24 for each packet 21 - 24 is generated in the sending node ggsn / a . in this embodiment all packets sent from ggsn / a to ggsn / b are send - time stamped , and identified by hash sums . the time stamps s 21 - s 24 and identifications sid 21 - sid 24 are stored in the ggsn / a , in the list s - list , a so called long list . the payload packets 21 - 24 are received , one by one , to the receiving node ggsn / b from the sending node ggsn / a . payload packets that are of interest to analyse are selected in the ggsn / b to be receive time stamped and identified . in this example the payload packets 21 and 22 are selected , due to a suitable distance between the packets . consequently a receive specification i . e . a receive time stamp r 21 and r 22 and hash sum identification rid 21 and rid 22 for each selected packet 21 and 22 is generated and stored in the list r - list , a so called short list . in this embodiment , also sizes siz 21 , siz 22 of each selected packet are stored in the r - list . as an alternative the packet size instead could have been measured at the sending side and sent from there in the s - list . the long list s - list comprising stored send time stamps / identifications s 21 - s 24 / sid 21 - sid 24 is placed in a payload section of a packet x 1 . the packet x 1 is transmitted from the sending node ggsn / a via the internet protocol network ip to the validation centre n 3 . the short list r - list comprising stored receive time stamps r 21 - r 22 , identifications rid 21 - rid 22 and packet sizes siz 21 - siz 22 is placed in a payload section of a second packet x 2 . the second packet x 2 is transmitted from the receiving node ggsn / b via the internet protocol network ip to the validation centre n 3 . the short list and long list are put together and the hash sums are compared in gw / b . the time difference between the selected received packets 21 and 22 i . e . the time difference δout = r 22 - r 21 is calculated in the validation node n 3 . the send time difference between corresponding sending packets 21 and 22 i . e . the time difference δin = s 22 - s 21 is also calculated in the validation node n 3 . the time differences δout and δin together with the indicated sizes siz 21 - siz 22 of the packets are handled in an algorithm to create an estimate of available bandwidth . as a variation of the third embodiment , instead of doing the validation in n 3 as in the third embodiment , or in the receiving node as in the first and second embodiment , the validation can be done in the sending node ggsn / a . in this case the s - list is detained in the sending node while the r - list is transmitted from the receiving node ggsn / b to the sending node ggsn / a where the validation is performed . fig4 discloses a flow chart in which some of the more important steps of the invention are shown . the flowchart is to be read together with the earlier shown figures . the flowchart comprises the following steps : payload packets are transmitted from a sending node ( ggsn / a ; gw / a ) via a communication network ( ip ; ethernet ) to a receiving node ( ggsn / b ; gw / b ). this step is disclosed in fig4 with a block 101 . a send time stamp / identification for each of at least one selected packet ( 11 - 12 ; 21 - 24 ) of the transmitted payload packets ( 11 - 14 ; 21 - 24 ) is generated at the sending node ( ggsn / a ; gw / a ). this step is disclosed in fig4 with a block 102 . a receive time stamp / identification for each of at least one selected packet ( 11 - 14 , 21 - 22 ) of the transmitted payload packets ( 11 - 14 ; 21 - 24 ) is generated at the receiving node ( ggsn / b ; gw / b ). this step is disclosed in fig4 with a block 103 . generated send time stamps / identifications and generated receive time stamps / identifications are joined together and identifications are compared . this step is disclosed in fig4 with a block 104 . network performance is estimated by utilizing corresponding time stamps of the joined time stamps . this step is disclosed in fig4 with a block 105 . an example of a system used to put the invention into practice is schematically shown in fig5 . the block schematic constellation corresponds to the ones disclosed in fig1 and 2 but is by no means limited to these two examples . fig5 discloses a packet receiver r 1 and a packet transmitter t 1 on a sending side . a selector sel 1 decides which packets are of interest to further observe . sel 1 is connected to a time stamp and hash sum and / or packet size generator tsg 1 on the sending side . the tsg 1 forwards send time stamps and identifications from selected packets to the list list . when receiving packets from the sending side to the receiving side , a receiver r 2 forwards packets to a transmitter on the receiving side . a selector sel 2 decides which packets are of interest to further observe . sel 2 is connected to a time stamp and hash sum and / or packet size generator tsg 2 on the receiving side . the tsg 2 forwards receive time stamps and potentially identifications and / or packet size from selected packets to an analyzing unit any . also the list is forwarded from the sending to the receiving side . to obtain network characteristics , the any picks out corresponding packets by aid of the hash sums and handles receive time stamp together with send time stamps received in the list . as is obvious from the described third embodiment ( fig3 ), a send time stamp list can be sent to an analyzing unit that is located apart from r 2 . if so , a receive time stamp list will also be sent from tsg 2 to this remote analyzing unit . items are shown in the figures as individual elements . in actual implementations of the invention however , they may be inseparable components of other electronic devices such as a digital computer . thus , actions described above may be implemented in software that may be embodied in an article of manufacture that includes a program storage medium . the program storage medium includes data signal embodied in one or more of a carrier wave , a computer disk ( magnetic , or optical ( e . g ., cd or dvd , or both ), non - volatile memory , tape , a system memory , and a computer hard drive . the invention is not limited to the above described and in the drawings shown embodiments but can be modified within the scope of the enclosed claims . the systems and methods of the present invention may be implemented for example on any of the third generation partnership project ( 3gpp ), european telecommunications standards institute ( etsi ), american national standards institute ( ansi ) or other standard telecommunication network architecture . other examples are the institute of electrical and electronics engineers ( ieee ) or the internet engineering task force ( ietf ). the description , for purposes of explanation and not limitation , sets forth specific details , such as particular components , electronic circuitry , techniques , etc ., in order to provide an understanding of the present invention . but it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details . in other instances , detailed descriptions of well - known methods , devices , and techniques , etc ., are omitted so as not to obscure the description with unnecessary detail . individual function blocks are shown in one or more figures . those skilled in the art will appreciate that functions may be implemented using discrete components or multi - function hardware . processing functions may be implemented using a programmed microprocessor or general - purpose computer . the invention is in other words not limited to the above described and in the drawings shown embodiments but can be modified within the scope of the enclosed claims . | 7Electricity
|
the present invention comprises intervertebral disc implants incorporating multi - chamber balloons of varying shape that inflate to a unified whole of various forms including regular and irregular oblate spheroids and coiled strings of balloons , any of which may be implanted in an anterior , anterior - lateral , or a posterior surgical procedure with minimal incisions . fig1 is a perspective view of the intervertebral disc implant 2 according to a first embodiment of the present invention . fig2 is a side view of the disc implant 2 of fig1 and fig3 is a cross sectional view of the disc implant 2 of fig1 . with combined reference to fig1 , 2 and 3 , a first embodiment of the present invention incorporates an upper , or superior , plate member 100 , and a lower , or inferior , plate member 102 , which are adapted to be secured to upper and lower vertebra , respectively , in a spinal column . a multi - component resilient member 103 ( fig3 ) is also provided , disposed between the upper and lower plate members 100 , 102 . it is to be noted that the reference to the plate members as upper and lower members is for the purpose of identifying these members in the drawings . it may well be possible that the positions of the two plate members can be reversed . each of upper and lower plate members 100 , 102 is provided with means for securement to the upper and lower vertebra ( not shown ). many types of securement means are known in the art , and could be used with the present invention . known means of securing the plate members 100 , 102 to the respective vertebra include the use of screws through the plate members and into the vertebral body or through tabs affixed to the plate members and into the vertebral body . also known are the use of fins and / or spikes affixed to the top and bottoms surfaces of the plate members for engagement with cooperative slots ( in the case fins ) or holes prepared in the vertebral body . some spikes may not require pre - prepared holes . for clarity no means of securement are depicted in the figures or further described herein as it is within the skill of practitioner &# 39 ; s of the art to utilize such means in conjunction with the present invention . plate members 100 , 102 may further have their bone - contacting surfaces manufactured and / or treated or modified to facilitate or improve bonding to the bone . again , several such approaches are known in the art and should be suitable for use with the present invention . upper and lower plate members 100 , 102 are respectively provided with interfitted ( telescoping ) sidewalls 110 , 120 extending inward ( toward one another ) from the opposing surfaces of the plate members to form a housing for seating and containing the resilient member 103 . the sidewalls 110 , 120 are of sufficient height to overlap one another when the balloon or resilient member 103 is fully expanded after implantation . one or both of the sidewalls 110 , 120 may be formed with a thicker portion 112 proximal to the plate from which is extends and a thinner distal end 114 for overlapping with the opposing sidewall . the transition from the proximal portion 112 to the distal portion 114 provides a positive stop 116 against which the distal end of the opposing sidewall my rest . the positive stop 116 provides a maximum limit that the intervertebral disc implant may articulate in a particular direction as a result of compression of the inner resilient member 103 . the maximum limit provided by the positive stop 116 may be the same in all directions as depicted in the embodiment of fig1 . alternately , the height of the proximal portion 112 may be varied about the circumference intervertebral disc implant 2 as depicted in fig6 to permit relatively more articulation in , for example , the sagital plane ( s ) than in the coronal plane ( c ). the height of the proximal portion setting the position of the positive stop 116 in the sagital plane ( h 2 ) is less than the height of the proximal portion setting the position of the positive stop 116 in the coronal plane ( h 1 ) such that greater movement of the upper and lower plate members 100 , 102 is permitted . such variation is height of the proximal portion 112 is preferable done through a continuous curve and may permit greater motion in one direction of a given plane than in another direction ( i . e . bending forward is permitted while bending backwards is not ). sidewalls 110 , 120 may be formed with annular rings 118 at their distal ends as depicted in fig3 b so as to interlocking and thereby preventing the upper and lower plate members from separating during articulation of the spine . as described above with respect to the positive stop 113 , the position of the rings may be varied about the circumference intervertebral disc implant 2 to permit relatively more articulation in one plane or direction over another . it should be observed that while the depicted embodiment shows the lower sidewall extending outside and over the distal end of the upper sidewall the intervertebral disc implant 2 could be constructed such that the distal end of the upper sidewall extends outside and over the lower sidewall with similar efficacy . sidewalls 110 , 120 may also be formed , as depicted in fig1 and 2 with a radial sequence of protruding guides 144 ( two are shown ) formed in the outer surface of the distal end of sidewall 110 . guides 144 are captured within vertical slots 146 in the sidewalls 120 of the opposing plate 102 . the protruding guides 144 slide along the vertical slots 146 and prevent relative rotation of the plates 100 , 102 , but permit a limited degree of pivoting flexion . slots 146 and guides 144 may be utilized in conjunction with or in place of annular rings 118 to also prevent separation of the upper and lower plate members 100 , 102 during articulation and to control the limits thereof . variation in the length of the slots 146 is used to control the limits of articulation . in a preferred embodiment four slot 146 and guide 144 pairs are implemented , one each at the cardinal points about the intervertebral disc implant 2 although more or less , including zero slots / guides may be used . additionally , walls 110 , 120 may be formed with a predetermined coefficient of friction on the overlapping portions in order to augment the resilient member 103 in controlling or restricting movement between the upper plate 100 and lower plate 102 . with reference to fig3 a , the upper plate member 100 preferably has a lower surface formed with a concave impression 132 that is complementary to the shape of the resilient member 103 . the lower plate member 102 is likewise preferably formed with a lower surface having a concave impression 142 that is similarly complementary to the shape of the resilient member . in a preferred embodiment upper and lower plate members 100 , 102 are circular in plan such that the space enclosed by the intervertebral disc implant 2 is substantially cylindrical although other forms are contemplated as described below . the space enclosed by intervertebral disc implant 2 is occupied by a resilient member 103 as depicted in fig4 . resilient member 103 is formed with a toroidal member 134 encircling a spherical member 136 that fits within a central aperture of the toroidal member 134 . the entire member 103 ( including both members 134 and 136 ) may be formed as an integral component or as two discrete components that are fitted together as suggested by fig3 a . the resilient member 103 may be made of any of a variety of known biocompatible resilient compounds such as silicone rubbers , polyether and polyester urethane , polymethyl methacrylate , polycarbonates and various other polymerizing resins or hydrogels having the desired elastic properties . further , the individual members 134 , 136 may each be selected from an elastomer having different elastic properties to achieve the desired operation of the intervertebral disc implant 2 as described blow . in a preferred embodiment resilient member 103 is formed as a multi - chamber balloon having a toroidal chamber 134 encircling a spherical chamber 136 . both chambers 134 , 136 are defined by expandable side walls made , for example , of silicone rubber . both chambers 134 , 136 may be inflated either before , or preferably , after implantation , chamber 134 inflating to establish the toroidal shape and chamber 136 inflating to create the spherical shape . in combination the inflated chambers of balloon 103 define an oblate spheroid shape which approximates the shape of the disc it is meant to replace . the chambers may be inflated with air ( or another gas ) or with any of a variety of liquid or viscous substances as well as curing resins to achieve the desired elastic properties as described . further , the toroidal chamber 134 and the spherical chamber 136 may each be inflated with different substances to achieve the desired operation . in use the resilient member is compressed within the intervertebral disc implant 2 by a retaining clip or similar so as to present a smaller overall height to ease insertion into the evacuated intervertebral space . after insertion the clip is removed to permit the resilient member to expand and the implant to return to its operative dimensions . where the resilient member is a balloon the balloon , the implant may be inserted with the balloon deflated with the chambers being inflated after the device is positioned . inflation may be accomplished by insertion of a syringe ( not shown ) through a port 119 in the surface of each chamber so as to inject a fluid or resin filler . the spherical member 136 when inflated seats itself within the opposing concave impressions 132 , 142 , in the upper plate member 100 and lower plate member 102 , respectively . in a preferred embodiment impressions 132 , 142 are formed with a slightly greater radius ( r 2 ) than the spherical member 136 to afford a limited degree of pivoting freedom for flexation . this way , the upper vertebrae may shift either laterally or in a front or rearward direction , relative to the lower vertebrae . this flexion is facilitated by the interfitted ( telescoping ) sidewalls 110 , 120 extending inward from the major surface of the plates 100 , 102 . the telescoping sidewalls 110 , 120 are free to slide together / apart as described . spherical chamber 136 acts a shock absorbing member with the shock absorbing ability a function of by the elastic properties of the chosen elastomer or balloon material and filler . as the spine is articulated , for example rotated forward in the sagital plane during daily use , the shoulders 141 , 144 of the upper and lower plate members 100 , 102 formed about the periphery of the concave impressions 132 , 142 , engage the surface of the torroidal chamber 134 . the elastic properties of the chosen elastomer or balloon material and filler of the torroidal chamber 134 determine the resistance of the implant 2 to this flexion . by choosing the relative and absolute elastic properties of the two resilient members the surgeon may customize the operational characteristics of the implant as both a shock absorber and an articulating joint to match the natural properties of patients original intervertebral disc and meet the needs of the patient . fig5 a is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a resilient member fig5 b is a side view and fig5 c is a top view of this alternate embodiment . the resilient member 203 is formed with a double toroid member 236 , here encircling two spaced spherical chambers 234 , 238 that fit within spaced central apertures of the toroidal chamber 236 . while the term double torroid is used to describe the encircling member , it should be observed that the form need not be precisely a double torroid in the mathematical sense . rather , double torroid is herein defined to include the join of two closed loops in the same plane which may ultimately be an ellipse ( fig5 d ), ovoid or rounded rectangle ( fig5 e ) in plan view . as above , the resilient member 203 may be a balloon wherein the spherical chambers may be integrally formed components with the torroidal chamber 236 or each may be formed as a discrete component that is fitted together . the balloon members are constructed from similar materials and in a similar manner as the multi chamber balloon of the first embodiment of the present invention . the overall shape of the intervertebral disc implant 2 would , of course , no longer be cylindrical but rather would accommodate the form of resilient member 203 . it should be observed that intervertebral disc implant 2 , when formed to accommodate resilient member 203 , will have a major and minor axis whereas the first embodiment , being roughly cylindrical , was symmetrical about any axis . spherical chambers 234 , 238 , being arranged along the major axis provide relatively moor resistance to articulation and flexion about the minor axis such that the surgeon may selectively implant the device with the axis oriented to further provide variable resistance to articulation in one plane over another . fig8 depicts the device implanted in the interdiscal space with the major axis oriented in the coronal plane such that rotation in the sagital plane ( i . e . medial / dorsal bending ) is relatively easier than lateral bending . fig7 is a top perspective view of another alternative embodiment of a multi - chamber balloon 303 coiled into a helix . the balloon 303 is here formed with a plurality of spaced spherical chambers 334 connected by capillary conduits 336 and resembling a string of christmas lights or beads . in this case the entire balloon 303 ( all chambers 334 and conduits 336 ) are preferably formed as an integral component from , for example , silicone rubber . the interior of all chambers 334 and conduits 336 remain in fluid communication so that all chambers 334 may be inflated simultaneously via an end - conduit 336 having a self sealing port 19 . multi balloon chamber 303 may be incorporated into an intervertebral disc implant 2 in place of the resilient members 103 or 203 . alternately , where the nucleus pulpous has been evacuated from the intervertebral disc by the surgeon or otherwise dissipated due to time or injury but the annulus fibrosus remains substantially intact , the balloon 303 may be inserted directly into the void through an incision or break in the annulus fibrosus . once in place it may be inflated to replace the lost nucleus pulpous . in yet another alternate embodiment a similar procedure may be performed utilizing a balloon resilient member 203 such that the resilient member is inserted with the annulus fibrosus and inflated absent an intervertebral disc implant 2 . in all the foregoing embodiments , the balloons 103 , 203 and 303 may be inserted in a deflated state , and later inflated by hypodermic or other inflation pump to define their respective shapes . one skilled in the art should now understand that any variety of desired shapes my be established with the basic multi - chamber balloon concept , and such variations are considered to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention . once inflated , the implants 103 , 203 , 303 are capable of supporting the compressive and cyclic loads required of a natural disc . the size of each implant component ( in collapsed form ) is small enough that they may be inserted with minimal incisions . furthermore , the implant components can be inserted through the posterior of the spine . a posterior approach to the surgical site reduces the invasiveness of the procedure , and may often be performed by a single orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon without a need for a general surgeon , and thus substantially decreases the cost and complexity of the procedure . having now fully set forth the preferred embodiments and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention , various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept . it is to be understood , therefore , that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth in the appended claims . | 0Human Necessities
|
the spray gun comprises a handle 10 , a trigger valve 11 and a pneumatic servomotor 12 which is controlled by the trigger valve 11 for activating a spray material valve 30 . compressed air is supplied to the trigger valve 11 and the servomotor 12 via connections on the handle 10 . the gun is provided with an atomizing nozzle 13 to which the spray material is supplied under pressure via a conduit 14 and the spray material valve 30 . since the design and operation of the servomotor 12 has been described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 559 , 891 a brief description only will be presented below in connection with the control device . the downstream side of the atomizing nozzle of the gun is provided with a connection block 16 which is provided with a quick connection means 18 and an inlet nipple 17 for a compressed air conduit . a front piece 20 is connected to the connection block 16 by means of a quick connection means 21 . the front piece 20 comprises a tube having such a form and being provided with a positioning collar 22 having such a form and position that the front piece is given its correct spray position and direction in the cavity when the positioning collar 22 is applied against the outer surface of the spray object . a special front piece is , therefore , required for each type of spray object . for certain spray objects it is suitable to make the front piece such that a part between the positioning collar 22 and the connection means 21 is flexible . the spray gun shown is a so - called high pressure gun in which the spray material is atomized during passage through the atomizing nozzle 13 without assistance of compressed air . in order to further atomize the spray material and in order to support its transport through the front piece 20 , compressed air , or another gas under pressure , is supplied through the inlet nipple 17 . the servomotor 12 comprises two pistons 31 , 32 mounted on a common piston rod 33 . a cylindrical bore in the housing of the gun defines together with a stationary intermediate wall 34 and the pistons 31 , 32 three separate chambers 35 , 36 , 37 . the chambers 35 and 37 communicate with each other through a passage in the piston rod 33 . when all three chambers are pressurized the spray material valve 30 is closed . it is opened when chambers 35 and 37 are vented . in order to supply spray material to the gun the device shown is provided with a piston pump 1 whose piston rod 3 is connected with the piston 7 of an air cylinder 2 . the piston 7 is driven by pressurizing one side thereof at the same time as its other side is vented . during the return stroke of the piston rod 3 spray material is sucked from the container 4 via the check valve 5 into the pump housing 1 . during the forward stroke of the pump a volume of spray material , determined by the length of the pump stroke , is delivered under high pressure via the conduit 14 and the spray material valve 30 to the front piece 20 for injection into the cavity to be coated . the pump stroke is interrupted when the flange 6 on the piston rod 3 shifts the valve 52 . in order to change the length of the pump stroke , and thus the volume of delivered spray material , the valve 52 may be movable along the piston rod 3 or the flange 6 be movable along the piston rod 3 . in order to ensure that the correct amount of spray material always is obtained the device is designed such that the spraying is completely controlled by the control system 40 independent of how long the trigger valve 11 is activated . the control device 40 comprises a number of valves of which the valve 52 is activated mechanically by the flange 6 against spring action . valve 52 will at rest take the position shown in the drawing . valve 53 is pneumtically actuated against spring action and takes at rest the position shown in the drawing . valve 56 is provided with two pneumatic actuators which normally are pressurized . the valve body thereof can therefore take either position . in order to shift the valve 56 one of the actuators is vented . the control device 40 further comprises a shuttle valve 54 and two variable restriction valves 51 , 55 . the purpose of these valves is to restrict the flow in one direction and allow full flow in the other direction . the purpose of the variable restriction valve 55 is to delay the pressurization of the left hand actuator of valve 56 when the control device 40 is connected to the pressure gas source 45 . at this moment compressed gas is supplied via the conduit 42 , the trigger valve 11 and the conduit 41 to the right hand actuator of valve 56 . furthermore , compressed gas is supplied via the valve 53 , the shuttle valve 54 and the variable restriction valve 55 to the left hand actuator of valve 56 . because of the time delay , valve 56 is prevented from shifting to its right hand position . such a shifting could cause unwanted spraying . when the control device is connected to the pressure gas source 45 , chamber 36 is pressurized via the conduit 42 and the chambers 35 and 37 via valve 56 and the conduit 43 . in order to prevent unwanted spraying the gun is provided with a safety valve 60 which in the drawing is shown in the position it takes when the gun is ready for spraying . valve 60 can be shifted by means of the actuator 61 . shifting valve 60 means that communication is established between the conduits 41 and 42 . as a consequence , the right hand actuator of valve 56 is continously pressurized so that the gun cannot be used . the device is in the drawing shown ready for spraying . it works in the following way . the front piece is introduced into the cavity to be treated until the positioning collar 22 rests against the outer surface of the spray object . then the trigger valve 11 is actuated so that it shifts to its right hand position . as a consequence conduit 41 and thus the right hand actuator of valve 56 are vented . valve 56 is shifted to its right hand position by the pressure on its left hand actuator . compressed gas is then supplied to the actuator of valve 53 via valves 56 and 52 . valve 53 is shifted to its right hand position . compressed gas is then supplied to the upper side of piston 7 of cylinder 2 via valve 53 and the variable restriction valve 51 . furthermore , compressed gas is supplied to the left hand actuator of valve 56 via valve 53 , the shuttle valve 54 and the variable restriction valve 55 so that valve 56 is held in its right hand position independent of the pressure in conduit 41 . when valve 56 has been shifted to its right hand position the lower side of piston 7 of cylinder 2 and conduit 43 and thus chambers 35 and 37 are vented . as a consequence , the spray material valve 30 is opened . furthermore , piston 7 is pressed downwards by the pressure on its upper side so that the pump 1 delivers spray material to the front piece 20 via conduit 14 and the spray material valve 30 . furthermore , compressed gas is supplied via valve 56 and the inlet nipple 17 to the spray material for further atomization thereof . the spray material thus atomized is injected into the cavity to be treated . by means of the restriction of the variable restriction valve 51 , which is adjusted by means of adjusting means 50 , the gas flow to the upper side of piston 7 can be restricted more or less . as a consequence , the speed of the pump stroke can be adjusted so that the spray material is fed to the gun at the desired rate . since compressed gas is fed via the nipple 17 independent of the restriction of the variable restriction valve 51 , the relation between the amounts of compressed gas and spray material supplied to the front piece 20 can be changed . as a consequence , the further atomization of the spray material and thus its depth of penetration into the cavity can be changed . to be able to coat particularly difficult cavities from a minimum number of injection holes the device can be made such that the adjustment of the restriction of the variable restriction valve 51 is controlled by the movement of the piston rod 3 , e . g . by means of a cam 65 connected to the piston rod 3 . the cam follower 66 then actuates the adjusting means 50 of the restriction via a suitable motion transferring device 67 . as a consequence , the further advantage is obtained that the depth of penetration of the spray material into the cavity can be changed during the spray cycle . since valve 56 because of the pressurization of its left hand acutator via valves 53 , 54 and 55 is held in its right hand position independent of the pressure in conduit 41 , spraying is continued even if the trigger valve 11 is shifted to its left hand position . the amount of injected material is thus completely controlled by the control device 40 . when the flange 6 on the piston rod 3 shifts valve 52 to its right hand position , the actuator of valve 53 is vented so that valve 53 is shifted to its left hand position . as a consequence , the upper side of piston 7 of cylinder 2 is vented via the variable restriction valve 51 and valve 53 . as a consequence , the pump stroke is interrupted . furthermore , the left hand actuator of valve 56 is vented via the variable restriction valve 55 , the shuttle valve 54 and either valve 53 or valve 56 . if valve 11 still is in its right hand position , admission of compressed gas through the nipple 17 will continue until valve 11 is shifted . if valve 11 has been returned to its left hand position , the right hand actuator of valve 56 is pressurized via conduit 42 , valve 11 and conduit 41 . valve 56 is then shifted to its left hand position . as a consequence , compressed gas supply to the nipple 17 is interrupted . furthermore , conduit 43 and thus chambers 35 and 37 are pressurized so that the spray material valve 30 is closed . furthermore , the lower side of piston 7 of cylinder 2 is pressurized so that piston rod 3 returns to its upper position sucking further spray material into the pump 1 . furthermore , the left hand actuator of valve 56 is pressurized via valve 56 , shuttle valve 54 and the variable restriction valve 55 . the device is now ready for the next spraying cycle . the above described and in the drawing shown embodiment is only to be regarded as an example which may be modified within the scope of subsequent claims . the positioning collar 22 may , for example , be eliminated in certain applications . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
fig1 and 2 show the electrical component 10 of the present invention having a housing 12 and a plurality of pairs of contacts 14a , 14b spaced therealong preferably in a dual in - line arrangement . each contact 14a has an innner contact section 16a spaced proximate an inner contact section 16b of its corresponding contact 14b . a fuse element 30 extends between the pair of inner contact sections 16a , 16b and is mechanically secured thereto at joints 32 in electrical engagement therewith . each of the pair of contacts 14a , 14b also has an outer contact section 18a , 18b respectively for electrical engagement with a corresponding contact means of an elecrical circuit path on a circuit panel . fused inner contact sections 16a , 16b are preferably disposed in respective cavities 20 of housing 12 . the electrical component is preferably sealed by securing a sealing member 22 to the top 24 of housing 12 and a sealing member 26 to the bottom 28 of the housing . outer contact sections 18a , 18b are vertical leg sections for insertion into holes 54 which form part of the circuit paths 52 on a rigid circuit panel such as a printed circuit board 50 . the fuse element 30 is preferably secured for performance reasons to the top surfaces of inner contact sections 16a , 16b and arced upwardly away from the ends of the contact sections . fig2 a illustrates an alternate embodiment where fuse element 30 is secured by joints 32 to bottom surfaces of the inner contact sections 46a , 46b of contacts 44a , 4b , in housing 42 of component 40 . because the walls of the housing must have a height sufficient to enable handling by automated handling apparatus for positioning on a circuit panel , it is easier during fabrication of the fuse shunt to secure the fuse element 30 to the bottom surfaces of contact sections 46a , 46b which are proximate the bottom face of the fuse shunt . contacts 44a , 44b include outer contact sections 48a , 48b which comprise a pair of coplanar horizontally extending sections , for surface mounting to conductive pads 64 of the circuit paths 62 on the surface of a circuit panel , such as flexible circuit panel 60 as shown in fig3 . the fuse element is secured to the inner contact sections such as by conventional resistance welding or wire bonding techniques to form joints 32 . another method of joining the fuse element is disclosed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 857 , 209 filed apr . 29 , 1986 . in that method the fuse element is a wire segment first disposed in a groove skived axially along the inner contact sections and then terminated by deforming portions of the inner contact sections forming sidewalls of the groove over the top of the wire at at least one location on each inner connect section by means of a terminating tool . various methods based on conventional techniques may be used so long as heat is not generated in sufficient amounts to inadvertently open or damage the fuse element which is fragile requiring care in handling and processing . it is believed preferable to secure the fuse element to the pair of contact sections after securing the contacts in the housing , so that the housing provides mechanical stability and enhances physical protection of the fragile wire fuse element during fabrication as is shown in fig4 a to 4c . while joined to a carrier strip 70 , the contacts 14a , 14b are preferably placed in a mold and a dielectric housing 12 molded thereto by conventional insert molding techniques , as shown in fig4 b . the fuse elements 30 are then secured to respective contact sections , as in fig4 c . thin , transparent sealing membranes 22 , 26 are then preferably adhered to the top and bottom surfaces 24 , 28 respectively of housing 12 completing the manufacture of the electrical component , as in fig4 d . the completed components can then be severed from the carrier strip and the outer contact sections 18a , 18b formed into the desired configuration . the contacts 14a , 14b are preferably stamped from a strip of copper alloy , and outer contact sections 18a , 18b may be tin - lead plated for solderability . housing 12 may be formed of a thermoplastic material such as glass - filled polyester resin . sealing membranes 22 , 26 may be mylar ( trademark of e . i . du pont de nemours and company ). fuse element 30 is preferably a wire segment of a selected very small diameter creating high resistance , and may be any of several conventional types of conductive metals such as high copper content alloy , aluminum , silver alloy , or constantan . the proper material to be used , and the actual diameter selected depend on the type of current desired to be carried by the fuse during normal in - service use and also the designed programming current for opening the fuse element . for example , a satisfactory fuse element can be a short length of aluminum wire having a diameter of 0 . 0007 inches if it is desired that the fuse carry an in - service current of 0 . 100 amperes and open upon receiving a programming current of 1 . 0 amperes for 100 milliseconds or less . a satisfactory fuse element can be a short length of constantan alloy having a diameter of 0 . 0015 inches for the same in - service and programming currents . the fuse element opens by melting upon sufficient heat buildup resulting from the programming current passing through its very small diameter , and limited length for sufficient time . it is possible to estimate an appropriate small diameter for the fuse element when the following items are known : the programming current ( l p ) and programming time ( t ), length of the fuse ( l ), ambient temperature ( t a ), and metal alloy being used for the fuse . characteristic properties of the metal alloy are ascertained : melting temperature t m , specific heat ( cp ), latent heat of fusion ( q f ), resistivity ( ρ ), and specific gravity ( sg ). the heat required to melt the fuse is related to the fuse element dimensions and properties as follows : and the power and heat to melt are related to each other as : where two metal alloys are considered , constantan and aluminum , their characteristic values are as follows : table 1______________________________________ constantan aluminum______________________________________sg ( specific gravity ) 0 . 323 lb / ft . sup . 3 0 . 0975 lb / ft . sup . 3t . sub . m ( melting temperature ) 2210 ° f . 660 ° f . cp ( specific heat ) 0 . 098 btu / lb /° f . 0 . 215 btu / lb /° f . q . sub . f ( latent heat of fusion ) 100 btu / lb 170 btu / lbρ ( resistivity ) 374 ω mil . sup . 2 / ft 20 . 37 ω mil . sup . 2 / ft______________________________________ typical values for the remaining variables , relevant to the present invention and its purpose and typical environment , are : table 2______________________________________i . sub . p ( programming current ) = 1 . 0 amperest ( programming time ) = 100 millisecondsl ( fuse length ) = 0 . 10 inchest . sub . a ( ambient temperature ) = 75 ° f . ______________________________________ because adjacent contact structure at the terminations 32 of the ends of fuse element 30 is at theoretical ambient temperature , the contacts act as heat sinks and absorb some of the heat from the fuse element during programming . other matters affecting programming are dimensional variations in the diameter of the fuse elements from fabrication thereof , surface contamination thereon , and the fuse length between terminations . it is believed that successful programming of a fuse shunt may be accomplished using fuse elements of the metals given above at the stated length and programming current and time at the following diameters : unprogrammed ( unopened ) fuse elements at such diameters are believed will successfully carry in - service currents of 100 milliamperes . to avoid interfering with the opening of the fuse elements , the element 30 should be preferably spaced away from the ends of the inner contact sections 16a , 16b and also from any of the structure of the housing 12 or seals 22 , 26 which would act to dissipate heat otherwise needed to melt the fuse . the seals 22 , 26 serve to physically protect the fragile fuse elements 30 , and contain any vapors give off during the fuse melting and avoid possible contamination of nearby circuitry or components outside of component 10 . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
fig1 shows a micro - evaporator 1 having ( from top to bottom ) a heating plate 2 with holes 3 to receive heating elements 4 , a cover plate 5 , a micro - evaporator plate 10 and a baseplate 6 . the cover plate 5 lies on the micro - evaporator plate 10 that has the micro - structured micro - evaporator channels in a trapezoidal area 15 as explained in detail with reference to the subsequent figures . the micro - evaporator plate 10 where the liquid is evaporated is connected to a feed line 30 for the liquid to be evaporated and a discharge line 31 to remove the vapor . the micro - evaporator plate 10 is in a groove - like recess 8 of the base plate 6 . overall , this yields a cuboid micro - evaporator with outer dimensions less than 50 mm that is expandable with additional micro - evaporator plates 10 and inserted intermediate plates 7 as explained with reference to fig9 a and 9 b . fig2 shows a plan view of the front side 11 of the micro - evaporator plate 10 shown in fig1 , said plate consisting of a highly - conductive material such as steel . an inlet 12 runs upward from the bottom and ends in a liquid feed chamber 13 . the liquid feed chamber 13 expands in the direction of flow and has a curved end area which connects with the likewise curved inlet area 14 of the trapezoidal area 15 in which the micro - evaporator channels 20 are located that are best viewed in fig3 a to 3 c . the opposite end of the trapezoidal area 15 has an outlet area 16 that connects with the vapor collection chamber 17 which is provided with an outlet 18 . the vapor collection chamber 17 also has a trapezoidal shape , and the vapor collection chamber 17 narrows from the outlet area 16 of the trapezoidal area 15 toward the outlet 18 . the depth of all the microstructures is 30 μm . fig3 a shows an enlarged section of the inlet area 14 of the trapezoidal area 15 . numerous straight micro - evaporator channels 20 are separated from each other by a corresponding number of segments 21 . the width of the segments 21 is minimal at the inlet area 14 so that the inlet openings of the micro - evaporator channels 20 lie directly next to each other to quickly intake the liquid in the feed chamber 13 and conduct it into the micro - evaporator channels 20 . the micro - evaporator channels 20 in this embodiment are fan - shaped so that the distance between the micro - evaporator channels 20 increases toward the vapor collection chamber 17 as a result of the corresponding widening of the segments 21 . this can be seen by comparing fig3 a and 3 c that show a section of the middle area and outlet area 16 of the trapezoidal area 15 . the cross - section of the micro - evaporator channels 20 remains the same over the entire length . the cross - section dimensions of the micro - evaporator channels 20 are 30 μm × 30 μm . in this manner , several hundred evaporator channels ( such as 200 ) can be arranged next to each other . fig4 again schematically illustrates the embodiment shown in fig3 a to 3 c . we can see that the width b of the radiating or fan - shaped micro - evaporator channels 20 remains constant over their entire length in the trapezoidal area 15 , whereas the width of the segments 21 separating the micro - evaporator channels 20 increases from width a 1 to width a 2 that can be a multiple of width b . fig5 schematically portrays another embodiment where the micro - evaporator channels 20 ′ have a wave - shaped or meandering design . the liquid to be evaporated necessarily follows the curves of the meandering micro - evaporator channels 20 ′ and is alternately pressed against the left and right side of the micro - evaporator channel walls due to the flow to improve the transfer of heat . at the same time , the construction is compact with a greater length of the micro - evaporator channels 20 ′. in this embodiment as well , the meandering micro - evaporator channels 20 ′ are fan - shaped arising from the increased width of the likewise wave - shaped segments 21 ′. according to the embodiment shown in fig6 , the micro - evaporator channels 20 ″ have channel sections 22 with a smaller diameter , and channel sections 23 with a larger diameter . this embodiment also increases the contact of the liquid to be evaporated with the channel walls due to the flow and thereby improves the transfer of heat . the individual channel sections 22 , 23 of the neighboring micro - evaporative channels 20 ″ are offset in relation to each other to save space . the design of the segments 21 ″ follows this arrangement . fig7 shows another embodiment in which individual adjacent , offset , column - shaped segments 25 are sequentially arranged . the individual micro - channels are formed by the channel sections 24 where two channel sections are given dashed lines between two column - shaped segments 25 for clarity . we can clearly see that these channel sections 24 are also connected to the neighboring channel sections 24 . the volume within the micro - evaporator channels thereby increases from the inlet area 14 to the outlet area 16 taking into account the expansion of the vapor in the trapezoidal area 15 . fig8 shows an enlargement of the underside 19 of the micro - evaporator plate 10 . the heating micro - channels 27 are also separated from each other with segments 28 . an antechamber 26 and a post - chamber 29 are provided that are connected with each other by means of heating channels 27 . these chambers 26 , 29 serve to distribute and collect the heating gas that flows through the heating channels 27 . in addition , fig8 also shows the feed line 32 and the discharge line 33 for the heating gas as well as an intermediate plate 7 that is only structured in the area of the feed and discharge of the steam or liquid to be evaporated . fig9 a and b show another embodiment of the micro - evaporator with numerous evaporator plates 10 that are separated from each other by non - structured intermediate plates 7 . this modular design allows the micro - evaporator to be constructed to have any desired throughput . the micro - evaporator 1 is sealed at the top by a cover plate 5 . the base plate 6 is not shown in this figure . the liquid to be evaporated is supplied and discharged by feed and discharge lines 30 and 31 that are perpendicular to the evaporator plates 10 . the heating gas is supplied by the feed line 32 , and the heating gas is discharged by the discharge line 33 . the cross - sections of individual lines 30 to 33 are adapted to the requirements of the utilized media . in fig9 b , one can see the structuring of the heating channels 27 on the bottom of the evaporator plate 10 . an evaporation system is portrayed in fig1 that uses a micro - evaporator 1 . the liquid ( water in this instance ) was held by a pressurized reservoir 40 . the flow of the unevaporated liquid was determined by a thermal mass flow regulator is 41 . after evaporation , secondary heaters 42 ( indicated by the bold arrows ) prevent the liquid from condensing . the quality of the generated vapor was determined with a coriolis flowmeter 43 . the amount of evaporated water can be regulated by the preliminary pressure regulator 44 . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof . it is understood , therefore , that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed , but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
|
referring to the drawings in greater detail and by reference characters thereto , there is illustrated in fig1 to 3 a first embodiment of the present invention which will now be described . as may be seen in fig1 , there is provided a cover generally designated by reference numeral 10 along with a ring or collar generally designated by reference numeral 12 . cover 10 includes an upper dome portion 14 which has a centrally located aperture 16 therein through which a cable or other hanging means may extend . dome portion 14 merges , at its lower end , with a concave arcuate transition portion 18 which in turn merges with a horizontal portion 20 . at its outer extremity , horizontal portion 20 merges with a convex arcuate transition portion 22 which leads to a substantially vertical side wall 24 . from side wall 24 , there is provided a further concave arcuate transition portion 36 and which terminates in a drip edge 28 . as will be noted , there are provided a plurality of dimples or projections 30 on side wall 24 . collar 12 is best illustrated in fig2 and 3 and reference will now be had thereto . collar 12 includes an inner side wall 32 , an outer side wall 34 , and a top wall 35 extending between inner side wall 32 and outer side wall 34 . on the interiorly facing surface of inner side wall 32 , there are provided a pair of vertical recesses 36 for reasons which are best set forth in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . filed in the name of paul cote contemporaneously with the present application . similarly , there are provided a plurality of centering ribs 38 for a feed tube ( not shown ). in outer side wall 34 , there is provided a key way generally designated by reference numeral 40 and which includes an entry way 42 , a first ramped portion 44 formed on the lower marginal edge of inner side wall 32 , a horizontal edge 46 , and a recess portion 48 . thus , key way 40 is designed to receive a dimple or protrusion 30 and as the cover is placed in position , dimple or protrusion 30 will slide along ramped portion 44 and horizontal portion 46 of the lower marginal edge of inner side wall 32 to seat within recess portion 48 . as best seen in fig3 , in intermediate inner side wall 32 and outer side wall 34 there are provided solid portions or sections 50 which have an interior recess 52 . a biasing member 54 fits within recess 52 and includes a stem 56 , an enlarged head 58 , and a lower stop portion 60 . extending about stem 56 is a coil spring 62 . thus , the biasing member 54 is urged upwardly to seat against horizontal section 20 of cover 10 and urge the same to maintain a locked position wherein dimple 30 is seated within recess portion 48 . a plurality of attaching hooks 64 are provided for securing collar 12 to a shroud . turning to the embodiment of fig4 to 6 , there is illustrated therein a cover 68 and a collar generally designated by reference numeral 80 . collar 68 includes a plurality of sloped panels 70 each having a concave arcuate transition portion 72 which merges with a substantially vertical side wall 74 . at the end of side wall 74 , there is provided a drip edge 76 . located centrally of sloped panels 70 is an aperture 77 through which a cable or hanging member may pass . as will be seen in the drawings , there are provided apertures 78 in two of the side wall panels 74 . collar 80 includes an inner wall 82 , an outer wall 84 and a top wall 86 extending between inner wall 82 and outer wall 84 . also mounted between inner wall 82 and outer wall 84 is a biasing means generally designated by reference numeral 88 . biasing means 88 comprises a u - shaped resilient member 90 having first and second legs 92 , 94 joined together by a bight 96 . on second leg 94 , at one end thereof , there is provided a button 98 which is sized to fit within an aperture 78 in side wall 74 of cover 68 . the bird feeder will include a shroud as is shown in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . no . filed in the name of paul cote contemporaneously with the present application . a cable 102 is provided for hanging the feeder which is attached to an inner post 104 . thus , as may be seen , by depressing the button 98 , the cover is free to be removed and access may be had to an interior feed tube . an alternative embodiment is illustrated in fig7 wherein reference numerals in the hundreds . are employed . in this arrangement , there is provided a cover 110 which seats within a key way 142 formed in collar 112 . however , in this instance , cover 112 is placed on a feed tube 111 . a biasing arrangement 115 which will be described in greater detail hereinbelow is provided . in the embodiment of fig8 , a cover 210 is designed to fit directly on a seed tube 211 which has a key way 242 formed therein . again , a central biasing means 215 is provided . in the embodiment of fig9 , a cover 310 is designed to seat directly on a shroud 317 having key way 342 therein . again , a central biasing means 315 is provided . in fig1 , a cover 410 is designed to seat directly on a shroud 417 . in this embodiment , shroud 417 has a solid upper portion 403 which has a key way 442 formed therein . biasing means 415 includes a lower housing having a base 417 which is designed to sit on cover 419 which covers a central tube in the bird feeder . extending upwardly from base 417 is a wall 421 which has an enlarged portion 423 at a distal end thereof . an upper housing 425 also has , at its lower end , inwardly extending flanges 429 while interiorly of wall 421 , there is provided a biasing spring 427 which will push the upper housing 425 upwardly to seat against the upper portion of cover 410 . it will be understood that the above described embodiment is for purposes of illustration only and changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 0Human Necessities
|
in accordance with the present invention , an aluminum - based metal workpiece , after being anodized , is mounted as an electrode in an electrolysis bath , the bath consisting of an acidic aqueous solution of nickel sulfate at a concentration of at least about 30 grams ( expressed as nickel ion ) per liter of solution . coloring is then achieved by passing an alternating current between the workpiece and at least one counter electrode while the bath is at a temperature of at least about 30 ° c ., until the desired degree of coloring is achieved . benefits in coloring rate and uniformity of color are attainable within these conditions . while the unusual results of the present invention are observable at temperatures in excess of about 30 ° c ., it is generally preferable to operate in the range of about 30 ° c . to about 80 ° c ., with temperatures ranging from about 40 ° c . to about 65 ° c . particularly preferred . similarly , beneficial results in terms of the nickel concentration are observable at levels above about 30 grams of nickel per liter of solution . the preferred operating range is from about 40 grams per liter to about 100 grams per liter . the nickel sulfate is the primary source of nickel ion in the coloring bath , preferably the sole source . the nickel sulfate may be either added directly or generated in situ by combining another nickel salt , such as nickel carbonate , with sulfuric acid . in preferred embodiments , nickel sulfate is the only nickel salt used in the bath . the actual ph is not critical provided that it is in the acid range . in most applications , a ph ranging from about 2 . 0 to about 5 . 5 will provide the best results . in preferred systems , the ph ranges from about 4 . 0 to about 5 . 0 , and in particularly preferred systems , the ph ranges from about 4 . 3 to about 4 . 4 . the acidity is achieved by the inclusion of boric acid in the bath , which functions as a buffer as well , unless sulfuric acid is present to provide sulfate ion as indicated above . the applied current is an alternating current , preferably voltage controlled at an operating voltage of about 5 to about 40 volts ( ac ), most preferably from about 6 to about 15 volts ( ac ). a convenient method of operation is to gradually raise the voltage of the cell to the desired operating level and maintain it at that level until the desired color is achieved . the counter electrode may be any inert , electrically conducting material . examples include nickel , stainless steel , and graphite . the process of the present invention is applicable to a wide range of aluminum - based metal products , including aluminum and its many alloys . notable alloys to which the process may be applied are those of the 5xxx , 6xxx and 7xxx series according to the aluminum association alloy designations . examples include those alloys designated 5052 , 5205 , 5657 , 6063 and 7029 . the anodizing step which precedes the coloring step may be achieved according to conventional methods . in general , this is done by direct current electrolysis of the workpiece through an aqueous electrolyte . examples of suitable electrolytes are chromic , sulfuric , oxalic , sulfamic and phosphoric acids , as well as borates , citrates , and carbonates . aqueous solutions of sulfuric acid ranging in concentration from about 7 % to about 30 % by weight are preferred . while the thickness of the resulting oxide coating is not critical and may be widely varied , in most applications a thickness of at least about 0 . 1 mil ( 2 . 5 microns ), preferably at least about 0 . 75 mil ( 19 microns ), will provide the best results . the electrolytic coloring procedure is preferably done soon after the anodization . the coloring may then be followed by a sealing treatment , according to any of the methods known in the art . exemplary such methods include immersing the workpiece in boiling water or a hot solution of nickel acetate . the following examples are offered for purposes of illustration , and are intended neither to define nor limit the invention in any manner . sheets of 5205 aluminum alloy each measuring 2 . 75 by 8 . 5 inches ( 7 by 21 . 6 cm , with 302 cm 2 surface area ) were anodized singly in a 165 g / liter sulfuric acid solution at 16 volts and 22 . 0 ° c . to an oxide thickness of 0 . 4 mil ( 10 microns ). coloring was then effected in one of several nickel sulfate baths at varying nickel sulfate concentrations and bath temperatures , each bath containing 35 g / liter boric acid at a ph of 4 . 3 - 4 . 4 and an impressed voltage of 14 volts ac ( rms ) for ten minutes ( maximum voltage reached in about 6 seconds each time ), using two stainless steel counter electrodes . the nickel content in each sample was then measured by x - ray spectroscopy . the results are shown in table 1 , where the bath nickel content is expressed as nickel ion rather than nickel sulfate . table 1______________________________________nickel deposition as function of bath nickelconcentration and temperature nickel content of oxide layer ( mg / cm . sup . 2 ) bath bath nickeltemperature concentration ( g / l ):(° c .) 23 . 8 32 . 6 44 . 2 64 . 2 88 . 6______________________________________25 . 0 0 . 094 0 . 100 0 . 118 0 . 114 0 . 10230 . 0 0 . 106 0 . 127 0 . 130 0 . 131 0 . 15635 . 0 0 . 117 0 . 138 0 . 155 0 . 170 0 . 17240 . 0 0 . 129 0 . 146 0 . 162 0 . 177 0 . 19245 . 0 0 . 141 0 . 151 0 . 158 0 . 173 0 . 19450 . 0 0 . 131 0 . 138 0 . 153 0 . 171 0 . 198______________________________________ this data demonstrates a marked advantage in operating the coloring process at an elevated temperature : the nickel content of the oxide coating increases with increasing nickel in the bath at temperatures of 30 ° c . and above , the rate of increase being even more dramatic at 40 ° c . and above . the data at 25 ° c ., by contrast , shows an initial increase followed by a leveling off at bath nickel concentrations above about 44 g / l . aluminum sheets identical to those described in example 1 were anodized under the same conditions , except using two sheets at a time with an open configuration to ensure a uniform oxide thickness . after anodizing , the sheets were rearranged so that they were parallel to each other with a 1 - cm separation , and mounted in the nickel sulfate bath perpendicular to one of the counter electrodes , the other counter electrode having been disconnected . using a temperature of 50 ° c . and varying nickel contents in the bath , the sheets were colored for three minutes at 14 volts ac ( rms ). the nickel content in each sample was measured by x - ray spectroscopy as before , on 3 . 1 - cm diameter circles at four points , the centers of which were 1 . 5 , 7 . 5 , 14 and 20 cm from the end closest to the active counter electrode . the measurements were made on the outside face of the workpiece only . the results are shown in table 2 , where the bath nickel content is again expressed as nickel ion rather than nickel sulfate . table 2______________________________________throwing power tests nickel content of oxide layer ( mg / cm . sup . 2 ) bath distance from end ofnickel strip nearest counterconcentration electrode ( cm ):( g / liter ) 1 . 5 7 . 5 14 . 0 20 . 0______________________________________23 . 8 0 . 081 0 . 037 0 . 025 0 . 02232 . 6 0 . 084 0 . 039 0 . 029 0 . 02544 . 2 0 . 078 0 . 042 0 . 032 0 . 03064 . 2 0 . 087 0 . 050 0 . 039 0 . 03788 . 6 0 . 087 0 . 051 0 . 041 0 . 039______________________________________ by comparing the drop in nickel content from the 1 . 5 cm location to the 20 . 0 cm location , it is apparent that the drop was almost halved ( i . e ., the throwing power doubled ) as the bath nickel concentration rose from 23 . 8 g / liter to 88 . 6 g / liter . the foregoing description is offered primarily for illustrative purposes . it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the particular materials and procedures described herein may be further varied or modified in numerous ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
|
the present invention relates to a new process for preparing highly pure 1 - methyl - 3 - phenylpiperazine suitable for use in the synthesis of mirtazapine and other tetracyclic compounds . the present invention also relates to a novel intermediate used to carryout this process . according to the present invention , there is provided a process for preparing a novel compound , 4 - benzyl - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 3 - phenylpiperazine , of formula ii with methyl iodide in n , n - dimethylformamide in presence of sodium hydride . typically , the methylation is carried out with 1 . 1 to 1 . 2 moles of methyl iodide and sodium hydride each per one mole of compound of formula vi . it is preferred to carryout the methylation by adding compound of formula vi to the sodium hydride slurry in n , n - dimethylformamide followed by methyl iodide addition . the temperature during methylation is maintained at 10 ° c . to 25 ° c . and usually it takes 1 hour to complete the reaction . reduction of the above mentioned novel piperazine compound is carried out with lithium aluminium hydride in tetrahydrofuran to obtain protected piperazine of formula vii . this reduction is accomplished with 1 . 0 – 1 . 2 mole of lithium aluminium hydride per mole of the compound of formula vi at a temperature 40 ° c . to 70 ° c . and preferably at the reflux temperature . finally , 1 - methyl - 3 - phenylpiperazine of formula i is obtained by removing benzyl protecting group through catalytic hydrogenation . the deprotection is performed by dissolving the compound of formula vii in acetic acid and subjecting it to hydrogenation at 20 ° c . to 30 ° c . in the presence of 5 % palladium - carbon catalyst . the hydrogen pressure is maintained at 80 psi to 100 psi . end point of the reaction is readily confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography and thereafter acetic acid is removed by distillation . an aqueous alkali such as sodium hydroxide is added to the reaction mass containing 1 - methyl - 3 - phenylpiperazine of formula i thus obtained to make the solution alkaline , for instance , to ph 11 . 0 to 12 . 0 . 1 - methyl - 3 - phenylpiperazine can be isolated by extracting with toluene , methylene chloride , ethyl acetate , cyclohexane or the like , preferably with toluene and thereafter distilling the extract . alternatively , compound of formula ii can be deprotected to produce compound of formula viii the major advantage of the present invention is that 1 - methyl - 3 - phenylpiperazine thus obtained contains none of the impurities like 2 - phenylpiperazine , 1 - methyl - 2 - phenylpiperazine isomer and 1 , 4 - dimethyl - 2 - phenylpiperazine . 1 - methyl - 3 - phenylpiperazine as obtained by the method described in this invention can be used in the preparation of mirtazapine . 15 . 3 g of sodium hydride ( 65 % dispersion in mineral oil , 0 . 414 moles ) was suspended in 250 ml of n , n - dimethylformamide at 10 ° c . to this suspension , 100 g of 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - 3 - phenylpiperazine ( 0 . 376 moles ) was added portionwise over a period of 30 min and stirred for 15 min . a solution of 64 g of methyl iodide ( 0 . 45 moles ) in 50 ml of n , n - dimethylformamide was added slowly in 45 min maintaining the temperature below 25 ° c . and maintained for 1 hour . after completion of the reaction , mass was poured slowly in 1000 ml of cold water ( 15 ° c .). the product was extracted with toluene ( 1 × 500 ml , 1 × 300 ml ) from aqueous phase . toluene layer was washed with water ( 2 × 200 ml ) and concentrated . to the residue , 250 ml of cyclohexane was added and cooled to 10 ° c . with stirring . filtered the product and washed with precooled cyclohexane to obtain 98 . 5 g of 4 - benzyl - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 3 - phenylpiperazine product ( yield : 93 . 8 %, purity : 99 . 15 by hplc ) mass : m / z ; 281 . 0 [( mh ) + ] 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz ) in cdcl 3 : δ ( ppm ); 2 . 49 – 2 . 57 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 97 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 99 – 3 . 03 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 14 – 3 . 18 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 54 – 3 . 77 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 06 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 21 – 7 . 53 ( m , 10h ). 14 . 62 g of lithium aluminium hydride ( 0 . 385 moles ) was suspended in 450 ml of tetrahydrofuran at 15 ° c . under nitrogen atmosphere . 90 g of 4 - benzyl - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxy - 3 - phenylpiperazine ( 0 . 321 moles ) was added slowly in 1 hour at 10 – 15 ° c . the reaction mass was refluxed for 6 hours . thereafter , the reaction mass was cooled to 5 ° c . and quenched successively with 15 ml of water , 15 ml of 15 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution , 45 ml of water . the reaction mass was stirred for 1 hour at 20 – 25 ° c ., filtered and residue was washed with tetrahydrofuran ( 2 × 90 ml ). the filtrate was concentrated and 300 ml of water was added . filtered the product , washed with water and dried under reduced pressure to obtain 80 g of the title compound ( yield : 93 . 6 %). 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz ) in cdcl 3 : δ ( ppm ); 2 . 08 – 2 . 24 ( m , 3h ), 2 . 27 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 73 – 2 . 88 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 39 – 3 . 44 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 79 – 3 . 83 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 17 – 7 . 50 ( m , 10h ). 60 g of 4 - benzyl - 1 - methyl - 3 - phenylpiperazine ( 0 . 226 moles ) obtained above was dissolved in acetic acid ( 300 ml ) and 3 g of 5 % palladium on charcoal ( 50 % wet ) was added and the reaction mass was subjected to hydrogenation at 80 – 100 psi for 4 hours at 25 – 30 ° c . after completion of the reaction by hplc , the reaction mixture was filtered and acetic acid was concentrated under reduced pressure . 150 ml of water was added to dissolve the residue and washed with 60 ml of toluene . ph was adjusted to 11 . 0 – 12 . 0 with 50 % sodium hydroxide solution and the product was extracted with toluene ( 1 × 300 ml , 1 × 180 ml ). toluene was concentrated under reduced pressure and highly pure title compound was isolated in cyclohexane ( 80 ml , 10 ° c .) having hplc purity 100 %. mass : m / z ; 177 . 0 [( mh ) + ] 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz ) in cdcl 3 : δ ( ppm ); 1 . 76 ( bs , 1h ), 1 . 93 – 2 . 16 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 29 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 76 – 3 . 07 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 85 – 3 . 86 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 21 – 7 . 39 ( m , 5h ). 4 - benzyl - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 3 - phenylpiperazine ( 15 g , 0 . 535 moles ) was dissolved in acetic acid ( 120 ml ) and added 5 % palladium - carbon ( 50 % wet , 1 . 5 g ). reaction mass was hydrogenated at 100 psi . after completion of the reaction , reaction mixture was filtered and acetic acid was distilled under reduced pressure . residue was dissolved in dm water ( 75 ml ). ph was adjusted to 11 . 0 – 12 . 0 with 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution . the product was extracted with methylene chloride ( 2 × 75 ml ) and washed with dm water ( 75 ml ). the methylene chloride layer was concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain 10 . 1 g of 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 3 - phenylpiperazine . 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz ) in cdcl 3 : δ ( ppm ); 1 . 99 ( bs , 1h ), 3 . 04 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 05 – 3 . 19 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 31 – 3 . 56 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 58 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 27 – 7 . 43 ( m , 5h ). lithium aluminium hydride ( 3 . 04 g , 0 . 8 moles ) was suspended in tetrahydrofuran ( 60 ml ) under nitrogen atmosphere . a solution of 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - 3 - phenylpiperazine ( 10 g in 10 ml of tetrahydrofuran ) was added at 10 – 15 ° c . slowly , raised the temperature of reaction mass and refluxed for 2 hours . cooled the reaction mass to 5 ° c . and quenched successively with 3 ml of water , 3 ml of 15 % aqueous sodium hydroxide solution and 9 ml of water . reaction mass was stirred for 1 hour at 25 – 30 ° c . filtered the reaction mass and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure . dissolved the residue in dm water ( 25 ml ) and concentrated hydrochloric acid ( 8 ml ) and the solution was washed with cyclohexane ( 20 ml ). ph was adjusted to 11 . 0 – 12 . 0 with 50 % w / w aqueous sodium hydroxide solution and extracted the product with methylene chloride ( 2 × 50 ml ). methylene chloride layer was concentrated under reduced pressure and 7 . 54 g of pure 1 - methyl - 3 - phenylpiperazine was isolated in cyclohexane having hplc purity 99 . 7 %. 1 h nmr ( 300 mhz ) in cdcl 3 : δ ( ppm ); 1 . 80 ( bs , 1h ), 1 . 95 – 2 . 18 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 31 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 79 – 3 . 12 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 85 – 3 . 89 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 23 – 7 . 40 ( m , 5h ). | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
|
the present invention involves methods for treating mammals to provide one or more desired therapeutic effects in the mammal . the present methods comprise administering an effective amount to provide the desired therapeutic effect or effects in a mammal of at least one compound , as described herein , to the mammal . among the desired therapeutic effects are reduction in peripheral pain , anesthetization of the central nervous system , constriction of one or more blood vessels , reduction in or prevention of at least one effect of ischemia , decongestion of one or more nasal passages , reduction in at least one effect of an inflammatory disorder , for example , such disorders characterized by progressive joint and / or tissue deterioration , increase in renal fluid flow , and alternation , preferably decrease , in the rate of fluid transport in the gastrointestinal tract . thus , for example , the presently useful compounds may be effective as one or more of the following : a peripheral pain killing agent , a general anesthetic , a vaso - constricting agent , an agent for the treatment of ischemia , a nasal decongestant , an anti - inflammatory agent , a medication for use in the treatment or management of kidney disease , and an anti - diarrhea agent . one important feature of many of the present methods is that the desired therapeutic effect is achieved with reduced side effects , in particular with reduced effects on the blood pressure of the mammal to which the presently useful compound or compounds are administered . any suitable method of administering the presently useful compound or compounds to the mammal to be treated may be used . the particular method of administration chosen is preferably one which allows the presently useful compound or compounds to have the desired therapeutic effect in an effective manner , e . g ., low medication concentration and low incidence of side effects . in many applications , the presently useful compound or compounds are administered to a mammal in a manner substantially similar to that used to administer alpha agonists , in particular alpha 2 agonists , to obtain the same or similar therapeutic effect or effects . administration of the presently useful compounds for use in the methods of this invention can include , but are not limited to , oral , parenteral , topical , intra - articular and other modes of systemic administration . the compounds are administered in a therapeutically effective amount either alone or in combination with a suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient . depending on the intended mode of administration , the presently useful compound or compounds may be incorporated in any pharmaceutically acceptable dosage form , such as for example , tablets , suppositories , pills , capsules , powders , liquids , suspensions , emulsions , aerosols or the like , preferably in unit dosage forms suitable for single administration of precise dosages , or sustained release dosage forms for continuous controlled administration . preferably , the dosage form will include a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient and the presently useful compound or compounds and , in addition , may contain other medicinal agents , pharmaceutical agents , carriers , adjutants , etc . for solid dosage forms , non - toxic solid carriers include , but are not limited to , pharmaceutical grades of mannitol , lactose , starch , magnesium stearate , sodium saccharin , the polyalkylene glycols , talcum , cellulose , glucose , sucrose and magnesium carbonate . an example of a solid dosage form for carrying out the invention is a suppository containing propylene glycol as the carrier . liquid pharmaceutically administrable dosage forms can , for example , comprise a solution or suspension of one or more of the presently useful compounds and optional pharmaceutical adjutants in a carrier , such as for example , water , saline , aqueous dextrose , glycerol , ethanol and the like , to thereby form a solution or suspension . if desired , the pharmaceutical composition to be administered may also contain minor amounts of nontoxic auxiliary substances such as wetting or emulsifying agents , ph buffering agents and the like . typical examples of such auxiliary agents are sodium acetate , sorbitan monolaurate , triecthanolamine , sodium acetate , triethanolamine oleate , etc . actual methods of preparing such dosage forms are known , or will be apparent , to those skilled in this art ; for example , see remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , mack publishing company , easton , pa ., 16th edition , 1980 . the composition of the formulation to be administered , in any event , contains a quantity of one or more of the presently useful compounds in an amount effective to provide the desired therapeutic effect . parenteral administration is generally characterized by injection , either subcutaneously , intramuscularly or intravenously . injectables can be prepared in conventional forms , either as liquid solutions or suspensions , solid forms suitable for solution or suspension in liquid prior to injection , or as emulsions . suitable excipients are , for example , water , saline , dextrose , glycerol , ethanol and the like . in addition , if desired , the injectable pharmaceutical compositions to be administered may also contain minor amounts of non - toxic auxiliary substances such as wetting or emulsifying agents , ph buffering agents and the like . the amount of the presently useful compound or compounds administered is , of course , dependent on the therapeutic effect or effects desired , on the specific mammal being treated , on the severity and nature of the mammal &# 39 ; s condition , on the manner of administration , on the potency and pharmacodynamics of the particular compound or compounds employed , and on the judgement of the prescribing physician . the therapeutically effective dosage of the presently useful compound or compounds is preferably in the range of about 0 . 5 or about 1 to about 100 mg / kg / day . the presently useful compounds are as described above . the presently useful compounds may be prepared in accordance with the procedures described in danielelwicz , et al u . s . pat . no . 3 , 890 , 319 for the production of the quinoxaline derivatives therein . this patent is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein . briefly , the presently useful 2 - imidazolin - 2 - ylamino quinoxaline derivatives may be prepared by ( 1 ) reaction of the appropriate amino - quinoxaline with thiophosgene to form the corresponding isothiocyanate ; and ( 2 ) reacting this isothiocyanate with excess ethylene diamine to form the corresponding beta - aminoethyl - thioureidoquinoxaline , which is then cyclized to the corresponding derivative . alternately , such derivatives can be prepared by ( 1 ) reacting the corresponding aminoquinoxaline with benzoyl isothiocyanate to form the corresponding n - benzoyl thioureido compound , followed by hydrolysis to the thioureido compound , or reaction of the aminoquinoxaline with ammonium thiocyanate to form the thioureido compound directly ; ( 2 ) methylation to form the s - methyl derivative of the thioureido compound ; and ( 3 ) reaction with ethylene diamine to form the derivative . for derivatives in which the r 3 group is to be alkyl , the corresponding bromo derivative can be produced and than subjected to an alkylation reaction in which the bromo group is replaced by the desired alkyl group . this alkylation reaction is conveniently conducted using an alkylation agent , such as an alkyl metallic component , e . g ., alkyl stannane , in the presence of a platinum group metal - containing catalyst . for example , if it is desired to substitute a methyl group for the bromo group , the bromo derivative is contacted with tetramethyl tin in the presence of a palladium - containing catalyst , e . g ., ( ph 3 p ) 2 pdcl 2 , at conditions to effect the desired alkylation or substitution . the following non - limiting examples illustrate certain aspects of the present invention . to a suspension of 4 - nitrophenylenediamine ( aldrich , 10 g , 65 . 3 mmol ) in absolute ethanol ( 240 ml ) was added 600 mg of 10 % by weight palladium on charcoal catalyst . the container including the suspension was evacuated and filled with hydrogen three times and the suspension was hydrogenated at 18 psi until hydrogen uptake ceased . the reaction was slightly exothermic and one refill of hydrogen was required . the resulting light yellow solution , which darkens rapidly on contact with air , was filtered and concentrated to about 150 ml . concentrated hydrochloric acid ( 12 ml ) was added and the solid formed was filtered off . after drying in vacuo overnight , 12 g ( a yield of 93 %) of purple solid was obtained , m . p . 224 °- 5 ° c . using various analytical procedures , this solid was determined to be 1 , 2 , 4 - triaminobenzene - dihydrochloride . glyoxal sodium bisulfite adduct ( aldrich , 14 . 3 g , 50 mmol ) was added in small portions to a solution of 1 , 2 , 4 - triaminobenzene dihydrochloride ( 9 . 8 g , 50 mmol ) in 200 ml of 10 % by weight sodium carbonate in water . the reaction mixture was heated to 100 ° c . for two hours and then cooled to 0 ° c . the crystals formed were filtered off and dried in vacuo to give a crude yield of 7 . 06 g ( a yield of 97 %) of brown crystals . recrystallization from benzene gave 6 . 32 g ( a yield of 87 %) yellow crystals , m . p . 157 °- 8 ° c . using various analytical procedures , these yellow crystals were determined to be 6 - aminoquinoxaline . 6 - aminoquinoxaline ( 1 . 00 g , 7 . 5 mmol ) was suspended in 15 ml of water and thiophosgene ( 0 . 64 ml , 8 . 4 mmol ) was added in small portions with vigorous stirring . the starting material dissolved and after 2 hours the red color of the solution was discharged . the solid formed was removed by vacuum filtration and washed with water . the crude isothiocyanate thus obtained was used without further purification . a solution of the isothiocyanate in benzene ( 70 ml ) was contacted with ethylenediamine ( aldrich , 2 . 71 g , 45 mmol ) in 10 ml of benzene at 25 ° c . for 30 minutes . after stirring for an additional 30 minutes , the supernatant was poured off . the crude thiourea thus obtained was washed three ( 3 ) times with 10 ml dry ether and used directly for the next step . the crude product was dissolved in 30 ml of dry methanol and the dark green solution was heated at reflux for 15 hours until hydrogen sulfide gas was no longer evolved . the mixture was cooled to room temperature and concentrated in vacuo . the resulting dark green solid was chromatographed ( sio 2 , 90 / 10 chcl 3 / ch 3 oh saturated with nh 3 ( g )) to yield a dark green solid which was recrystallized from ch 3 oh to yield 1 . 11 g of the title compound as a light green crystalline solid , mp 232 °- 234 ° c . the yield was 70 %. the compound was characterized by 1 h and 13 cnmr , ir and mass spectral analysis . 6 - aminoquinoxaline ( 2 . 08 g , 14 . 4 mmol ) was dissolved in 11 . 5 ml glacial acetic acid . the solution was cooled in water while a solution of bromine ( 0 . 74 ml , 2 . 3 g , 14 . 4 mmol ) in 1 . 5 ml glacial acetic acid was added slowly over 15 min ., after stirring for an additional 30 min , the orange red solid formed was filtered off and washed thoroughly with dry ether . the solid was dried in vacuo overnight to yield 4 . 44 g crude product ( a yield of 100 %). the compound , 6 - amino - 5 - bromoquinoxaline hydrobromide , had no definite melting point . a phase change ( from fine powder to red crystals ) was noticed at about 220 ° c . decomposition was observed at about 245 ° c . it was used directly for the next step . the crude 6 - amino - 5 - bromoquinoxaline from above was dissolved in water and saturated sodium bisulfite solution was added until the resulting solution tested negative with starch - iodide paper . the solution was then basified with 2n sodium hydroxide and extracted thoroughly with ethyl acetate . the organic extract was dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under reduced pressure to give the free base . the crude product was recrystallized from boiling benzene to give yellow crystals , m . p . 155 °- 6 ° c . using various analytical procedures , the yellow crystals were determined to be 6 - amino - 5 - bromoquinoxaline . the yield was 82 %. the crude hydrobromide product previously noted ( 4 . 27 g , 14 . 0 mmol ) was dissolved in 60 ml of water and thiophosgene ( aldrich , 1 . 28 ml , 16 . 8 mmol ) was added in small portions with vigorous stirring . after 2 hours , the red color of the solution was discharged . the solid formed was filtered off and washed thoroughly with water . after drying in vacuo at 25 ° c ., 3 . 38 g ( a yield of 90 %) of brick red crystals was obtained , m . p . 157 °- 8 ° c . a portion of this material was further purified by column chromatography to give white crystals , m . p . 157 °- 8 ° c . using various analytical procedures , these crystals were determined to be 5 - bromo - 6 - isothiocyanatoquinoxaline . a solution of the isothiocyanate ( 3 . 25 g , 12 . 2 mmol ) in 145 ml benzene was added to a solution of ethylenediamine ( aldrich , 5 . 43 g , 90 . 0 mmol ) in 18 ml benzene at 25 ° c . over 2 hours . after stirring for a further 30 min ., the supernatant was poured off . the oil which remained was washed by swirling with dry ether three times and used directly for the next step . a portion of this product was further purified by column chromatography ( sio 2 , chcl 3 ) for characterization . a white solid was recovered which decomposed at 175 ° c . with gas evolution ( puffing ). this white solid was determined to be 5 - bromo - 6 (- n - 2 -( aminoethyl ) thioureido ) quinoxaline . the crude product from above was dissolved in 100 ml dry methanol and the brown solution was refluxed for 19 hours until hydrogen sulfide gas was no longer evolved . the mixture was cooled to room temperature and concentrated to about 50 ml . the yellow solid was filtered off and dried in vacuo ; weight 2 . 52 g ( a yield of 70 %), mp 242 °- 4 ° c . as the crude product was insoluble in most common organic solvents , initial purification was achieved by an acid - base extraction procedure . 23 g of the crude product was dissolved in 100 ml 0 . 5n hydrochloric acid . the turbid yellow solution was filtered to give a clear orange yellow solution which was extracted twice with ethyl acetate ( 2 × 10 ml ). the aqueous phase was cooled to 0 ° c . and basified with 6n sodium hydroxide , keeping the temperature of the solution below 15 ° c . at all times . the yellow solid which precipitated was filtered off and washed thoroughly with water until the washings were neutral to ph paper . the solid was dried overnight in vacuo to give 1 . 97 g yellow solid , m . p . 249 °- 50 ° c . the recovery was about 88 %. further purification was achieved by recrystallization as described below . the partially purified product from above was dissolved in n , n - dimethylforamide ( about 17 ml / g ) at 100 ° c . with vigorous stirring . the solution was filtered hot and set aside to cool overnight . the bright yellow crystals were collected by filtration , m . p . 252 °- 3 ° c . recovery was from 65 - 77 %. using various analytical procedures , the bright yellow solid was determined to be 5 - bromo - 6 -( 2 - imidazolin - 2 - ylamino ) quinoxaline . a sealable reaction tube was charged with 5 - bromo - 6 -( 2 - imidazolin - 2 - ylamino ) quinoxaline ( 104 mg ., 0 . 36 mmol ) ( prepared as noted above ), tetramethyl tin ( 214 mg ., 1 . 2 mmol ) and ( ph 3 p ) 2 pdcl 2 ( 10 mg ) and dry dimethylformamide ( 2 ml ) in a reaction tube . the reaction mixture was purged with dry nitrogen gas . the tube was sealed and heated to 145 ° c . for 6 hours . the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and the solvent removed in vacuo . the dark brown residue was chromatographed ( sio 2 ; 5 / 1 chcl 3 / ch 3 oh saturated with nh 3 ( g )) to yield 46 . 5 mg ( 53 %) of the title compound as a light yellow solid . an analytical sample was prepared by recrystallization from chcl 3 / ch 3 oh and had a melting point of 183 °- 186 ° c . the title compound was characterized by 1 h and 13 cnmr , ir and mass spectral analysis . a solution of pyruvic aldehyde ( aldrich , 40 % solution in h 2 o , 11 . 8 g , 65 . 3 mmol ) was added dropwise to a solution of 4 - nitro - 1 , 2 - phenylenediamine ( aldrich , 10 g , 65 . 3 mmol ) in 150 ml of h 2 o . the reaction mixture was heated to 80 ° c . for four hours . the reaction was cooled to room temperature , diluted with water and extracted with chcl 3 . the organic extracts were dried over mgso 4 and evaporated to yield 10 . 7 g ( a yield of 87 %) of as a brick red solid . using various analytical procedures , this solid was determined to be 2 - methyl - 6 - nitroquinoxaline . a thick - walled parr hydrogenation flask was charged with 2 - methyl - 6 - nitroquinoxaline ( 10 . 0 g , 52 . 9 ) and ch 3 oh ( 200 ml ). the flask was flushed with a stream of nitrogen and 10 % by weight palladium on charcoal ( 500 mg ) was added . the flask was pressurized with hydrogen to 50 psi and maintained at this pressure for three ( 3 ) hours . the reaction mixture was filtered and washed through silicon dioxide and concentrated in vacuo to yield a tan solid . the crude material was chromatographed ( sio 2 ; 95 / 5 chcl 3 / ch 3 oh saturated with nh 3 ( g )) and recrystallized from benzene to yield 7 . 4 g ( a yield of 88 %) of a tan solid . using various analytical procedures , this tan solid was determined to be 2 - methyl - 6 - aminoquinoxaline . by a series of reaction steps analogous to the reaction steps described above in example 2 to produce 5 - bromo - 6 -( 2 - imidazolin - 2 - ylamino ) quinoxaline , the title compound ( mp . 260 ° c .) was prepared starting with 2 - methyl - 6 - aminoquinoxaline in place of 6 - aminoquinoxaline . pyruvic aldehyde ( aldrich , 892 mg , 4 . 95 mmol , 40 % solution h 2 o ) was added dropwise to a stirred solution of 1 , 2 , 4 - triaminobenzene hydrochloride ( 1 . 0 g , 4 . 95 mmol ) dissolved in 10 % aqueous na 2 co 3 ( 15 ml ). the mixture was heated at 100 ° c . for two hours before cooling to room temperature . the mixture was extracted with chcl 3 . the combined organic extracts were dried over mgso 4 and concentrated in vacuo to yield a brown solid . the crude product was chromatographed ( sio 2 , 95 / 5 chcl 3 / ch 3 oh saturated with nh 3 ( g )) to yield 616 mg ( a yield of 75 %) of a yellow crystalline solid . an analytical sample was prepared by recrystallization from benzene , mp 170 °- 173 ° c . using various analytical procedures , the solid was determined to be 3 - methyl - 6 - aminoquinoxaline . by a series of reaction steps analogous to the reaction steps described above in example 2 to produce 5 - bromo - 6 -( 2 imidazolin - 2 - ylamino ) quinoxaline , the title compound ( mp & gt ; 260 ° c .) was prepared starting with 3 - methyl - 6 - aminoquinoxaline in place of 6 - aminoquinoxaline . 2 , 3 - butanedione ( 7 . 03 g , 81 . 7 mmol ) was added to a solution of 1 , 2 , 4 - triaminobenzene hydrochloride ( 16 . 5 g , 81 . 7 mmol ) in aqueous 10 % na 2 co 3 ( 200 ml ). the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 15 minutes during which time a yellow precipitate formed . the reaction mixture was stirred for an additional 30 minutes before collecting the solid by vacuum filtration . the solid was washed with water , dried in vacuo and chromatographed ( sio 2 , ethylacetate ) to yield 11 . 7 g ( 86 %) of a tan solid , mp 185 °- 186 ° c . using various analytical procedures , this solid was determined to be 2 , 3 - dimethyl - 6 - aminoquinoxaline . by a series of reaction steps analogous to the reaction steps described above in example 2 to produce 5 - bromo - 6 -( 2 - imidazolin - 2 - ylamino ) quinoxaline , the title compound ( mp 252 °- 254 ° c .) was prepared starting with 2 , 3 - dimethyl - 6 - aminoquinoxaline in place of 6 - aminoquinoxaline . the final quinoxaline derivative produced in example 2 , that is 5 - bromo - 6 -( 2 - imidazolin - 2 - ylamino ) quinoxaline , was tested for central nervous system anesthetization activity as follows . two ( 2 ) animal models were utilized to determine the central nervous system anesthetization activity of the quinoxaline derivative produced in example 2 . the first of these animal models is identified generally as the mouse hexobarbital sleep time test . briefly , the compound in question ( in a dosage range of between 10 and 500 micrograms / kg , i . v .) and the barbiturate hexobarbital ( 75 mg / kg , i . p ) are coadministered to mice weighing 20 to 22 grams . the hexobarbital produces sleep which lasts for 10 to 14 minutes . compounds which have central nervous system anesthetization activity potentiate the sleep time induced by hexobarbital . sleep time is assessed as the time associated with the loss of the animal &# 39 ; s reflex to right itself when placed on its back the ed 15 is estimated from dose - response data as the effective dose which potentiates sleep time by 15 minutes . the second animal model used is identified generally as the rat activity test . briefly , rats weighing 140 to 160 grams are placed into an environmentally isolated activity monitor five ( 5 ) minutes following administration of the compound in question ( in the range of 1 to 1000 micrograms / kg , i . v .). horizontal activity , measured in counts is determined for five ( 5 ) minutes . a dose - related loss of activity is obtained and fitted to an algorithm to estimate the id 50 which is the dose which decreases activity by 50 %. the final quinoxaline derivative produced in example 2 was tested using both of the above - noted animal models . for comparison purposes , clonidine and its hydrophilic analog , p - amillo - clonidine , were also tested using these animal models . ______________________________________ ed . sub . 15 ( μg / kg ) id . sub . 50 ( μg / kg ) compound mouse sleep - time rat activity______________________________________clonidine 75 26p - amino clonidine & gt ; 500 302example 2 116 77______________________________________ these data demonstrate that the quinoxaline derivative produced in example 2 has substantial central nervous system anesthetization activity . in particular , the example 2 compound has a similar degree of such activity as clonidine , which is known to exhibit significant anesthetization activity , and has substantially more of such activity than the hydrophilic analog of clonidine . the final quinoxaline derivative produced in each of examples 1 to 6 is tested for activity as follows . new zealand white rabbits ( 2 - 3 kg ) are killed by co 2 inhalation and the vasa deferentia is removed . the prostatic ends of the vasa deferentia ( 2 - 3 cm lengths ) are mounted between platinum ring electrodes in 9 ml organ baths and bathed in irebs bicarbonate solution of the following composition ( millimolar ): nacl 118 . 0 ; kcl 4 . 7 ; cacl 2 2 . 5 ; mgso 4 1 . 2 ; kh 2 po 4 1 . 2 ; glucose 11 . 0 ; nahco 3 25 . 0 ; which solution is maintained at 35 ° c . and bubbled with 95 % o 2 and 5 % co 2 . the initial tension of the vas deferens is 0 . 5 g . the tissues are left to equilibrate for 30 minutes before stimulation is started . vasa are then field stimulated ( 0 . 1 hz , 2 ms pulse width at 90 ma ) using a square wave stimulator ( wpi a310 accupulser with a385 stimulus ). the contractions of the tissue are recorded isometrically using grass ft03 force - displacement transducers and displayed on a grass model 7d polygraph . a cumulative concentration - response relationship is obtained for the quinoxaline derivative being tested with a 4 minute contact time at each concentration . each of the final quinoxaline derivatives of examples 1 to 5 is effective to reduce the response height . therefore , such compounds may be properly classified as alpha 2 agonists since they are also inhibited pharmacologically by treatment with rauwolscine . each of the final quinoxaline derivatives produced in examples 1 to 6 is tested for renal and blood pressure effects using the following method . young male ( 20 - 24 weeks old ) sprague - dawley rats are used . under ketamine ( 60 mg / kg b . wt . i . m .) and pentobarbital ( i . p . to effect ) anesthesia , medical grade plastic tubes are implanted into the abdominal aorta and vena cava via the femoral vessels . in addition , a silastic - covered stainless steel cannula is sewn in the urinary bladder . after the surgery , the rats are housed individually and are allowed free access to food and water until the day of the experiment . for about 7 to 10 days before surgery and during recovery , the rats are accustomed to a restraining cage by placement in the cage for 2 to 3 hours every 2nd and 3rd day . the cage is designed for renal clearance studies ( a model g restrainer sold by braintree scientific , inc ., braintree , mass .). the animals &# 39 ; adjustment to the cage is judged by the stability of blood pressure and heart rate . for an experiment , a rat is placed in the restraining cage , and the arterial line is connected to a statham pressure transducer and a beckman dynograph r61 to monitor the mean arterial blood pressure , hereinafter referred to as map . the venous line is connected to an infusion pump system for infusion of replacement fluid . the quinoxaline derivative is administered intraduodenally by cannula . the bladder cannula was extended with a silastic tube to facilitate collection of urine in preweighed tubes . the volume of urine is measured gravimetrically . body weight is recorded before and after the experiment . throughout the experiments , 0 . 9 % nacl containing 10 % polyfructosan ( inutest ) and 1 % sodium pah is infused at a rate of 20 microliters / min . an equilibration period of 60 minutes is followed by two consecutive 30 minute control clearance periods . then , the quinoxaline derivative is administered for 90 minutes . urine collection is resumed 10 minutes after the start of quinoxaline derivative administration . by this time the washout of the bladder cannula dead space ( approximately 200 microliters ) is completed . three additional clearance measurements are made . blood samples ( 150 microliters ) are collected at the midpoint of urine collections . plasma is separated and saved for analyses , and the cells are resuspended in saline and returned to the animals . water and sodium loss is carefully replaced i . v . by a variable speed infusion pump . results of these tests indicate that the present quinoxaline derivatives produce renal effects , e . g ., increased renal fluid flow . the effect on blood pressure of such derivatives is limited relative to such renal effects . each of the final quinoxaline derivative produced in examples 1 to 6 is tested for anti - diarrheal effects and blood pressure effects using the following method . cecectomies are performed in unfasted rats in a conventional manner . the cecectomized rats are put into individual wire - bottomed cages placed over sheets of clean paper , and deprived of food and water for the duration of the assay . the map is monitored , as described in examples 17 to 20 , throughout the assay . rats are given a 2 hour acclimatization period prior to the start of the assay in order to eliminate sporadic episodes of anxiety - induced defecation . during this period they are observed also for consistent occurrences of pelleted feces ; an animal producing other than a pelleted stool is disqualified from the study . diarrhea is induced with oral administration of 16 , 16 - dimethyl prostaglandin e 2 ( dmpge 2 ) in 3 . 5 % etoh . the quinoxaline derivative is administered by gavage after the onset of diarrheal episodes . the cage papers are removed and examined at 30 minute intervals for dmpge 2 - induced diarrhea . fecal output is recorded at each interval and fecal consistency is assigned a numerical score in each experimental group as follows : 1 = normal pelleted stool ; 2 = soft - formed stools ; 3 = water stool and / or diarrhea . the fecal output index ( foi ) is defined as the summation of the number of defecation episodes and their ranked consistency score within an observation period . results of these tests indicate that each of the final quinoxaline derivatives produced in examples 1 to 5 provides substantial anti - diarrheal effects . further , such anti - diarrheal effects are produced with relatively limited effects on blood pressure . while this invention has been described with respect to various specific examples and embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and that it can be variously practiced within the scope of the following claims . | 0Human Necessities
|
referring more particularly to the drawings , fig1 - 4 illustrate the various steps for making the composite article of the present invention , with the article being best shown in fig5 wherein it is identified in its entirety by the reference numeral 10 . fig1 shows the first step for manufacturing the composite article 10 as being the mixing of a slurry 12 , or emulsion , in a suitable container 13 . the slurry 12 is a mixture of approximately 50 % mold cleaning moldable compound 14 and an aqueous liquid , or water 16 . it is to be understood that the mixture ratio presented above is juxt a suggested ratio which has been found to be quite satisfactory , but the ratio may be varied as desired . a suitable agitation device 18 is used to accomplish the initial mixing and to maintain the desired emulsified state of the slurry . as is well known in the art , some synthetic resin molding materials , such as for example , epoxy resin , will stain or otherwise leave residues in the molds use in forming such materials into usable products . other synthetic resin molding material will not stain or leave residues in the molds and will , in fact , actually clean the molds by being subjected to a molding operation in molds which are contaminated as a result of previous molding operations . this latter general type of synthetic resin molding material is the type used in forming the composite article 10 , and such resins are generally referred to herein as &# 34 ; mold cleaning moldable compounds &# 34 ;. a particular mold cleaning moldable compound in general use for this purpose is a compression grade of melamine known as polyset compound 158 / 92 available from morton chemical , 1275 lake avenue , woodstock , illinois , 60098 , a division of morton thiokol , inc . the polyset compound 158 / 92 is a rapid curing , non - abrasive cellulose filled , amino molding compound which is ideal for use in the formation of the composite article 10 and for use in the method of the present invention . compound 158 / 92 is available in a granulated , or powdered , form and is also available in a light color , such as white , for easy visual recognition of stain removal . therefore , compound 158 / 92 , in this particular form , is the preferred mold cleaning moldable compound 14 which is used to accomplish the above described first step of the method of the present invention . the next step of the instant method is to cut or otherwise form a carrier sheet 20 to a predetermined size , as determined by the molds to be cleaned , as will hereinafter be described in detail . the carrier sheet 20 is then dipped or otherwise emersed in the slurry 12 , as indicated in fig2 so as to impregnate or otherwise deposit a slurry coating 22 on all of the surfaces of the carrier sheet 20 . it is preferred that the carrier sheet 20 be formed of a suitable resin , such as polyester , to provide a non - woven carrier sheet having fabric , or cloth - like characteristics . it has been found that when the carrier sheet 20 is formed of such materials and has the above mentioned charactristics , the mold cleaning moldable compound 14 will adhere to the carrier sheet 20 , and the sheet is otherwise ideally suited for the intended purpose as will hereinafter be discussed . further , it has been found that the carrier sheet 20 having an approximate thickness of 3 mm in the uncompressed state work well in most , if not all mold cleaning operations . when the carrier sheet 20 has been provided with the slurry coating 22 in the above described manner , it is then passed through or otherwise treated , in a suitable sizing device 24 such as the rollers shown in fig3 . the sizing device 24 is employed to level , screed , or otherwise provide the slurry coating 22 with a uniform thickness on the opposed planar surfaces of the carrier sheet 20 . the thickness of the slurry coating 22 upon completion of the above described sizing step , is predetermined in accordance with the molds to be cleaned . in otherwords , the number and size of the various cavities , runners , gates and other recesses of the molds will determine how much of the mold cleaning moldable compound 14 will be needed to properly clean the mold . the final step in fabricating the composite article 10 is that of drying the slurry coating 22 and the carrier sheet 20 and that may be accomplished in any number of well known ways . for example , air may be directed from suitable nozzles 26 onto the slurry coating 22 and the encapsulated carrier sheet 20 , as indicated in fig4 . when air drying in this manner is used , it is preferred that relatively warm air is used at the initial stages of the drying process with the air temperature being gradually lowered as the drying operation progresses . when the drying step is completed , the composite article 10 is ready for use in a mold cleaning operation . it will be apparent as this description progresses that the composite article 10 will undergo some changes during the mold cleaning process to be hereinafter described . therefore , for descriptive purposes , the composite article 10 prior to its being used for mold cleaning purposes will hereinafter be referred to as an uncured mat 10 . as best seen in fig5 the uncured mat 10 is a relatively smooth planar structure having the carrier sheet 20 incapsulated in the dried coating 28 of the mold cleaning moldable compound 14 . as hereinbefore mentioned , the uncured mat 10 can be used in various types of molds such as compression molds , transfer molds and any other platen - type mold . to insure a clear understanding of the method for cleaning molds of the present invention , a typical transfer type mold set is shown in fig6 and 7 and will now be described . the illustrated mold set includes a bottom mold 30 and a top mold 32 which are specifically designed to accomplish an encapsulating process wherein integrated circuit chips ( not shown ) are encapsulated in suitable packages . as is well known in the art , a plurality of discreet integrated circuit chips ( not shown ) are bonded in an aligned spaced side - by - side relationship on an elongated thin metallic strip ( not shown ) which is commonly referred to as a &# 34 ; leadframe &# 34 ;. the bottom and top molds 30 and 32 are designed to receive two such leadframes and accomplish encapsulation of the plural chips mounted thereon . the bottom mold 30 includes a mold base 33 having a bottom die 34 mounted in the upper surface thereof in a manner well known in the art . the die 24 is machined or otherwise formed to define a centrally aligned row of material receiving cavities 35 each having runners 36 extending therefrom into communication with the inside edges of four different upwardly opening recesses 38 . the recesses 38 lie in longitudinally extending rows on opposite sides of the central cavities 35 and each recess 38 has a vent passage 39 extending from its opposite edge . a chamber 40 is formed in the mold base 33 below the die 34 and an ejector mechanism 42 is located therein . the ejector mechanism 42 operates in a manner well known in the art to eject completed products from the bottom mold upon completion of each molding cycle . for that purpose , the ejector mechanism 42 includes a plurality of centrally located ejector pins 44 ( one shown ), with there being one of such centrally located ejector pins 44 for each of the material receiving cavities 35 . the ejector mechanism 42 further includes a plurality of auxiliary ejector pins 46 , a pair of which is located on opposite sides of each of the centrally located ejector pins 44 . as shown , the centrally located ejector pins 44 extend upwardly through the die 34 and provide the bottoms of their respective ones of the material receiving cavities 35 . the auxiliary ejector pins 46 extend upwardly through the die 34 and have the uppermost ends flush with the top surface of the die . the top surface of the die 34 , and the laterally disposed top surfaces of the mold base 33 which are flush with the top surface of the die , cooperatively form what is commonly referred to as the parting surface 48 of the bottom mold . when the above described ejector mechanism 42 is operated from its illustrated retracted position to its ejection position , the central ejector pins 44 will move up in the central cavities 35 and the auxiliary ejector pins 46 will simultaneously move up therewith so that their top ends will extend above the parting surface 48 of the bottom mold 30 . the top mold 32 is provided with a mold base 50 having an upper die 52 mounted in the lower surface thereof . the downwardly facing surface of the upper die 52 and the laterally disposed surfaces of the mold base 50 , cooperatively form the parting surface 54 of the top mold 32 . the upper die 52 is formed with a centrally extending row of openings 55 each of which is disposed to align with a different one of the material receiving cavities 35 of the bottom mold 30 when the top mold 32 and bottom mold 30 are in the closed position as shown in fig7 . the upper die 52 is also formed with a plurality of downwardly opening recesses 56 which lie in rows on opposite sides of the openings 55 thereof . each of the recesses 56 aligns with a different one of the recesses 38 of the bottom mold 30 when the molds are closed as in fig7 . as shown in fig7 each of the openings 55 ( one shown in fig7 ) is defined by the lower end of a bore 58 that is formed through the top mold 32 , and a plunger 60 is demountably and slidable mounted in the bore . a chamber 62 is formed in the mold base 50 above the die 52 and an ejector mechanism 64 is provided in the chamber . the mechanism 64 includes two spaced apart rows of ejector pins 65 ( two shown ) which extend down through the mold base 50 and the upper die 52 so that the depending ends of these ejector pins 65 are flush with the parting surface 54 of the top mold 32 in the illustrated retracted position thereof . as in the case of the ejector mechanism 42 of the bottom mold 30 , the ejector mechanism 64 of the top mold 32 is moved to an extended position to eject molded products from the top mold . in a conventional molding operation , a pair of the hereinbefore discussed leadframes ( not shown ) are placed in a side - by - side relationship on the parting surface 48 of the bottom mold 30 so that they overlay different ones of the rows of recesses 38 thereof which each of the discreet integrated circuit chips ( not shown ) being located over a different one of those recesses . the top mold 32 is then placed atop the bottom mold 30 so that each of the circuit chips ( not shown ) will lie in the space defined by different aligned recesses 38 and 56 of the bottom and top molds respectively . when so assembled , the bottom and top mold 30 and 32 are clamped together by any suitable means as indicated at 68 in fig7 . the hereinbefore mentioned plungers 60 are extracted from the top mold 32 and the epoxy molding compound , usually in pellet form ( not shown ) are dropped through the top mold into each of the material receiving central cavities 35 of the bottom mold 30 . the plungers 60 are then reinserted and a downwardly force is applied to the plungers 60 . this force in addition to the heat of the molds changes the state of the epoxy molding compound from a solid to a molten state , and the force applied by the plungers 60 causes the molten epoxy to flow from the cavities 35 through the runners 36 into the spaces defined by the recesses 38 and 56 of the bottom and top molds . upon curing , the molten epoxy materials return to the solid state and the encapsulated products ( not shown ) are ejected in the previously described manner form the opened , or separated mold halves . the above described molding cycle is repeated on an ongoing production basis and the molds need to be periodically cleaned as hereinbefore discussed . to accomplish the mold cleaning method of the present invention , the uncured mat 10 is placed on the parting surface 48 of the bottom mold 30 . as previously mentioned , the carrier sheet 20 is cut into a predetermined size suitable for use in the particular mold set to be cleaned . in the illustrated example , the carrier sheet 20 is cut so that it completely overlays the upper surface of the lower die 34 such as is indicated in dashed lines at 70 in fig6 . the top mold 32 is then placed atop the bottom mold 30 so that the uncured mat 10 is interposed between the parting surfaces 48 and 54 of the bottom and top molds 30 and 32 respectively , as indicated in fig7 . when assembled in this manner , the molds are clamped together , such as by operation of the clamping means 68 with the clamping force being of reduced value in comparison with the forces applied during a conventional molding operation . as is the case in conventional molding operations , the heat of the molds will change the dried coatings 28 on the uncured mat 10 into a molten state and the molten mold cleaning moldable compound will flow into the various cavities , runners and other recesses of the molds 30 and 32 as a result of the compressive forces applied thereon by the clamped together molds . it is to be understood that not all of the molten compound will be squeezed into the various recesses and cavities of the molds . some of that compound will stay in place on the carrier sheet 20 for cleaning of the parting surfaces 48 and 54 of the molds . when the mold cleaning moldable compound cures , it will return to the solid state and is then ready to be ejected from the molds much in the same manner as the hereinbefore discussed ejection of molded products of a production operation . when this is to be accomplished , the molds are unclamped and the molds are opened and the ejector mechanisms 42 and 64 of the bottom and top molds 30 and 32 are operated . when this takes place , the composite article , which has now been changed into what may be referred to as the &# 34 ; cured &# 34 ; mat 10a . the cured mat 10a , as seen in fig8 and 9 , is now a rigidified structure which is reinforced against breakage by virtue of the carrier sheet 20 embedded therein . the cured mat 10a is an exact but reversed image of the mold set in which it was cured . in otherwords , the upper surface 71 of the cured mat 10a has block shaped protrusions 72 at each location where the molten compound flowed into the recesses 56 of the top mold 32 and substantially cylindrical protrusions 74 in the areas of the openings 55 of the top mold . the opposite surface 75 of the cured mat 10a is similarly provided with appropriately shaped protrusions , such as the block shaped protrusion 76 shown in fig9 . the other protrusions ( not shown ) on the opposite surface 75 of the cured mat 10a will match the configurations of the centrally located row of material receiving cavities 35 , runners 36 , and vent passages 39 of the bottom mold 30 . as hereinbefore mentioned , the molten molding compound 14 will be squeezed between the parting surfaces of the mold halves . the original thickness , e . g . prior to squeezing , of the uncured molding material is indicated in dashed lines 78 in fig9 . due to the squeezing , the areas of the cured mat 10a which do not overlay the various recesses and cavities of the bottom mold or underlay the various recesses and cavities of the top mold during the above described mold cleaning operation , will be of reduced thickness and will clean the parting surfaces 48 and 54 of the molds and the various protrusions will clean the recesses , cavities and other recessed surfaces of the molds . in that the mold cleaning moldable compound 14 has a natural affinity for the stains and residues left in the molds by production molding operations , the stains and residues cleaned out of the molds by the above described method will be disposed on the surfaces of the cured mat 10a . therefore , the removed stains and residues will be readily apparent on the surfaces of the cured mat 10a due to the light color of the molding compound 14 . further , since the cured mat 10a is an exact reverse image of the interior configuration of the mold set , it can be visually inspected for mold damage at the same time as it is being visually inspected for stain and residue removal . it will be understood that proper cleaning of a contaminated mold set may require that the above described mold cleaning operation be accomplished several times with the number of times being determined by the extent of the contamination of the particular mold set being cleaned . complete cleaning of a mold set is easily determined . when a cured mat 10a is visually inspected and is found to be free of removed stains and residues , the particular mold cleaning operation which produced the clean cured mat 10a will be the last cleaning operation required . while the principles of the invention have now been made clear in the illustrated embodiments , there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art , many modifications of structure , arrangements , proportions , the elements , materials and components used in the practice of the invention and otherwise , which are particularly adapted for specific environments and operation requirements without departing from those principles . the appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
the container 1 depicted in fig1 comprises a body 2 , one end of which is closed by an end wall 3 and the other end of which ends in a neck 4 , a free edge 5 of which delimits an opening 6 . the exterior surface of the neck 4 has a screw thread 7 capable , as will be seen in greater detail later , of cooperating with a corresponding screw thread ( 11 , fig2 a ) of a closure 10 . in this embodiment , the closure 10 has an internal part 12 arranged inside an outer cover 13 . the internal part 12 may be mounted inside the outer covering 13 by bonding , welding or snap - fastening . the internal part 12 has a transverse wall 14 , the edge of which is bent at 90 ° to form a lateral skirt 15 , on the internal surface of which is the screw thread 11 . the lateral skirt has two diametrically opposed slots 24 , 25 located in the vicinity of the zone where the transverse wall 14 and the lateral skirt 15 meet , and which will be discussed in greater detail later . fig2 a and 2b illustrate the part 12 of the closure 10 in greater detail . as mentioned earlier , this part 12 comprises an end wall or transverse wall 14 , the edge of which is bent at 90 ° to form a lateral skirt 15 . the internal surface of the lateral skirt 15 bears a screw thread 11 , formed of two parts 20 , 21 separated by two skirt portions 22 , 23 which have no screw thread . the two portions 22 , 23 are diametrically opposed and centered on an axis x . the lateral skirt 15 also has two slots 24 , 25 passing through the thickness of the skirt 15 . the two slots 24 , 25 extend parallel to the plane of the end wall 14 , and are formed substantially where the end wall 14 and the lateral skirt 15 meet . in the embodiment depicted , the two slots 24 , 25 are centered on an axis y perpendicular to the axis x . thus , the upper edge 26 of the slot 24 delimits , with the free edge portion 27 of the skirt lying facing the slot 24 , a first elastically deformed portion 28 . likewise , the upper edge 29 of the slot 25 delimits , with the free edge portion 30 of the skirt lying facing the slot 25 , a second elastically deformed portion 31 . as depicted in fig2 b , these two portions 28 , 31 are , after release from the mold and after the material has completely cooled , flattened using an appropriate tool , so as to form two diametrically opposed flats . the flattening of these two portions 28 , 31 may produce a displacement δ of material which may range from a few tenths of a mm to several mm . after complete cooling , the two portions 28 , 31 are fixed in the position depicted in fig2 b . these two portions 28 , 31 will allow the part 12 of the closure to elastically grip the neck of the container 1 and to do so in two diametrically opposed zones , thus compensating for any clearance associated with the manufacturing tolerances of the glass screw thread 7 of the container 1 . in other words , by virtue of these two flattened portions 28 , 31 , there are produced two screw thread portions which have a diameter or radius of curvature which differs from the diameter or radius of curvature of the rest of the screw thread 11 , thus making it possible , when the part 12 is screwed onto the neck 4 of the container , to achieve a thread - locking effect and thereby ensure that the closure 10 firmly grips the container 1 . fig3 a - 3c illustrate one embodiment of the mold used for producing the portion 12 of the closure depicted in fig2 a and 2b . as is apparent from these figures , the mold consists of three parts : two lateral parts 100 , 101 , and a central part 102 . each of the lateral parts has the reliefs 103 , 104 needed to produce the portions 20 , 21 of the screw thread 11 , and to produce the slots 24 , 25 . the lateral wall 105 of the central part 102 has no reliefs . after the part 12 has been molded ( corresponding to the position of the mold as depicted in fig3 a ), the central part 102 is retracted as shown in fig3 b . next , as depicted in fig3 c , the lateral parts 101 , 103 are brought closer together so as to disengage the reliefs 103 , 104 from the corresponding recessed parts formed in the molded part , thus allowing the part 12 to be released from the mold . the part 12 , as it leaves the mold , is as depicted in fig2 a . before the material cools , the two portions 28 and 31 are flattened in the way depicted in fig2 b . the cover 13 is then snap fitted over the part 12 . according to an advantageous alternative , the flattened shape in the region of the two elastically deformed bands 28 , 31 is a direct result of molding , by giving the lateral parts 100 and 101 of the mold the corresponding flattened shape . thus , the part leaves the mold directly with the required shape . in the foregoing detailed description , reference has been made to preferred embodiments of the invention . it is obvious that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed hereinafter . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
to compare with the prior art , the advantages of the invention is obvious . the invention could adjust the frequency of the clock signal of the clock signal generator according to both the number of currently used i / o ports and the current transmission rate of the currently used i / o ports . therefore , the invention could adjust the frequency to the really required value , and need not to adjust the frequency to the upper limitation of all possibly required values . clearly , when the really required value is less than the upper limitation , the invention could lower down the frequency and then further lower down both the temperature and the power consumption . the present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments . it is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only ; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed . referring to fig2 a functional block diagram of a network switch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown . the network switch comprises a control chip 20 , a clock source 21 , and a plurality of input / output ( i / o ) ports . the control chip 20 is formed with a plurality of media access controllers ( macs ) b 1 ˜ bn , a switch matrix 200 , an embedded memory 202 , a phase - locked loop ( pll ) clock signal generator 203 and a connection - state detector 204 . for each input / output ( i / o ) port , a physical device ( phy ) a 1 ˜ an is in communication with one of the media access controller b 1 ˜ bn . via the physical layers a 1 ˜ an , the media access controllers b 1 ˜ bn communicate with the correspondingly interconnected network nodes to conduct data transmission . the switch matrix 200 controls data flows among the macs b 1 ˜ bn . the pll clock signal generator 203 provides a clock signal for various units in the control chip in response to a source clock signal sref generated by the clock source 21 in order to coordinate the operations in the control chip . the connection - state detector 204 is in communication with the media access controllers b 1 ˜ bn for realizing the connection states of the input / output ports to the network nodes . the operation principles of the network switch will be described in more details as follows . a method for optimizing frequency of a clock signal according to the present invention is illustrated with reference to the flowchart in fig3 . by means of the connection - state detector 204 , a count of the input / output ports connecting to network nodes or remaining floating is determined . in the case that the count of the input / output ports connecting thereto no network nodes is determined by the connection - state detector 204 , a subtraction operation of subtracting that count from a total count of the input / output ports included in the network switch is firstly performed to obtain the count of the input / output ports in use ( step s 31 ). taking a commonly used 24 - port network switch for example , two 10 / 100 / 1000 mb / s i / o ports ( three kinds of data transmission rates ) and twenty - two 10 / 100 mb / s i / o ports ( two kinds of data transmission rates ) are included . in practice , the 1000 mb / s network interface card has not been popular so far , so the two high - rate i / o ports are usually floating . the other twenty - two low - rate i / o ports are not occupied all the time . the connection - state detector 204 is thus used to detect the connection state of the i / o ports and the network nodes , and determine how many i / o ports are in use . accordingly , a control signal sc indicative of the count of the i / o ports in use is asserted from the connection - state detector 204 ( step s 32 ). in response to the control signal sc and the source clock signal sref generated from the clock source 21 , the pll clock signal generator 203 generates a clock signal clk operated at a certain frequency f ( step s 33 ). the connection - state detector 204 will periodically determine the connection states of the i / o ports in use ( step s 34 ). if an increasing number of input / output ports u 2 in use is determined , the clock signal generated from the pll clock signal generator 203 will have a frequency higher than f . on the other hand , if a decreasing number of input / output ports in use is determined , the clock signal generated from the pll clock signal generator 203 will have a frequency lower than f . since the clock signal clk generated from the pll clock signal generator 203 has a frequency dynamically adjusted according to the count of input / output ports currently in use , the control chip 20 can be operated at an optimal speed rather than a redundantly high speed as in the prior art . therefore , the high temperature and high power consumption problems of the network switch can be overcome . notice that it is better to smoothly performed the adjustment of the frequency of the clock signal in order to avoid possible errors resulting from the dramatically changed clock signal . in the above embodiment , a procedure for adjusting the frequency of the clock signal according to the count of the input / output ports currently in use is illustrated . alternatively , the frequency of the clock signal can also be adjusted according to an overall data transmission rate of the input / output ports in use . take the commonly used 24 - port network switch including two 10 / 100 / 1000 mb / s i / o ports ( three kinds of data transmission rates ) and twenty - two 10 / 100 mb / s i / o ports ( two kinds of data transmission rates ) for example again . please refer to the flowchart of fig4 . firstly , an overall data transmission rate of all the input / output ports connecting to network nodes , i . e . in use , is computed ( step s 41 ). for example , the network switch has now k1 , k2 , and k3 i / o ports supporting bandwidth specifications of 10 , 100 and 1000 mb / s , respectively , and the other i / o ports are left disconnecting to any network node . in this case , the overall data transmission rate r 1 = 10 × k1 + 100 × k2 + 1000 × k3 + 0 ×( 24 - k1 - k2 - k3 ). accordingly , a control signal sc indicative of the overall data transmission rate r 1 is asserted by the connection - state detector 204 ( step s 42 ). then , in response to the control signal sc , the pll clock signal generator 203 generates a clock signal clk having a frequency f complying with the requirement of the data transmission rate r 1 ( step 43 ). the connection - state detector 204 will periodically detect the overall data transmission rate of all the input / output ports connecting to network nodes . if the overall data transmission rate increases , the frequency of the clock signal generated from the pll clock signal generator 203 is adjusted to be higher than the frequency f . on the other hand , if the overall data transmission rate decreases , the clock signal generated from the pll clock signal generator 203 will be adjusted to have a frequency lower than the frequency f . likewise , since the clock signal generated from the pll clock signal generator 203 is dynamically adjusted according to the overall data transmission rate , the control chip 20 can be operated at an optimal speed rather than a high speed required only in the situation that all the i / o ports be operated under their highest bandwidths . therefore , power consumption of the network switch is minimized , and the performance of the network switch is enhanced . while the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures . | 7Electricity
|
first , a description will be given of a first embodiment of a document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig3 . in fig3 those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals for the sake of convenience , and a description thereof will be omitted . document transport rollers 11 and 12 are respectively provided on both sides of the contact type image sensor 5 . pressure rollers 15 and 16 resiliently push against corresponding document transport rollers 11 and 12 by actions of corresponding arms 13 and springs 14 . driving pulleys 18 and 19 are fixed on rotary shafts 17 of the corresponding document transport rollers 11 and 12 . a driving belt 22 is provided around the driving pulleys 18 and 19 and a small diameter pulley 21 which is fixed on a rotary shaft 20 provided below the contact type image sensor 5 . a driving belt 26 is provided around a large diameter driving pulley 23 which is fixed on the rotary shaft 20 and a driving pulley 25 which is fixed on a rotary shaft of a driving motor 24 . a pair of guide plates 27 are provided above the protection glass 1 so that a predetermined gap is formed between the guide plates 27 and the surface of the protection glass 1 . an outer peripheral surface of a platen roller 28 makes contact with the surface of the protection glass 1 . shafts 29 provided on both ends of the platen roller 28 are supported by corresponding bearings 30 , and each bearing 30 engages an elongated hole 31 in a sidewall 500 of a cover ( not shown ) which covers the contact type image sensor 5 so that each bearing 30 is freely movable in vertical directions y 1 and y 2 in fig3 that is , movable up and down . in other words , the elongated hole 31 extends in a direction approximately perpendicular to a document transport direction x in which the document 7 is transported . at least an outer peripheral portion of the platen roller 28 is made of a hard material such as metals and plastics , and the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 is coated or plated to a basically white finish . in a state before reading of the document 7 , the platen roller 28 is located at a lower position and the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 pushes against the surface of the protection glass 1 due to its own weight . when a power source is turned on and a start button ( not shown ) is pushed to start the reading of the document 7 , the driving motor 24 is rotated to drive the driving belts 26 and 22 and the driving pulleys 25 , 23 , 21 , 19 , 18 and the like , and the document transport rollers 11 and 12 rotate in a direction al . on the other hand , the document 7 is separated by a document separating and transporting mechanism ( not shown ) and reaches a position between the document transport roller 11 and the pressure roller 15 . hence , the document 7 is pushed between the protection glass 1 and the guide plate 27 when the document transport roller 11 rotates . when a tip end of the document 7 hits the platen roller 28 , the document 7 enters below the platen roller 28 due to the stiffness of the paper because a distance l between centers of the rollers 15 and 28 along the document transport direction x is approximately 30 mm , for example . as a result , the platen roller 28 is pushed upwards in the direction y 1 depending on the paper thickness of the document 7 . because the shafts 29 on both ends of the platen roller 28 are supported by the respective bearings 30 when the platen roller 28 is pushed upwards , a load which acts on the platen roller 28 is small and the platen roller 28 rotates in a direction bl to help the transport of the document 7 . because the platen roller 28 rotates in the direction bl and is movable upwardly away from the surface of the protection glass 1 , the transport characteristic of the document 7 is improved and a generation of a paper jam is prevented . when the tip end of the document 7 reaches the document reading position &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, the contact type image sensor 5 starts reading the document 7 . the document reading position &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; is detected by a photosensor ( not shown ) or the like which is located between the platen roller 28 and the rollers 16 and 12 . during a time in which the document 7 is read by the contact type image sensor 5 , the document 7 is pushed against the surface of the protection glass 1 by the weight of the platen roller 28 . for this reason , the document 7 is prevented from floating from the surface of the protection glass 1 and the out - of - focus state is thus prevented from occurring . in addition , since the platen roller 28 moves in the vertical directions y 1 and y 2 along the elongated holes 31 depending on the paper thickness of the document 7 , the document 7 is always pushed against the surface of the protection glass 1 by the platen roller 28 with an approximately constant pushing force regardless of the paper thickness of the document 7 . on the other hand , when the illumination is not uniform , the sensitivities of the photoelectric conversion elements of the photoelectric conversion element array 4 are inconsistent , a quantity of surrounding light decreases or the like , the reading accuracy becomes poor . usually , a white reference member is read before actually reading the document 7 to make a shading correction so as to improve the reading accuracy . the shading correction electrically corrects outputs of the photoelectric conversion elements depending on the outputs obtained when the white reference member is read . a known shading correction such as that proposed in a japanese laid - open patent application no . 57 - 104370 may be employed . in this embodiment , the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 is basically white , and it is thus possible to make the shading correction by reading the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 . in addition , since the platen roller 28 is made of a hard material and not a resilient material used conventionally , dirt does not adhere easily on the platen roller 28 . even when dirt should adhere on the platen roller 28 , the dirt can be easily removed by an alcohol remover or the like because the surface of the hard material is easy to clean compared to the surface of the resilient member . further , because the platen roller 28 rotates as the document 7 is transported and there is no sliding contact takes place between the platen roller 28 and the document 7 , the surface of the platen roller 28 is prevented from dirt and damage . accordingly , the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 can be maintained in the basically white state which is suited for use in the shading correction over a long period of time , and it is possible to always carry out a highly accurate shading correction . next , a description will be given of a second embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig4 . in fig4 those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig3 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , a minute gap g is formed between the platen roller 28 which is located at a lowest position and the surface of the protection glass 1 . the platen roller 28 is closest to the surface of the protection glass 1 at the lowest position . for example , the minute gap g is in a range of 0 . 05 mm to 0 . 1 mm . accordingly , when the document 7 is a thin paper such as an onion skin paper having a thickness of 0 . 05 mm to 0 . 1 mm , the document 7 is not pushed by the platen roller 28 and the transport characteristic is improved with respect to the document 7 having a small paper thickness . as a result , a paper jam which is likely to occur conventionally when the document 7 is a thin paper is positively prevented in this embodiment . an out - of - focus state is virtually eliminated in this embodiment even when the platen roller 28 does not push the document 7 because the minute gap g is extremely small and the document 7 is unlikely to float from the surface of the protection glass 1 when the paper thickness of the document 7 is small . the effect of smoothly transporting the document 7 is obtainable even when the gap g is approximately zero , and the document 7 having a small paper thickness can be transported satisfactorily . next , a description will be given of a third embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig5 . in fig5 those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig3 and 4 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , the platen roller 28 has a diameter d 2 , and large diameter portions 32 having a diameter d 1 are provided at both ends of the platen roller 28 , d 1 & gt ; d 2 . the large diameter portions 32 make contact with the surface of the protection glass 1 so that the minute gap g is formed between the platen roller 28 and the surface of the protection glass 1 , where g =( d 1 - d 2 )/ 2 . as in the case of the second embodiment , the minute gap g is set in the range of 0 . 05 mm to 0 . 1 mm , for example . hence , it is possible to obtain effects similar to those obtainable in the second embodiment , that is , the transport characteristic of the document 7 having the small paper thickness is improved , the paper jam is positively prevented and the out - of - focus state is prevented . next , a description will be given of a fourth embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig6 . in fig6 those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig3 and 4 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , spacers 33 having a thickness g are provided on the protection glass 1 at positions corresponding to the two ends of the platen roller 28 . hence , when the platen roller 28 makes contact with the spacers 33 , the minute gap g is formed between the platen roller 28 and the surface of the protection glass 1 . as in the case of the second embodiment , the minute gap g is set in the range of 0 . 05 mm to 0 . 1 mm , for example . hence , it is possible to obtain effects similar to those obtainable in the second embodiment , that is , the transport characteristic of the document 7 having the small paper thickness is improved , the paper jam is positively prevented and the out - of - focus state is prevented . next , a description will be given of a fifth embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig7 . in fig7 those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig3 and 4 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , a resilient member 34 is fixed to the cover and engages an upper portion of the bearing 30 . a platen roller pushing mechanism is constituted by the resilient member 34 . when the platen roller 28 is in contact with the surface of the protection glass 1 , a gap g is formed between the resilient member 34 and the bearing 30 . for example , this gap g is in the range of 0 . 05 mm to 0 . 1 mm . when reading the document 7 , the platen roller 28 is pushed upwardly and the gap g gradually decreases depending on the paper thickness of the document 7 . when the paper thickness of the document 7 exceeds 0 . 1 mm in this embodiment , the bearing 30 makes contact with the resilient member 34 and the pushing force acting on the document 7 against the surface of the protection glass 1 is a sum of the pushing force exerted by the weight of the platen roller 28 and the pushing force exerted by the resilient member 34 . in addition , the pushing force exerted by the resilient member 34 increases as the paper thickness of the document 7 increases . hence , the document 7 is positively prevented from floating from the surface of the protection glass 1 even when the paper thickness is large and the paper is stiff , thereby making it possible to positively prevent an out - of - focus state which would occur if the document 7 floats . on the other hand , when the paper thickness of the document 7 is small , only the weight of the platen roller 28 acts on the document 7 and it is possible to positively prevent a generation of a paper jam even when the paper thickness of the document 7 is small . next , a description will be given of a sixth embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig8 . in fig8 those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig3 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , the arrangement of the contact type image sensor 5 and the platen roller 28 is upside down to that of the first embodiment in that the contact type image sensor 5 is located above the platen roller 28 . in addition , a platen roller push mechanism 37 constituted by a pressure spring 35 and an actuator 36 is fixed to the cover so that a tip end of the actuator 36 engages a lower portion of the bearing 30 . the document transport rollers 11 and 12 rotate in a direction a2 and the platen roller 28 rotates in a direction b2 . accordingly , the platen roller push mechanism 37 pushes the platen roller 28 against the surface of the protection glass 1 so as to prevent the document 7 from floating from the surface of the protection glass 1 . as the paper thickness of the document 7 increases , the platen roller 28 is pushed downwardly and the pushing force acting on the platen roller 28 from the platen roller push mechanism 37 increases . for this reason , the pushing force exerted by the platen roller push mechanism 37 increases as the paper thickness of the document 7 increases , and the document 7 is positively prevented from floating from the surface of the protection glass 1 even when the paper thickness is large and the paper is stiff , thereby making it possible to positively prevent an out - of - focus state which would occur if the document 7 floats . next , a description will be given of a seventh embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig9 and 10 . in fig9 and 10 , those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig8 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , bearings 32a are provided on both ends of the platen roller 28 , and each bearing 32a has a diameter d 1 which is greater than a diameter d 2 of the platen roller 28 . the actuator 36 is pivotally provided on the cover by a pin 38 , and the actuator 36 pushes the lower portion of the bearing 32a by the action of the spring 35 . on the other hand , the upper portion of the bearing 32a makes contact with the surface of the protection glass 1 in a range outside a document reading width , so that a minute gap g (= d 1 - d 2 ) in a range of 0 . 05 mm to 0 . 1 mm is formed between the platen roller 28 and the surface of the protection glass 1 within the document reading width . a gear 41 is fixed to a tip end of one of the shafts 29 , and this gear 41 meshes an idler gear 42 . the idler gear 42 is arranged at such a position that the gears 41 and 42 mesh approximately at the pitch circles when the platen roller 28 is located at a lowermost position most separated from the surface of the protection glass 1 . in addition , a gear 43 which is fixed on the rotary shaft 20 meshes the idler gear 42 . a driving mechanism 44 for rotating the platen roller 28 at a peripheral speed approximately equal to a transport speed of the document along the transport direction x is constituted by the gears 41 , 42 and 43 , the driving motor 24 and the like . when the power source is turned on and the start button is pushed to start the reading of the document 7 , the driving motor 24 is rotated to drive the driving belts 26 and 22 and the driving pulleys 25 , 23 , 21 , 19 , 18 and the like , and the document transport rollers 11 and 12 rotate in the direction a2 . in addition , the gear 43 rotates unitarily with the pulleys 23 and 21 , and the gear 43 rotates the gear 41 via the idler gear 42 . as a result , the platen roller 28 rotates in the direction b2 unitarily with the gear 41 . on the other hand , the document 7 is separated by the document separating and transporting mechanism and reaches the position between the document transport roller 11 and the pressure roller 15 . hence , the document 7 is pushed between the protection glass 1 and the guide plate 27 when the document transport roller 11 rotates , and the document 7 is transported in the direction x . when the tip end of the document 7 reaches the document reading position &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, the contact type image sensor 5 starts reading the document 7 . after the reading of the document 7 is completed , the document 7 is transported in the direction x between the protection glass 1 and the guide plate 27 . the document 7 reaches a position between the document transport roller 12 and the pressure roller 15 and is ejected to a document ejection part ( not shown ) by the document transport roller 12 . at the document reading position &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, the minute gap g is formed between the surface of the protection glass and the platen roller 28 . in addition , the platen roller 28 rotates in the direction b2 which coincides with the document transport direction x . for these reasons , the transport characteristic of the document 7 is improved even when the paper thickness is small , and it is possible to prevent a paper jam at a position immediately before the platen roller 28 along the document transport direction x . on the other hand , when the paper thickness of the document 7 is greater than the minute gap g , the platen roller 28 moves in the direction y 2 along the elongated hole 31 , that is , away from the surface of the protection glass 1 . hence , the transport characteristic of the document 7 is improved even when the paper thickness is large , and it is possible to prevent a paper jam at the position immediately before the platen roller 28 along the document transport direction x . on the other hand , the platen roller 28 is pushed in the direction y 1 towards the protection glass 1 by the actuator 36 , and the minute gap g is maintained between the platen roller 28 and the surface of the protection glass 1 in a normal state before the document 7 enters between the platen roller 28 and the protection glass 1 . thus , the platen roller 28 makes contact with a rear surface ( surface opposite to a surface which is read ) of the document 7 when the contact type image sensor 5 reads the document 7 , and the document 7 is prevented from floating from the surface of the protection glass 1 thereby preventing an out - of - focus state from occurring . when the paper thickness of the document 7 is large and the platen roller 28 is moved in the direction y 2 away from the surface of the protection glass 1 , the pushing force on the rear surface of the document 7 increases . as a result , the document 7 is prevented from floating from the surface of the protection glass 1 even when the paper thickness is large , and the out - of - focus state is positively prevented from occurring . on the other hand , when the illumination is not uniform , the sensitivities of the photoelectric conversion elements of the photoelectric conversion element array 4 are inconsistent , the quantity of surrounding light decreases or the like , the reading accuracy becomes poor as described before . usually , a white reference member is read before actually reading the document 7 to make a shading correction so as to improve the reading accuracy . the shading correction electrically corrects outputs of the photoelectric conversion elements depending on the outputs obtained when the white reference member is read . in this embodiment , the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 is basically white , it is possible to make the shading correction by reading the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 . in addition , since the platen roller 28 is made of a hard material and not a resilient material used conventionally , dirt does not adhere easily on the platen roller 28 . even when dirt should adhere on the platen roller 28 , the dirt can be easily removed by an alcohol remover or the like because the surface of the hard material is easy to clean compared to the surface of the resilient member . accordingly , the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 can be maintained in the basically white state which is suited for use in the shading correction over a long period of time , and it is possible to always carry out a highly accurate shading correction . furthermore , the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 is not easily damaged or made dirty by the sliding contact with the document 7 because the minute gap g is formed between the platen roller 28 and the surface of the protection glass 1 and the platen roller 28 rotates at a peripheral speed approximately equal to the transport speed of the document 7 . therefore , the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 28 can be maintained in the basically white state which is suited for use in the shading correction also for these reasons . next , a description will be given of an eighth embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig1 . in fig1 , those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig9 and 10 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , the idler gear 42 is located at a position different from that of the seventh embodiment . a line connecting centers of the platen roller 28 and the idler gear 42 is approximately parallel to the transport direction x of the document 7 . accordingly , a moving quantity of the platen roller 28 in the direction y 2 away from the surface of the protection glass 1 can be set to a large value , and even the document 7 having a relatively large paper thickness can be transported smoothly . next , a description will be given of a ninth embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig1 . in fig1 , those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig9 and 10 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , a driving mechanism 48 is used in place of the driving mechanism 44 . this driving mechanism 48 includes driving pulleys 45 and 46 and a driving belt 47 . the driving pulley 45 is fixed to the rotary shaft 17 , and the driving pulley 46 is fixed to the shaft 29 of the platen roller 28 . the driving belt 47 is provided around the driving belts 45 and 46 . a tension controller 49 is provided to maintain a tension of the driving belt 47 approximately constant even when a distance between centers of the driving pulleys 45 and 46 changes due to a movement of the platen roller 28 along the elongated hole 31 . in addition , because a vertical component of force of the tension acting on the driving belt 47 acts on the platen roller 28 in a direction so as to urge the platen roller 28 towards the protection glass 1 , it is possible to prevent the platen roller 28 from moving in the direction y 2 to separate from the rear surface of the document 7 when the platen roller 28 is rotated . next , a description will be given of a tenth embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig1 . in fig1 , those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig9 and 10 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , the arrangement of the contact type image sensor 5 and the platen roller 28 is upside down to that of the seventh embodiment in that the contact type image sensor 5 is located below the platen roller 28 . in addition , a driving mechanism 52 is used to drive the platen roller 28 . this driving mechanism 52 includes an idler gear 50 which meshes a gear 49 which is fixed on the rotary shaft 17 , an idler gear 51 which meshes the idler gear 50 , the gear 41 which meshes the idler gear 51 , the driving motor 24 and the like . a line connecting centers of the platen roller 28 and the idler gear 51 is approximately parallel to the transport direction x of the document 7 . accordingly , even when a paper jam occurs and the platen roller 28 is lifted upwardly to remove the paper jam , it is possible to ensure a smooth mesh between the hear 41 and the idler gear 51 when the platen roller 28 is put back to the original position after the paper jam is removed . next , a description will be given of an eleventh embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig1 . in fig1 , those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig3 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , the contact type image sensor 5 is fixed on a bracket 61 . this bracket 61 is pivotally supported on a shaft 62 , and a spring 63 urges the bracket 61 to pivot counterclockwise or generally in the direction y 1 . a document transport roller 65 is provided at a position before the platen roller 28 along the transport direction x of the document 7 . the document transport roller 65 is rotatably supported on a rotary shaft 64 . an outer peripheral portion of the document transport roller 65 is made of a resilient material . an outer peripheral surface of the document transport roller 65 pushes against the surface of the protection glass 1 by the action of the spring 63 . the document transport roller 65 is arranged close to the platen roller 28 , and a distance la between centers of the platen roller 28 and the document transport roller 65 along the transport direction x is set to an extremely small value in the order of 15 mm , for example . because the document transport roller 65 makes contact with the surface of the protection glass 1 and there is no need to provide a pressure roller which makes contact with the document transport roller 65 , it is possible to arrange the document transport roller 65 sufficiently close to the platen roller 28 . a gear 66 is fixed on the rotary shaft 64 , and this gear 66 meshes a gear 68 which is fixed on a rotary shaft 67 . a driving pulley 69 is fixed on the rotary shaft 67 . the driving belt 22 is provided around the driving pulleys 69 , 19 , and 21 . when the power source is turned on and the start button is pushed to start the reading of the document 7 , the driving motor 24 is rotated to drive the driving belts 26 and 22 and the driving pulleys 25 , 23 , 21 , 19 , 69 and the like , and the document transport roller 12 rotates in the direction al . in addition , because the gear 68 rotates unitarily with the driving pulley 69 , the gear 66 is rotated by the gear 68 and the document transport roller 65 rotates in the direction bl unitarily with the gear 66 . on the other hand , the document 7 is separated by the document separating and transporting mechanism and reaches the document transport roller 65 . the document transport roller 65 rotates in the direction b1 while the outer peripheral surface thereof makes sliding contact with the surface of the protection glass 1 , and the document 7 is pinched between the protection glass 1 and the document transport roller 65 and transported in the direction x towards the platen roller 28 . when the tip end of the document 7 reaches the document reading position &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, the document 7 enters below the platen roller 28 . as a result , the platen roller 28 is pushed upwards in the direction y 1 depending on the paper thickness of the document 7 . because the shafts 29 on both ends of the platen roller 28 are supported by the respective bearings 30 when the platen roller 28 is pushed upwards , a load which acts on the platen roller 28 is small and the platen roller 28 rotates in the direction bl to help the transport of the document 7 . because the platen roller 28 rotates in the direction bl and is movable upwardly away from the surface of the protection glass 1 , the transport characteristic of the document 7 is improved and a generation of a paper jam is prevented . at the document reading position &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; where the document 7 is read by the contact type image sensor 5 , the document 7 is pushed against the surface of the protection glass 1 by the weight of the platen roller 28 . for this reason , the document 7 is prevented from floating from the surface of the protection glass 1 and an out - of - focus state is thus prevented from occurring . in addition , when the paper thickness of the document 7 is large , the platen roller 28 is moved upwardly in the direction y 1 away from the surface of the protection glass 1 and the document 7 can be transported smoothly because the pushing force on the document 7 by the platen roller 28 does not increase . the document 7 which is read reaches the document transport roller 12 and is transported in the direction x in the state pinched between the document transport roller 12 and the pressure roller 16 to be ejected to the document ejection part . since the outer peripheral surface of the document transport roller 65 makes sliding contact with the surface of the protection glass 1 and the distance la between the centers of the document transport roller 65 and the platen roller 28 is set to a small value in the order of 15 mm , the document 7 positively enters under the platen roller 28 even when the paper thickness of the document 7 is small , when the stiffness of the document 7 is lost due to a high humidity condition or the like . in other words , the apparent stiffness of the document 7 is improved due to the provision of the document transport roller 65 which is located extremely close to the platen drum 28 . hence , it is possible to prevent a paper jam at the position immediately before the platen drum 28 along the transport direction x even when the paper thickness of the document 7 is small . next , a description will be given of a twelfth embodiment of the document reading apparatus according to the present invention , by referring to fig1 . in fig1 , those parts which are substantially the same as those corresponding parts in fig1 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . in this embodiment , the arrangement of the contact type image sensor 5 and the platen roller 28 is upside down to that of the eleventh embodiment in that the contact type image sensor 5 is located above the platen roller 28 . in addition , an actuator 72 is pivotally supported on a shaft 73 , and this actuator 72 is urged counterclockwise or generally in the direction y 1 . a tip end of the actuator 72 makes contact with the lower portion of the bearing 30 . the driving pulley 69 is fixed on the rotary shaft 64 of the document transport roller 65 . accordingly , the platen roller 28 is pushed against the surface of the protection glass 1 by the actuator 72 , and this pushing action prevents the document 7 from floating from the surface of the protection glass 1 and thereby prevents the out - of - focus state from occurring . the platen roller 28 is pushed downwardly in the direction y 2 as the paper thickness of the document 7 increases , and the pushing force of the actuator 72 increases with the downward movement of the platen roller 28 . since the outer peripheral surface of the document transport roller 65 makes sliding contact with the surface of the protection glass 1 and the distance la between the centers of the document transport roller 65 and the platen roller 28 is set to a small value in the order of 15 mm , the document 7 positively enters above the platen roller 28 even when the paper thickness of the document 7 is small , when the stiffness of the document 7 is lost due to a high humidity condition or the like . in other words , the apparent stiffness of the document 7 is improved due to the provision of the document transport roller 65 which is located extremely close to the platen drum 28 . hence , it is possible to prevent a paper jam at the position immediately before the platen drum 28 along the transport direction x even when the paper thickness of the document 7 is small . next , a description will be given of a printing machine to which the document reading apparatus according to the present invention may be applied , by referring to fig1 . in fig1 , the first embodiment of the document reading apparatus is applied to the printing machine for the sake of convenience , but it is of course possible to apply any of the embodiments or modifications thereof to the printing machine shown in fig1 . in fig1 , the printing machine generally has a reading part 100 and a printing part 101 . the reading part 100 includes a reading unit 105 which is constituted by the first embodiment of the document reading apparatus , a document separating and transporting mechanism 106 , and a document ejection part 107 . on the other hand , the printing part 101 includes a roll master 110 , a thermal head 111 , an ink distributor 112 , a drum unit 113 , a printing sheet recovering part 114 , a paper supply unit 115 , a vacuum paper ejection unit 116 , and a tray 117 . when reading the document 7 , the document separating and transporting mechanism 106 separates one document 7 from a plurality of documents 7 and supplies the one document 7 to the reading unit 105 . when the document 7 is read by the reading unit 105 , an electrical signal describing the document image is supplied from the reading unit 105 to the thermal head 111 of the printing part 101 . the read document 7 is ejected via the document ejection part 107 . the thermal head 111 forms the document image on a printing sheet which is supplied from the roll master 110 . the printing sheet formed with the document image is wrapped around the drum unit 113 , and the document image is printed on each piece of paper supplied from the paper supply unit 115 as the drum unit 113 rotates by use of the ink supplied from the ink distributor 112 . each piece of paper having the document image printed thereon is ejected onto the tray 117 via the vacuum paper ejection unit 116 . on the other hand , the used printing sheet is recovered into the printing sheet recovering part 114 . further , the present invention is not limited to these embodiments , but various variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . | 7Electricity
|
embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for controlling a host system using multiple different ir remote control protocols . supporting multiple ir protocols provides substantial operational and logistical advantages to both equipment manufacturers and users , as is explained and demonstrated below . in the embodiments that are described hereinbelow , an ir receiver in the host system comprises a single ir sensor , which senses the ir signal transmitted to the receiver and produces an electrical signal in response to the ir signal . the receiver comprises two or more parallel receiver channels , which process the signal produced by the ir sensor . each receiver channel is capable of receiving and decoding a particular cir remote control protocol , such as an rc - 5 , rc - 6 or nec protocol . the host system receives the outputs of the different receiver channels and uses one of these outputs , in accordance with the protocol to which the received signal conforms . different host systems vary one from another in their operational states and the data formats they expect to receive from the ir receiver . some host systems accept remote control data in run - length encoding ( rle ) format , while other systems request that data be provided in binary format , i . e ., as a stream of bits corresponding to the bits carried by the ir signal . moreover , many host systems alternate between active and sleep operational states , in order to reduce power consumption . the ir receiver configurations described herein support these varying requirements and characteristics in a modular fashion . the receiver configurations use two possible types of port circuits , referred to as ports for brevity . a run - length port provides the data in run - length encoding format . a binary port circuit provides the data in binary form . since producing run - length data usually involves sampling the received signal at a high sampling rate , run - length port circuits tend to consume high amounts of power in comparison with binary / wake - up port circuits . thus , receiver channels that produce run - length data are activated only when the host system is active , and are disabled when the host system is in sleep mode . receiver channels that produce binary data may remain active irrespective of the operational state of the host system . typically , each receiver channel ( which may comprise one or more ports ) produces a wake - up signal when detecting that the received signal conforms to its respective protocol . in some embodiments , the receiver comprises wake - up logic , which processes the individual wake - up signals to produce a single composite wake - up signal that is provided to the host . this configuration reduces the number of input / output ( i / o ) pins between the receiver and the host system and relieves the host system of the task of handling multiple wake - up signals . in some embodiments , the multiple receiver channels are implemented in a single hardware or firmware device , and some hardware or firmware circuitry is shared by the receiver channels rather than duplicated . sharing circuitry among different receiver channels reduces the cost , size and power consumption of the receiver . moreover , in some embodiments the host system can indicate the supported protocols to the receiver using a suitable interface , and the receiver can then configure its channels accordingly . unlike some known remote control methods in which the host system sets the desired protocol , in the methods and systems described herein the host system operates as a slave , and adapts itself to the protocol used by the remote control device that currently controls the system . fig1 is a schematic , pictorial illustration of a multimedia system 20 with infrared ( ir ) remote control , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . a user of system 20 controls a multimedia station 22 , using an ir remote control device 24 . the remote control device comprises an ir transmitter 26 , which emits ir signals comprising a modulated train of ir pulses , in response to actuation of the controls by the user . an ir receiver 28 senses , demodulates , and decodes the ir signals in order to provide instructions to station 22 in accordance with the user &# 39 ; s commands . station 22 is referred to herein as a host system . although in the exemplary embodiment of fig1 the host system comprises a multimedia station embodied in a mobile computer , the methods and systems described herein can be used to control a wide variety of host systems , such as television sets , set - top boxes , video recorders and players , various computers and computing platforms , electrical appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators , as well as any other electrical or electronic system or appliance that may be remotely controlled or operated by a user . in some applications , it is advantageous for the host system to support multiple ir remote control protocols , such as the rc - 5 , rc - 6 or nec cir protocols mentioned above . supporting multiple ir protocols provides substantial operational and logistical advantages to both equipment manufacturers and users . for example , a manufacturer may wish to produce a single type of remotely - controlled system , such as a computer or television set , and sell it in different parts of the world that use different ir protocols . in another scenario , a manufacturer may wish to produce and sell a host system without selling or specifying a specific remote control device that must be used to control it . alternatively , when a system is sold together with a matching remote control device , it is still advantageous to enable users to operate the system by other suitable remote control devices that they may possess . as yet another example , a user may operate several host systems ( e . g ., laptop computer and set - top box ) in proximity to one another , e . g ., in the same room . the systems may be of different types and by different manufacturers . when the host systems support multiple ir remote control protocols , the user may operate all systems using the same remote control device , regardless of its protocol . in view of the advantages described above , embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatus for controlling a host system using multiple different ir remote control protocols . in the embodiments that are described hereinbelow , an ir receiver in the host system comprises two or more receiver channels . each receiver channel is capable of receiving and decoding a particular ir protocol . when receiving an ir signal from the remote control device , each receiver channel detects whether the signal conforms to its respective protocol . in some cases , the receiver channel decodes the data carried by the signal and provides the data to the host system only if the ir signal conforms to the respective protocol . in other cases , the receiver channel may provide the data to the host system regardless of the protocol . when the signal does not match the protocol of the receiver , the data provided to the host may be meaningless . in these cases , the host determines which of the receiver channel outputs to use . the ir receiver configuration may depend on the capabilities and requirements of the host system . for example , some host systems require that the decoded data be provided in binary format . other host systems ( such as the windows media center of the windows vista ™ operating system ) require that the data be provided in raw , run - length encoding format . in addition , the host system often has active and sleep operational states or modes . in the active state , the system is fully operational . in the sleep mode , most of the system functions are disabled in order to minimize its power consumption . in some embodiments , the receiver channels continue to operate when the system is in sleep mode . when a particular receiver channel detects an ir signal that conforms to its ir protocol , it issues a wake - up signal that causes the host system to switch to the active state . fig2 and 3 are block diagrams that schematically illustrate exemplary multi - protocol ir receivers , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention . fig2 shows a receiver 32 , which comprises two receiver channels . the first receiver channel decodes a certain protocol , such as the rc - 6 protocol , and produces run - length data . the second receiver channel decodes a different protocol , such as the nec protocol , and produces binary data . receiver 32 can be used , for example , with a host system such as microsoft media center ( mc ), which requires that at least one protocol is provided in run - length format . receiver 32 comprises a single ir sensor 36 , such as a photodiode . sensor 36 senses the modulated ir signal transmitted from remote control device 24 , and converts the ir signal to a corresponding electrical signal . the electrical signal is provided in parallel to the two receiver channels . receiver 32 comprises two different types of port circuits , which are used as building blocks of the receiver channels . the reason for using two different types of port circuits is that producing run - length data usually involves high power consumption , and is therefore only performed when the host system is in the active state . producing binary data consumes less power , and may be performed both when the system is active and when it is in sleep mode . the first port circuit type is a run - length port , which receives the electrical signal from sensor 36 and converts the signal into run - length data . the run - length port typically converts both data symbols and control symbols such as leader , gap and end symbols , as applicable in the protocol . in order to produce the data in run - length format , the run - length port over - samples the electrical signal at a high sampling rate . producing high rate sampling clocks and sampling the electrical signal at high clock rates draws high levels of electrical power . therefore , run - length ports are activated when the system is in the active state , and deactivated when the system is in sleep mode . typically , the run - length port sends run - length encoded data to the host regardless of whether or not the received signal conforms to the protocol assigned to the port . the host has the task of determining whether the data is meaningful or not and , if meaningful , to decode the run - length data . in some embodiments , the run - length port comprises a buffer , such as a first - in - first - out ( fifo ) memory , which buffers the run - length data and reduces the data - handling load of the host . the second port circuit type is a wake - up / binary port , which receives the electrical signal from sensor 36 , strips the control symbols ( e . g ., leader , gap and end ), and converts it to binary data in accordance with the appropriate protocol . unlike producing run - length data , binary data can be produced using low - frequency clock signals . therefore , binary / wake - up ports can be kept active regardless of the operational state of the host system . in addition to producing binary data , the binary / wake - up port produces a wake - up signal when it detects that a signal conforming to its protocol is received . typically , the binary / wake - up port is programmed with a wake - up string , also referred to as a wake - up pattern . the wake - up string comprises a binary bit sequence , which is indicative of the protocol . when the host system is in sleep mode , the binary / wake - up port receives the electrical signal from sensor 36 , extracts the data ( cir message , usually excluding the control symbols ) from the signal and compares it with the wake - up string . if a match is found , i . e ., if the received cir message comprises a bit sequence that matches the wake - up string , the binary / wake - up port issues a wake - up signal in order to awaken the host system . in some embodiments , the binary / wake - up port issues the wake - up signal upon a partial match between the received data and the wake - up string . in some embodiments , the binary / wake - up port stores the received cir message in a suitable message buffer and , once the host system is awakened , provides the cir message that caused the wake - up to the host system . in the example of fig2 , the first receiver channel ( which produces run - length data ) comprises a run - length port 40 , a windows media center ( mc ) port driver 44 and a binary / wake - up port 48 a . the second receiver channel ( which produces binary data ) comprises a binary / wake - up port 48 b similar to binary / wake - up port 48 a , and a human interface device ( hid ) driver 52 , as is known in the art . the outputs of both receiver channels are provided to a host 56 , which may comprise a processor and / or operating system ( os ) of the host system . the operation of the first receiver channel differs between the active and sleep operational states . when the host system is active , run - length port 40 is active and binary / wake - up port 48 a is inactive . port 40 produces run - length data , which is forwarded by mc driver 44 to host 56 . when the system is in sleep mode , run - length port 40 is deactivated in order to conserve power , and binary / wake - up port 48 a is activated . when port 48 a detects a signal that conforms to its protocol , it wakes up the host system . in particular , run - length port 40 is activated and normal operation is resumed . the process of alternating between the active and sleep modes is described in greater detail in fig4 below . the operation of the second receiver channel is similar in both operational states . binary / wake - up port 48 b receives the electrical signal from sensor 36 . if the signal conforms to the appropriate protocol , port 48 a decodes the data from the signal , formats it as binary data and forwards it to hid driver 52 . the hid driver formats the binary data in hid report format and sends the data to host 56 . as noted above , each of binary / wake - up ports 48 a and 48 b produces a respective wake - up signal when it detects that a signal conforming to its protocol is received . receiver 32 comprises wake - up logic 60 , which processes the two wake - up signals to produce a single composite wake - up signal to the host . this configuration reduces the number of input / output ( i / o ) pins between the receiver and the host system , and relieves the host system of the task of handling multiple wake - up signals . in the present example , logic 60 performs a logical or operation , thus issuing a composite wake - up signal when either individual wake - up signal is present . in alternative embodiments , logic 60 may perform any other suitable logic function . fig3 shows a receiver 64 having an alternative configuration . receiver 64 comprises two receiver channels , which support two different ir remote control protocols , such as rc - 6 and nec . the first receiver channel comprises a binary / wake - up port 64 a and a hid driver 68 a , and the second receiver channel comprises a binary / wake - up port 64 b and a hid driver 68 b . in the present example , both receiver channels produce binary data . as in fig2 above , the two channels produce respective individual wake - up signals , which are combined by logic 60 to produce a composite wake - up signal that is provided to host 56 . the receiver configurations of fig2 and 3 above are exemplary configurations , which were chosen purely for the sake of conceptual clarity . in alternative embodiments , the receiver may comprise any number of run - length ports and / or binary / wake - up ports , depending on the ir remote control protocols supported and the characteristics and requirements of the host system . the port circuits and drivers may have different functions and interfaces , depending of the protocols and on the requirements of host 56 . the run - length and binary / wake - up port circuits can be implemented using any suitable means . exemplary port circuits are described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 517 , 127 , entitled “ low - power digital demodulator ,” filed sep . 6 , 2006 , and in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 517 , 126 , entitled “ carrier frequency - independent receiver ,” filed sep . 6 , 2006 , whose disclosures are incorporated herein by reference . typically but not necessarily , the run - length ports , binary / wake - up ports and wake - up logic are implemented in hardware and / or firmware . the mc and hid drivers may be implemented in software on a processor of the host system and / or in suitable firmware . in some embodiments , such as when the host system comprises a personal computer or other computing platform , the port circuits , and possibly the drivers , are embodied in an embedded controller ( ec ) of the host system . in a typical application , only one ir signal having a single protocol is received and processed by the receiver at any given time . when the ports of the different protocols are implemented in a single hardware or firmware device ( and since most signal and protocol characteristics of the different cir protocols are common or similar ), some hardware or firmware circuitry can be shared by the different port circuits rather than duplicated . such circuitry may comprise , for example , host interface circuitry , data processing circuitry and / or configuration and control circuitry . sharing circuitry among different ports of different protocols reduces the cost , size and power consumption of the receiver . moreover , in some embodiments the host system can indicate the supported protocols to the receiver using a suitable interface , and the receiver can then configure its ports accordingly . fig4 is a flow chart that schematically illustrates a method for operating an ir receiver in a host system having active and sleep operational states , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the description that follows refers to the operation of a receiver channel that produces run - length data , such as the first receiver channel in fig2 above . the method can be used , however , in any other suitable receiver configuration . the method begins with the host system operating in the active operational state . thus , the run - length port receives the signal from the ir sensor and outputs data to the host system via the mc port driver , at an active operation step 80 . typically but not necessarily , the binary / wake - up port is deactivated at this state . when the host system moves to sleep mode operation , as checked by a go - to - sleep checking step 84 , the receiver channel changes its operation accordingly . the mc port driver configures the binary / wake - up port with a wake - up string that identifies the respective protocol , at a wake - up configuration step 88 . the mc port driver then deactivates the run - length port and activates the binary / wake - up port , at a sleep mode transition step 92 . from this stage , the receiver channel operates in sleep mode , in which the run - length port is disabled . the binary / wake - up port continually attempts to match the received signal with the wake - up string , at a wake - up checking step 96 . when a match is detected , the binary / wake - up port initiates a transition to the active state , at an active state transition step 100 . the binary / wake - up port issues a wake - up signal to the host system and activates the run - length port . when transitioning to the active state , the binary / wake - up port is deactivated . the binary - wake - up port may deactivate itself or it may be deactivated by the mc port driver , which is now active . the method then loops back to active operation step 80 above , and the receiver channel begins to process the signal using the run - length port . the method of fig4 can also be used , mutatis mutandis , in receiver channels that produce binary data , such as the second receiver channel of fig2 above or the receiver channels of fig3 above . before switching to sleep mode , the hid driver configures its respective binary / wake - up port with the appropriate wake - up string . during sleep mode operation , the binary / wake - up port continually compares the received data with the wake - up string and wakes the system up if a match ( or partial match ) is found . as noted above , in some embodiments the binary / wake - up port stores the decoded cir message that caused the wake - up . the binary / wake - up port can provide the stored cir message to the host system via the hid driver when the system is awakened . it will be appreciated that the embodiments described above are cited by way of example , and that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove . rather , the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and sub - combinations of the various features described hereinabove , as well as variations and modifications thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not disclosed in the prior art . | 6Physics
|
referring now to the drawings , fig1 shows a standard fuel dispenser 1 of a type for which the present invention is advantageous . the fuel dispenser 1 has a dispenser body 3 , a delivery hose assembly 5 , and a manually operable nozzle 7 for delivering fuel from a tank 9 below the dispenser body 3 to a tank 11 of a vehicle 13 . as shown in fig1 the dispenser body 1 typically includes displays 15 , 17 , and 19 for displaying a price per gallon , the number of gallons delivered , and the price for the fuel delivered , respectively . it also includes a cradle 21 for holding the nozzle 7 . the cradle 21 typically includes a manual lever for turning on a pump to pump fuel from the tank 9 to the nozzle 7 . the delivery hose assembly 5 includes a curb hose 25 attached to a standard fitting 27 at a lower part of the dispenser body 1 . the curb hose 25 includes a standard fitting 29 at its proximal end , screwed into the fitting 27 of the dispenser body 1 , and an identical fitting 31 at its distal end , screwed into a standard breakaway coupling 33 . a short whip hose 35 is connected between the breakaway coupling 33 and the nozzle 7 . the whip hose 35 is provided with standard fittings 37 and 39 identical with the fittings 29 and 31 . the fittings 37 and 39 are screwed into corresponding fittings in the breakaway coupling 33 and the nozzle 7 . illustratively , the curb hose 25 is ten feet long , the whip hose 35 is nine inches long , and the breakaway coupling 33 is designed to pull apart under an axial load of no more than three hundred fifty pounds , illustratively three hundred pounds , blocking both the curb hose 25 and the whip hose 35 when it uncouples . the curb hose 25 and the whip hose 35 are typically made of a rubber which is impervious to the effects of gasoline . the structure of the hoses will be described in more detail hereinafter , but they are preferably standard , commercially available hoses . the nozzle 7 includes a body 41 containing a shut - off valve operated by a manually operated lever 42 . a nozzle spout 43 , proportioned to fit into the fill tube 45 of the vehicle tank 11 , includes a scored break - off designed to break at a force of about onehundred - fifty pounds applied normal to the axis of the spout . as shown in fig2 another illustrative standard fuel dispenser is a multi - product dispenser having several hose assemblies 5 attached to an overhead canopy 47 on the dispenser body 1 &# 39 ;. each hose assembly 5 may be identical with the hose assembly 5 of the standard dispenser of fig1 but with the whip hose 35 attached to a canopy 47 of the dispenser body rather than to the nozzle 7 , and the curb hose 25 attached to the nozzle 7 rather than to the dispenser body . the hose assembly 5 in present use is one of three standard fuel dispensing designs : a balance type vapor - recovery hose , a vacuum assist type vapor - recovery hose , or a standard ( non - vapor - recovery ) hose . the following examples illustrate ways of carrying out the present invention with each of these types , and then illustrate ways of modifying the hose assemblies themselves in accordance with the present invention . fig3 - 5 illustrate a simple modification of a balance type vapor - recovery hose in accordance with the present invention . as shown in fig3 - 5 , a typical balance type hose includes a flexible , stretchable , resilient , rubber fuel - carrying inner hose 51 , and a plastic , helical - wire - reinforced , vapor - carrying outer hose 53 . the outer hose 53 , like a vacuum cleaner hose , is easily extended and compressed . the end of the inner hose 51 is capped by a metal fitting 55 having two spaced - apart circumferential protrusions 57 . a star - shaped metal stamping 59 forms a clip or spider for mounting the inner hose in the outer hose . the clip 59 is formed with three lobes 60 . the clip 59 snaps onto the fitting 55 between the protrusions 57 . the outer hose 53 is capped by a fitting 61 . the fitting 61 includes a threaded end part 63 , flats 65 , an outer sleeve part 67 and an inner sleeve part 69 . the annular space between the sleeves 67 and 69 receives the outer hose 53 . teeth 71 on the sleeves 67 and 69 tightly engage the outer hose 53 , forming a gas - tight fit with it . the fitting 61 includes an internal shoulder 73 . when the inner hose 51 is slid into the outer hose 53 , the clip 59 seats on the shoulder 73 and positions the inner hose 51 axially and radially in the outer hose 53 . it will be seen that the other end of the inner hose 51 may be extended beyond its intended axial position by pulling the inner hose 51 , compressing the outer hose 52 , or coiling the hose assembly , thereby allowing the clip 59 to be installed on the inner hose after it has been assembled into the outer hose . it will be seen that when the fuel dispenser of fig1 is a balance type vapor - recovery system , the fittings 29 , 31 , 37 , and 39 of fig1 are each constituted of the inner fitting 55 and outher fitting 61 . both the curb hose 25 and the whip 35 hose are formed in exactly the same way . as thus far described , the dispenser and hose are entirely conventional and are well known in the art . in accordance with the present invention , a tension element 81 is installed between hose fittings at opposite ends of at least the curb hose 25 . the tension element greatly reduces or eliminates stretching of the curb hose 25 in the event of a drive - away . as shown in fig3 - 5 , the preferred tension element 81 is a stainless steel mechanical cable assembly . a military specification 1 × 19 type 302 or 304 stainless steel cable 83 having a diameter of 1 / 16 &# 34 ;, weighing about 8 . 5 pounds per thousand foot length , having a breaking strength of 500 pounds , and having a nominal zero percent elongation is preferred . such a cable is available from gbg industries of hinsdale , n . h . cable fittings 85 at the ends of the cable 83 are provided in the form of threaded studs 87 to which are threaded adapters 89 . the threaded stud 87 is available from the same source , as its ms 2159 stainless threaded stud . the adapter 89 includes an internally threaded tubular body 91 and an asymmetric head 93 having a lip 95 . the head 93 of each adapter 89 is inserted into the central lobe 60 of a clip 59 , with the lip 95 engaging the lobe 60 , as shown in fig4 and 5 , before the clip is pushed onto the inner hose fitting 55 . when the clip 59 is snapped onto the fitting 55 , the adapter &# 39 ; s tubular body 91 is held frictionally between the fitting and the clip . before the second adapter 89 is placed into its clip , the length of the adapter is appropriately adjusted by screwing the adapter in or out on its stud 87 . preferably , an identical tension element of appropriate length is installed in the whip hose 35 in the same manner . when the tension element 81 is installed in the curb hose assembly 25 , the curb hose is prevented from stretching beyond the length of the tension element 81 . if a second tension element 81 is installed in the whip hose assembly 35 , it performs the same function . moreover , because the tension element assemblies are made of metal , they form a large , unbreakable , positive grounding wire from one end of the delivery hose to the other . this grounding wire supplements the usual fine grounding wire in the hose . during normal operation of the fuel dispenser system , the tension element 81 has no substantial deleterious effect on delivery of fuel , manipulation of the flexible hose , or operation of the nozzle . if a driver pulls away from the dispenser without removing the nozzle 7 from the vehicle &# 39 ; s filler tube , however , the tension element or elements are quickly pulled taut before the hose assembly can be stretched sufficiently to store any great amount of energy . this results in a quicker and more positive uncoupling of the breakaway coupling or breakage of the nozzle spout . it also greatly reduces the damage caused by the hose , the breakaway , and the nozzle . the hose drops to the ground near the pump rather than whipping in the air at a distance from the pump . furthermore , the vehicle has less time to increase its speed before the separation occurs and the hose pulls free . the presence of the tension element also eliminates the damage which would have been done to the hose had it been stretched and reduces damage to the breakaway and the nozzle . replacement of the hose is eliminated , and in most cases the breakaway coupling can be reassembled . fig6 - 8 illustrate the use of the tension element 81 in a vacuum - assist fuel delivery hose assembly in which vapor is returned through a central hose 151 and fuel flows between an outer hose 153 and the inner hose 151 . the inner hose 151 of this type of hose is typically made of a flexible , gasoline - resistant plastic and is thinner than the inner hose 51 of the balance type hose assembly . a metal fitting 155 is provided on the ends of the inner hose 151 . the metal fitting 155 is provided with a barbed neck 156 which is inserted and held in the inner hose 151 , with a snap ring 157 taking the place of circumferential flanges 57 and a pair of spaced - apart o - rings 158 for sealing the inner hose to a female fitting in the mating hose fitting . the outer hose 153 in this type of hose is made of rubber and is considerably thicker than the outer hose 53 of the balance - type vapor recovery hose assembly . its fitting 161 , like the fitting 61 , is formed in two coaxial telescoped pieces held together by a snap ring , as is common in the marketplace . like the fitting 61 of the balance type hose assembly , the outer piece of the fitting 161 includes a threaded part 163 and flats 165 . a common expedient for positioning the inner hose 151 in the outer hose 153 is a cast metal spider 159 having stepped arms 160 . at one end of the hose 151 , the spider 159 is cast integral with the fitting 155 . at the other end , the spider is slipped over the inner hose fitting 155 before the o - rings 158 are slipped on . the stepped ends 162 of the stepped arms 160 rest on the open axial end 172 of the threaded part 165 and the remaining portions of the arms 160 position the spider 159 , hence the inner hose 151 radially in the outer hose 153 . this construction is well known in the art . the tension element 81 of the previous embodiment may also be used with the vacuum assist hose of fig6 - 8 by positioning it between the legs 160 of the spider 159 , so that the adapter is trapped between the spider 159 and the inside of the fitting 161 , and so that the lip 95 engages the open axial end 172 of the threaded part 165 . because the head 93 of the adapter 89 has an axial height equal to or slightly less than the height of the outer , stepped portions of the legs 160 , it does not interfere with mating the fitting 161 to a female fitting , and the head 192 of the adapter 189 is trapped between the fitting 161 and the female fitting , which substantially prevent axial movement of the adapter 89 . in this embodiment , too , a tension element must be provided in the curb hose , and it is preferred that one be provided in the whip hose also . in operation , the tension element 81 performs the same functions in this embodiment as in the previous embodiment . although the heavier vacuum assist hose assembly does not stretch as far as the balance type hose assembly in the absence of the tension element 81 , it stores a great deal of energy as it is stretched , and snaps back with great vigor when the linkage between vehicle and dispenser breaks . with the tension element 81 , the hose assembly stretches only a small fraction of the distance it would stretch without the tension element , if it stretches at all , before the breakaway coupling or nozzle spout separates cleanly and the hose drops harmlessly and unharmed to the ground . in a standard , non - vapor recovery delivery hose assembly 5 , no spider exists to hold a tension element , and a connection between the tension element and the hose fittings must be established . numerous inserts can be fashioned to perform the function of holding the tension element axially in the fitting . examples are shown in fig9 - 16 . as shown in fig1 , in a non - vapor - recovery hose assembly , the hose fittings 261 on the curb hose and whip hose may be substantially similar to the outer hose fitting 61 on the balance type vapor recovery hose assembly of the first example . the fitting 261 includes a threaded part 263 having an axial end surface 272 and an internal shoulder 273 . the hose 253 is held between annular jaws 269 and 271 . as shown in fig9 and 10 , a tubular insert 281 is formed having an outer diameter just less than the inner diameter of the fitting 261 . diametrically opposed holes in the insert 281 support a pin 283 having beveled ends and a length just greater than the inner diameter of the fitting 261 . the tension element 81 , in the form of the mechanical cable 83 of the previous embodiments , is provided with cable fittings 285 and 287 at the respective ends of the cable 83 . the cable fitting 285 includes an eyelet 291 swaged onto its end . the eyelet is aligned with the holes in the insert 281 , and a pin 283 is passed through the holes and the eyelet to lock the eyelet to an insert 281 . the cable fitting 287 includes a threaded stud 87 to which is threaded an eyelet adapter 289 . the cable 83 is attached to the cable fittings 285 and 287 and is inserted through the length of the hose 253 . the cable fitting 285 is mounted to the first insert 281 by running a pin 283 through the eyelet 291 and pushing the insert 281 into the hose fitting 261 until it is in abutment with the shoulder 273 . the eyelet adapter 289 is turned to match the length of the cable assembly to the length of the hose 253 , and the hose 253 is coiled to cause the cable to extend axially beyond the end of the hose . a pin 283 is passed through the holes in a second insert 281 and through the eyelet adapter 289 . the insert 281 is then pushed into its hose fitting 261 . the pins 283 hold the inserts 281 frictionally in the hose fittings 261 . the tension element performs the same functions , with the same advantages , as the tension elements of the prior embodiments . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , a tubular insert 381 , similar to the insert 281 of the previous embodiment , includes a shoulder 382 which rests on the end 272 of the fitting 261 . in this embodiment , inserting a pin 385 , longer than the pin 285 , through a cross - bore in the enlarged end 386 is simplified because the enlarged end 386 extends beyond the end of the hose fitting 261 . adjustment of the length of the tension element is also greatly simplified . this construction requires knowledge , however , that the fitting into which the hose fitting 261 is threaded is deep enough to accommodate the enlarged end 386 . it also requires that the pin 385 fit snugly enough in the tubular insert that it will not fall out prior to assembly of the hose fitting into a nozzle 7 , a breakaway coupling 33 , or a dispenser body fitting 27 . the embodiment shown in fig1 and 13 utilizes a cast spider 481 having tapered arms 482 . the lower ends of the arms fit into the open end of the hose fitting 261 , and the upper ends of the arms are larger than the inside diameter of the hose fitting 261 but smaller than the outer diameter . a threaded stud fitting 87 on the cable assembly 81 extends though a central opening in the spider 481 . a nut 485 adjusts the length of the tension element 81 . the nut 485 is preferably a separate element , but could be molded and threaded integrally with the spider 481 . as shown in fig1 and 15 , a simplified mounting 581 may be utilized when the length of the hose 253 is known accurately before the cable assembly is made . the mounting 581 includes a cup 583 with a radial slot 585 . the cup 583 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the hose fitting 261 . the cup is restrained frictionally in the hose fitting 261 and is positively axially restrained by the shoulder 273 . the cable 83 is provided with a double ball fitting 587 at each end . the double ball fitting 587 is installed in the cup slot 585 before the cup is installed in the hose fitting 261 and restrains the tension element 81 from axial movement when the hose 253 is stretched and also from axial movement out of the hose 253 when the hose 253 is coiled or otherwise unstraightened . as shown in fig1 and 17 , a simple bent ring 681 , having a dimple 683 , may be utilized with a tension element having end fittings like the end fittings 85 of the embodiment of fig3 - 8 . as shown in fig1 , a simplified headed fitting 689 may be formed similar to the headed fitting 89 , but with a tubular body 691 which is swaged directly onto the cable 83 . the tubular body 691 extends between the dimple 683 and the inside of the hose fitting 261 . a head 693 , corresponding to the head 93 , engages the end 272 of the fitting 261 . the foregoing examples are particularly well adapted to carrying out the present invention with a pre - existing hose assembly . it is also possible to incorporate the tension element in the manufacture of the hose assembly . the various spiders and other similar connectors illustrated by the foregoing examples may be made integral with the hose fittings . other connectors may also be built into the hose fittings and used with other tension elements , as illustrated in fig1 - 20 . as shown in fig1 , a flexible stainless steel cable 781 may be adhered to the outside of a hose 753 . the cable 781 functions as an elongate , linear , tension element to prevent the hose 753 from stretching more than ten percent as much as it would stretch without the tension element 781 . preferably , when the hose is cut before its fittings 261 are applied , a small section of the cable 781 is left and is wrapped around the end of the hose 753 before the fitting 261 is applied and the inner annular jaw 269 is expanded to lock and seal the hose fitting 261 on the hose 753 . the length of the free end of the cable 781 is kept short enough to allow a sufficient sealing length of the inner annular jaw directly to the inside of the hose 753 , thereby ensuring a tight seal between the fitting 261 and the hose 753 . the cable 781 performs the same function as the tension element 81 in the foregoing examples . because the cable 781 is on the exterior of the hose , rather than its interior , it is important to prevent it from separating too far from the hose 753 when the hose flexes . rather than adhering the cable 781 with known adhesives , it may alternatively be held at intervals by ties , or , preferably , a thin flexible shrink - wrapped sleeve may be applied over the hose 253 and cable 781 before the fittings 261 are attached to the hose 253 . as shown in fig1 , a similar construction may utilize a cable 883 , like the cable 83 of the first embodiment . the fitting 261 is modified by drilling a hole 891 through which the cable 883 extends . a simple swaged cable fitting 893 holds the cable to the hose fitting 261 . the cable is inserted into the fitting 261 with the hose 253 before the inner jaw 269 of the fitting 261 is expanded to seal the fitting to the hose . the cable 883 may be held to the hose 253 in the same ways the strap 781 is held to the hose 753 . as shown in fig2 , a tension element in the form of a cable 983 may be run through the interior of a hose 253 , either attached to the interior of the hose or loose , and attached to a modified hose fitting 961 . the modified hose fitting 961 differs from the hose fitting 261 primarily in that its distal end is modified to include reinforcing ribs 963 , in one of which is formed a longitudinal opening 965 , with a notch 967 adjacent its end to accommodate a swaged fitting 993 on the end of the cable 983 . the cable 983 is thus trapped between hose fittings 961 at the ends of the hose 253 . the cable 983 and cable fitting 993 perform the same functions as the cable assembly 81 of the first embodiment . it will be appreciated that the cable fitting 993 could be formed as an integral part of the hose fitting 961 , and the cable clamped in it at the same time the hose is clamped in the hose fitting 961 . numerous variations in the present invention within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description . merely by way of example , the system may be utilized with larger fuel dispensing systems such as those used for fueling large diesel trucks , in which case longer hoses and larger components will be used . the first tank may be mounted in a vehicle and the nozzle utilized to fill a stationary tank , as in a fuel oil truck delivering fuel oil . when fuel oil is delivered , the nozzle is frequently pulled by the driver from the truck to the tank . after delivery is complete the nozzle is removed from the tank , then the delivery hose is wound up on the truck , dragging the nozzle back to the truck . should the nozzle become caught , the inclusion of a tension element in the hose , in accordance with the present invention prevents damage to the hose and also prevents damage to person and property when the nozzle becomes dislodged . numerous other elongate , flexible tension elements may be utilized , including , by way of example , straps , such as flat extruded straps , woven metal straps , or twin parallel wires separated by a plastic or woven strap . straps are particularly desirable if the tension element is secured to the hose by the coaxial jaws of the hose fittings in the manufacture of the hose assembly . the strap could be laminated into the hose . even in such a construction , it is preferred that the strap or other tension element includes a fitting or other discontinuity at each end , to provide an enlargement or recess at each end for more positive retention in the hose fitting . in a less preferred embodiment , the embedded tension element is simply held at its ends by the force of the jaws of the hose fittings , exerted through the elastomeric hose . numerous other cable or strap fittings can be utilized in combination with the hose fittings to secure the tension element assembly to the hose assembly . for many purposes , it is desirable that the fittings restrict movement of the cable out of the hose , to prevent tangling when the hose is coiled , although as shown in some of the foregoing illustrative embodiments it is not always essential . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
the inventors have conducted various investigations and experiments on the adherence of the calcium salt crystals to the trays in the distillation column . as a result thereof , it has been confirmed that the amount of the dissolved calcium salt present in the supernatant , that is , in the separated liquid in the thickener , which precipitates out is increased in proportion to the temperature rise , but all of the precipitated calcium salt does not adhere to the trays , and at the initial separation stage , the nuclei of the precipitates are adhered to the tray surfaces , especially , at the tray surface areas disposed nearer the vent opening of the column , and the same are grown into crystals . in the meanwhile , the crystals dispersed and grown in the liquid are hard to adhere to the trays . in fact , the adhering phenomenon to the trays in the distillation column is often generated in most cases at the upper portion of the column , that is , the supply side thereof . a beaker experiment has been conducted on the crystal adhering velocity at the initial separation - out stage , to obtain a diagram as shown in fig1 by using such a separated liquid sample prepared by treating the waste liquid with slaked lime so as to obtain a ph of 11 and thereafter removing solid substances by sedimentation from the reaction product . namely , as shown by the solid line in the same figure the crystal adhesion rate is increased rapidly in the initial period and thereafter the adhesion rate is extremely slow , and it has been observed that there is an increase in the amount of crystals which are not adhered thereto but remain dispersed and grown in the liquid . the adhesion amount is represented by adhesion force per unit area ( mg / cm 2 ) to a test piece ( a steel plate 9 cm 2 ) with the lapse of time . the dotted line in fig . 1 represents the temperature . one embodying example of the apparatus of this invention which makes it possible to carry out a long - term and stable continuous operation , on the basis of the above observations and experiments , will be explained with reference to fig2 . numeral 1 denotes a waste liquid pipe passage leading from a coke oven , and numerals 2a , 2b , 3 and 4 denote a first reaction tank , a second reaction tank , a thickener serving as a solid - liquid separator and a distillation column which are interposed in order in the waste liquid pipe passage 1 . the pipe passage 1 between the thickener 3 and the distillation column 4 is provided with a heat exchanger 5 and a heat aging tank 6 interposed therein in order . the heat exchanger 5 is arranged so that a deammoniated liquid pipe passage 1a leading from the bottom portion of the distillation column 4 is introduced into the heat exchanger 5 so that the waste liquid may be heat - exchanged with the deammoniated liquid . the heat aging tank 6 has a sufficient volume so that the supernatant liquid which flows into it may be retained therein for about 5 minutes or more ( preferably 10 - 30 minutes ), and a heating pipe 7 is provided therein and is so arranged that part of the steam serving as a heat source for the distillation column 4 may be led therein through a pipe 8 and thereafter may reach the distillation column 4 through a pipe 9 . the heat aging tank 6 is provided with an automatic temperature control means 10 comprising a temperature indication and control meter 10a and a flow rate control valve 10b interposed in the pipe 8 so that the temperature in the heat aging tank 6 may be detected by the meter 10a , and the control valve 10b may be controlled by an output signal thereof for controlling the amount of steam , and thereby the liquid temperature may be maintained the same as the column top temperature of the distillation column 4 . numeral 11 denotes an agitator provided in the heat aging tank 6 , numeral 12 denotes a pipe for supplying milk of lime into the reaction tanks 2a , 2b , numeral 13 denotes a steam pipe for supplying the steam to the distillation column 4 , and numeral 14 denotes an ammonia gas pipe for discharging separated ammonia vapor from the top of the column 4 . thus , the waste liquid from the coke oven is reacted with the slaked lime added in the first reaction tank 2a and the second reaction tank 2b , respectively , whereby the fixed ammonia such as ammonium sulfate or the like is decomposed into free ammonia such as ammonium hydroxide or the like and a calcium salt such as calcium sulfate , that is , gypsum or the like . thereafter , at the thickener 3 , the suspension containing the reaction product comprising the free ammonia and the gypsum or the like and the excess slaked lime is subjected to separation by sedimentation , whereby there is obtained the supernatant , that is , the separated liquid containing the free ammonia . this separated liquid is previously heated by the heat exchanger 5 and is then sent to the heat aging tank 6 . in the heat aging tank 6 , the separated liquid is heated and adjusted in temperature by the automatic temperature control means 10 so as to maintain substantially the same temperature as the column top temperature ( usually 90 - 100 ° c .) of the distillation column 4 , and is retained in the tank 6 for 5 minutes or above , so that the dissolved calcium salt present in the separated liquid is separated out and is aged , and thus the crystals are grown . thereafter , the separated liquid containing the calcium salt crystals thus aged and the free ammonia is introduced into the top portion of the distillation column 4 , and the free ammonia is separated and removed by the steam - stripping . since the calcium salt crystals have already been aged in the aging tank 6 , they do not adhere to the trays in the distillation column 4 . accordingly , blocking up in the distillation column is very difficult to occur and a long - term continuous operation thereof can be effected . the specification and conditions of the experimental apparatus are shown as follows : supply amount of the waste liquid : 30 m 3 / h with the lapse of eight months since starting under the above conditions with the heating temperature in the heat aging tank 6 being 95 ° c . and the retention time therein being 15 minutes , there has not occurred any blocking trouble in the distillation column 4 and such a long - term continuous operation has been carried out . even though the long - term continuous operation over eight months or more has become possible as above , there is still a fear that the calcium salt will gradually adhere to the trays and finally block up the same where the operation is further continued thereafter . if , accordingly , the work for removal of the adhered salt is carried out in such a manner that the operation is stopped at the rate of one time per about 8 - 10 months and the trays are disassembled , it takes about one week in the case of the distillation column with 15 stages , for instance , and also requires much labor and cost . the inventors have made an analysis of the substance adhering to the trays with the following result : it has been confirmed by the inventors that the adhered substance can be easily removed from the trays by a process in which the substance is nearly completely dissolved in a short time by dilute hydrochloric acid of 2 to 5 %, and a small amount of the remainder not dissolved thereby is washed away by a flow of water . the second feature of this invention is based on this confirmation , and a concrete example thereof will be explained with reference to fig3 . namely , the embodying apparatus of this invention as mentioned before is provided with a diverged pipe passage 15 diverged from the deammoniated liquid pipe 1a let out from the bottom portion of the distillation column 4 , and a washing liquid tank 16 connected to the front end thereof , and a by - pass pipe passage 17 is provided to connect between the deammoniated liquid pipe passage 1a and the pipe passage 1 extending from the thickener 3 . consequently , 1a circulation pipe passage 18 for circulating a washing liquid is formed by the deammoniated liquid pipe passage 1a , the by - pass passage 17 and the pipe passage 1 extending from the thickener 3 to the top portion of the column 4 . numerals 19a , 19b denote valves interposed in the deammoniated liquid pipe passage 1a , numerals 20 , 21 , 22 denote valves interposed in the pipe passage 1 from the thickener 3 , the by - pass passage 17 and the diverged pipe passage 15 , respectively , numeral 23 denotes a pump , numeral 24 denotes a pipe for charging , for instance , hydrochloric acid , diluting water and inhibitor , numeral 25 denotes a gas blowing nozzle for forcing nitrogen gas , for instance , for stirring the washing liquid in the distillation column 4 , and numeral 26 denotes an exhaust pipe for the gas . thus , the tank 16 is previously filled with dilute hydrochloric acid of 2 - 5 % concentration mixed with a corrosion inhibitor , such as an organic compound of amine type or the like . in the meanwhile , the charging of the waste liquid into the distillation column 4 and the blowing of the steam therethrough are stopped , and thereafter the liquid in the distillation column 4 is removed by the pump 23 for emptying the column 4 . next , the valves 22 , 21 are opened and the valves 19a , 19b 20 are closed , and the distillation column 4 is charged and filled with the washing liquid , by driving the pump 23 , through the diverged pipe 15 , the deammoniated liquid pipe passage 1a , the by - pass pipe passage 17 and the waste liquid pipe passage 1 . in this case , the same is filled therewith to such an extent that the uppermost stage tray is immersed therein . the valve 19a is then opened and the valve 22 is closed , and the washing liquid is circulated , by driving the pump 23 , through the distillation column 4 and the circulation passage 18 , and additionally the washing liquid in the column 4 is stirred by blowing in nitrogen gas from the nozzle 25 . thus , the trays are washed by the acid , and after the completion thereof the valve 19b is opened and the valve 21 is closed , and the washing liquid is discharged through the deammoniated liquid pipe 1a by driving the pump 23 . thereafter , the tank 16 is filled with water and is rinsed therewith in almost the same washing operation as above . in this case , the blowing with nitrogen gas is also carried out . finally , the water is removed , and then the column 4 is filled with the waste liquid ready for resuming the operation . size of the distillation column : 0 . 9 m in diameter 15 m in height the washing process is carried out and completed , with the above arrangement according to a time schedule as shown in fig4 . namely , the total necessary time is 8 hours . in the same figure , a is a stage for preparation for washing , b is that for stop of the operation , c is for discharging of the waste liquid , d is for filling of the washing liquid in the distillation column , e is for circulation of the washing liquid , f is for discharging of the washing liquid , g is for washing with water , h is for charging of the waste liquid in the distillation column and i is for resuming of the operation . thus according to this invention , the pipe passage between the solid - liquid separator and the distillation column is provided with the heat aging tank and it is so arranged that the calcium salt present in a dissolved state in the liquid separated by the solid - liquid separator is separated out and aged in the heat aging tank , before the separated liquid is charged into the distillation column , so that the adhesion of the calcium salt to the trays in the column hardly occurs and consequently a long - term continuous operation can be carried out . according to the second feature of this invention , it is so arranged that washing of the trays may be carried out in such a manner that the washing liquid is circulated through the distillation column while being stirred , so that even when there are crystals adhered to the trays , the same can be removed in a short time , in situ , without disassembling the column , and thus the cost is lowered . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
the description that follows is directed first to the general structure of an engine and , thereafter , sequentially to a valve motion device , a timing transmission device , a breather device , a clutch , a transmission , a change mechanism , a lubricating device , a cooling device and a starting device . first , fig1 to 4 depict an engine e for a motorcycle . the terms &# 34 ; front &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; rear &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; left &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; right &# 34 ; in regard to the engine e are as regards the orientation of the vehicle . an engine body 1 of the engine e is provided with main components that include : a cylinder block 3 provided with four cylinders 2 , 2 , which are connected in series in the left and right directions and which are slanted somewhat forwardly ; a crank case 4 integrally formed at a lower end of the cylinder block 3 ; a cylinder head 6 which is superposed on an upper end surface of the cylinder block 3 and which is fixed by bolts 5 ; a head cover 9 which is superposed on an upper end surface of the cylinder head 6 and which is fixed to a cam holder 47 mentioned hereinafter by a bolt 7 so as to define a valve motion chamber 8 between the head cover and the cylinder head 6 ; and a transmission case 10 which is integrally formed at the rear of the crank case 4 . the three aforementioned members , that is , the cylinder block 3 , the crank case 4 and the transmission case 10 are integrally formed from a casting . right side surfaces and lower surfaces of the crank case 4 and the transmission case 10 are open , and a side cover 11 and an oil pan 12 are fixed on their open ends by bolts 13 , 14 . on a wall of the crank case 4 are integrally formed a partition wall between the respective cylinders 2 , 2 and aligned crank journal supporting walls 15 , 15 perpendicular to the outside walls of the cylinders 2 , 2 at both outside positions . a crankshaft 16 positioned in the crankcase 4 is rotatably mounted between the crank journal supporting walls 15 , 15 and a crank holder 18 fixed by bolts 17 , 17 at the lower ends of the crank journal supporting walls . the crankshaft 16 is operatively connected to pistons 19 , 19 movable in the cylinders 2 , 2 through the intermediary of connecting rods 20 , 20 . on a lower surface of the cylinder head 6 are provided a plurality of combustion chambers 21 , 21 in alignment with the cylinders 2 , 2 . a ceiling surface of each combustion chamber 21 is formed in a crown shape having a ridgeline parallel to the crankshaft 16 . at one slant surface of the crown shape are opened the inner ends of a pair of intake ports 22 , 22 aligned along the ridgeline and at the other slant surface of the crown shape are opened the inner ends of a pair of exhaust ports 23 , 23 aligned along the ridgeline . outer ends of the intake ports 22 , 22 open to the rear of the cylinder head 6 and outer ends of the exhaust ports 23 , 23 open to the front of the cylinder head 6 . an ignition plug 24 for each combustion chamber 21 is arranged to be surrounded by the aforesaid intake and exhaust ports 22 , 22 ; 23 , 23 and is threadedly screwed to the cylinder head 6 . the intake valve 25 and the exhaust valve 26 that open and close each intake port 22 and each exhaust port 23 are slidingly guided for moving up and down by valve guides 27 and 28 fixedly provided on the cylinder head 6 and so arranged that the distance between both valves 25 and 26 increases toward the valve head . on the intake and exhaust valves 25 and 26 are mounted valve springs 29 and 30 biasing the valves in their closing direction . in order to open the intake and exhaust valves 25 and 26 against forces of these valve springs 29 and 30 , a valve motion device 31 is provided in the combustion chamber 8 . the valve motion device 31 comprises an intake camshaft 32 which is arranged just above the intake valves 25 , 25 along the direction of alignment of the group of intake valves 25 , 25 ; an exhaust camshaft 33 which is arranged just above the exhaust valves 26 , 26 along the direction of alignment of the group of exhaust valves 26 , 26 ; a rockable intake cam follower 36 which is supported on the cylinder head 6 by a pivot pin 34 at a base end thereof and which is inserted between the intake camshaft 32 and a head of each intake valve 25 at a free end thereof ; and a rockable exhaust cam follower 37 which is supported on the cylinder head 6 by a pivot pin 35 at a base end thereof and which is inserted between the exhaust camshaft 33 and a head of each exhaust valve 26 at a free end thereof . as shown in fig3 the pivot pin 34 of the intake cam follower 36 is arranged between the exhaust valve 25 and the ignition plug 24 , and the pivot pin 35 of the exhaust cam follower 37 is arranged between the exhaust valve 26 and the exhaust port 23 . when thus constituted , the intake port 22 can extend upwardly from the combustion chamber 21 without interferring with the intake cam follower 36 , so as not to restrict intake flow . also , a sufficient space can be provided above the ignition plug 24 in order to attach and detach it without interferring with the exhaust cam follower 37 . as shown in fig4 supporting bore 40 is provided in the lower surface of the free end of each cam follower 36 , 37 . into this supporting bore 40 is loosely fitted a projecting shaft 41a which protrudes via a shim facing to the head of each of the corresponding intake and exhaust valve 25 , 26 . by selecting the thickness of the shim 41 , the valve head gap of each intake and exhaust valve 25 and 26 is properly adjusted . lateral deviation of the shim 41 is prevented by properly fitting the projecting shaft 41a within the supporting bore 40 . the intake camshaft 32 is rotatably interposed between a plurality of cam journal supporting walls 42 , 42 provided upstanding from a bottom wall of the valve motion chamber and a cam holder 44 integral with the cam journal supporting wall fixed to the latter by bolts 43 , 43 . also , the exhaust camshaft 33 is rotatably interposed between a plurality of cam journal supporting walls 45 , 45 upstanding from the bottom wall of the valve motion chamber 8 and a cam holder 47 integral with the cam journal supporting wall fixed to the latter by bolts 46 , 46 . these intake and exhaust camshafts 32 and 33 are connected with the crankshaft 16 through the intermediary of a timing transmission device 50 . the timing transmission device 50 , as shown in fig1 a and 2 , is contained in a timing transmission chamber 51 formed at the right end portions of the cylinder block 3 , the cylinder head 6 and the head cover 9 . the timing transmission device 50 comprises a drive gear 53 fixed to the right end portion of the crankshaft 16 through the intermediary of a key 52 ; a first idler gear 54 meshing with the drive gear 53 ; a second idler gear 55 which meshes with the first idler gear 54 ; an intake driven gear 56 which is substantially secured to a right end portion of the intake camshaft 32 and which meshes with the second idler gear 55 ; an exhaust driven gear 57 which is substantially secured to the right end portion of the exhaust camshaft 33 and which similarly meshes with the second idler gear 55 ; and a supporting plate 58 which supports the first and second idler gears 54 and 55 with bolts . the timing transmission device 50 is designed to transmit a rotation of the crankshaft 16 to both camshafts 32 and 33 with a reduction ratio of 1 / 2 . the aforesaid supporting plate 58 is pivotably mounted on the crankshaft 16 at one end thereof through the intermediary of a ball bearing 59 and is supported by a bearing shaft 60 which is threadedly screwed into the cylinder head 6 . on the right side surface of the supporting plate 58 are provided a pair of outwardly projecting upper and lower bosses 61 and 62 on which the respective first and second idler gears , 54 , and 55 , are supported through the intermediary of the respective ball bearings 63 and 64 . as shown in fig1 a , a certain gap 66 in the form of an annular clearance space is provided between the bearing shaft 60 and an axial bore 65 provided in the supporting plate 58 to allow the bearing shaft 60 to penetrate therethrough . in order to restrain an oscillation of the supporting plate 58 due to the gap 66 , resilient rings 67 , 67 , as , for example , o - rings , are disposed on the bearing shaft 60 as a pair of resilient spacer members contacting the inner surface of the axial bore 65 . further , in the embodiment shown , the upper boss 61 and the axial bore 65 are concentrically arranged to render the supporting plate 58 more compact , but this construction is not necessary . the bearing shaft 60 is threadedly screwed into an inner side wall of the timing transmission chamber 51 by a threaded portion 60 of the leading end thereof and is supported on an outer side wall of the chamber 51 by a circular head portion 60b through the intermediary of an o - ring 68 . accordingly , the bearing shaft 60 is supported at both ends . in the aforesaid structure , the engine body 1 is formed of aluminum alloy , and the supporting plate 58 and the driver gear 53 , as well as the driven gears 56 and 57 , are formed of a material comprising iron compounds . accordingly , the engine body 1 and the timing transmission device 50 differ largely in their thermal expansion coefficient . further , during driving of the engine e , the engine body 1 is subject to greater amounts of heat than is the timing transmission device 50 . accordingly , the engine body e undergoes a greater degree of thermal expansion than does the timing transmission device 50 . therefore , if the distance between the crankshaft 16 and the bearing shaft 60 increases , since the bearing shaft 60 , in moving , presses and deforms the resilient rings 67 and 67 within the gap 66 between the bearing shaft 60 and the axial bore 65 of the supporting plate 58 , the aforesaid thermal expansion does not affect on the supporting plate 58 . consequently , the thermal expansion undergone by the engine e does not affect the distance between the shafts of the first and second idler gears rotatably supported on the supporting plate 58 or the distance between the shaft of the drive gear 53 on the crankshaft 16 and the first idler gear 54 . therefore , the backlash between the gears 53 , 54 and 55 is always maintained substantially constant whereby the driving torque can be adapted to be properly and quietly transmitted by these gears from the crankshaft 16 to both camshafts 32 and 33 . further , although the thermal expansion of the cylinder head 6 will have an affect on the backlash between the second idler gear 55 and the intake and exhaust driven gears 56 and 57 , since the distance between the shafts mounting these gears is relatively short , the affect of this expansion can be expected to be very small . however , in the described device , in order to avoid the affect of thermal expansion , each of the driven gears 56 and 57 is divided into a stationary gear 69 substantially fixed to corresponding camshafts 32 and 33 and a movable gear 70 connected to the stationary gear 69 through the intermediary of a torsion spring 71 . the teeth of the second idler gear 55 are resiliently interposed between the teeth of both gears 69 and 70 due to torsion force of the torsion spring 71 whereby it is intended to always exclude the backlash . in the present invention , as shown in fig1 , the pivot shaft pivotably mounting one end of the supporting plate 58 may be formed as an intake camshaft 32 or an exhaust camshaft 33 . in this case , it is unnecessary to provide the above described backlash - excluding mechanism between the second idler gear 55 and the intake drive gear 56 or the exhaust driven gear 57 . however , it is desirable to provide the backlash - excluding mechanism between the drive gear 53 and the first idler gear 54 . again , in fig1 the left end portion of the crankshaft 16 projects into the crank case 4 . on the projecting end is fixed a rotor 48a of a generator 48 . a side cover 49 provided with its stator is fixed to the crank case by a bolt 72 . next , a description is made about the breather device . as shown in fig1 and 3 , on an upper surface of the cam holder 44 of the intake camshaft 32 side is integrally formed a surrounding wall 74 extending around a portion of the cam holder . in order to use the interior of the surrounding wall 74 as a breather chamber 75 , the head cover 9 is made to abut an upper end of the surrounding wall 74 through the intermediary of a sealing member 76 . the breather chamber 75 communicates with the valve motion chamber 8 through the intermediary of a bore 77 provided on the cam holder 44 and also communicates with the intake system of the engine e or the atmosphere through the intermediary of an introducing pipe 78 provided in the head cover 9 . thus , when the breather chamber 75 is constructed by a part of the cam holder 44 and the head cover 9 , it is unnecessary to provide an exclusive and independent breather chamber body thereby enabling the simplification of the structure of the breather device . thus , during operation of the engine e , blow - by gas generated in the crank case 4 transfers to the valve motion chamber 8 through the timing transmission chamber 51 , by entering from the bore 77 into the breather chamber 75 and expanding into the latter . after an oil fraction is separated in the breather chamber 75 , the blow - by gas is discharged from the chamber 75 through the introducing pipe 78 . the oil separated from the gas drops from the bore 77 into the valve motion chamber 8 . next is presented a description of the clutch and the transmission . as shown in fig1 and fig5 in the transmission case 10 are contained the clutch 80 and the transmission 81 . an input shaft 82 and an output shaft 83 of the transmission 81 are arranged parallel to the crankshaft 16 , and between both the shafts 80 and 83 is provided a multistage transmission gear train consisting of gears 84a to 84n . left end portions of the input and output shafts 82 and 83 are supported on the left side wall of the transmission case 10 through the intermediary of a needle bearing 85 and a ball bearing 88 . right end portions of the input and output shafts 82 and 83 are supported on a partition plate 87 at the middle portion of the transmission case 10 through the intermediary of ball bearings 86 and 89 . the aforesaid partition plate 87 is of circular shape and is fitted into an annular step portion 90 formed on an inner peripheral surface of the transmission case 10 . the plate 87 is detachably fixed to a plurality of bosses 91 , 91 formed on a peripheral wall of the case 10 by bolts 92 , 92 . the right end portion of the input shaft 82 extends through the partition plate 87 and on its leading end is fixed a clutch inner 93 of the clutch mechanism 80 . a clutch outer of the clutch mechanism 80 is connected to the crankshaft 16 through the intermediary of a primary reduction device 95 . the latter is comprised of a drive gear 96 of small diameter fixed on the crankshaft 16 , and a driven gear 97 of large diameter attached to one side surface of the clutch outer 94 via a torque damper 98 and meshing with the drive gear 96 . the driven gear 97 is supported on a spacer sleeve 99 on the input shaft 82 through the intermediary of a needle bearing 100 . thus , the clutch outer 94 is rotatably supported on the input shaft 82 through the intermediary of the driven gear 97 . with such a structure the assembling performance is better and it is possible to confirm an actuation of the transmission 81 before assembling it into the transmission case 10 since the transmission 81 can be assembled on the partition plate 87 before fixing the partition plate 87 to the transmission case 10 . thus , during driving of the engine e , the output of the crankshaft 16 is transmitted to the clutch outer 94 via the drive gear 96 and the driven gear 97 . during a connecting condition of the clutch 80 , the resulting output torque is transmitted to the input shaft 82 via the clutch inner 93 , and further , is transmitted to the output shaft 83 through the intermediary of one gear train selected from the transmission gear trains 84a to 84n . output torque of the output shaft 83 is transmitted to the rear wheels of the motorcycle through the intermediary of a second reduction device 101 so as to drive the rear wheels . next presented is a description of a change mechanism for changing and controlling the aforesaid transmission 81 . in fig5 and 8 , the change mechanism 104 , as is well known , is provided with a change spindle 106 provided with a change pedal 105 ; a shift drum 108 forming columns of cam grooves 107 1 - 107 3 on an outer periphery thereof ; a step feed mechanism 109 which limits the rotary angle of the change pedal 105 and which gives the shift drum 108 a rotation of a required angle with the rotation of the change pedal 105 ; several shift forks 110 1 - 110 3 which are engaged with cam grooves 107 1 - 107 3 at one end thereof and with a sliding gear in the transmission gear trains 84a - 84n at the other end thereof ; and fork guides 111 1 , 111 2 which slidably support the shift forks . all of the change spindle 106 , the shift drum 108 and the fork guides 111 1 - 111 3 are arranged in parallel to the input and output shaft 82 and 83 of the transmission 81 and their opposite end portions are supported on the partition plate 87 and the left side wall of the crank case 4 , respectively . with such a structure , before fixing the partition plate 87 to the transmission case 10 , since the change mechanism 104 can be assembled on the partition plate 87 together with the transmission 81 , the assembling performance is better . further , it is possible to confirm the actuation of the change mechanism 104 before assembling it into the transmission case 10 . next , a description of the lubricating device is presented . firstly , a description is presented of the lubrication systems of the crankshaft 16 and the valve motion device 31 with reference to fig1 , 5 , 6 and 7 . on the partition plate 87 is provided an oil pump 114 of trochoidal - or rotor - type forming an oil supply source . that is , on the partition plate 87 is formed a pump chamber 115 in facing relation to the driven gear 97 of the primary reduction device 95 . in the pump chamber 115 are contained a radially outer rotor 116 and a radially inner rotor 117 . on the open end of the pump chamber 115 is fixed a cover plate 118 by bolts 119 . the inner rotor 117 is connected to the driven gear 97 through the intermediary of an oldham &# 39 ; s joint 120 penetrating through a center portion of the cover plate 118 . by such a structure , during driving of the engine e , since the oil pump 114 can continue to be driven through the intermediary of the first reduction device 95 , it is unnecessary to provide a driving gear train exclusively between the crankshaft 16 and the oil pump 114 . also , since the partition plate 87 combines with the pump case to define the pump chamber 115 , it is unnecessary to provide an exclusive pump case thereby simplifying the engine structure . in the partition plate 87 are provided an intake port 121 and and exhaust port 122 opening into the pump chamber 115 . to the intake port 121 is connected an intake pipe 124 rising from a strainer 123 provided below an oil surface in the oil pan 12 . the exhaust port 122 is communicated with an oil gallery 126 through the intermediary of an oil passage 125 . the latter is provided on a protruding portion 127 formed on an inner wall of the oil pan 12 . also , the oil gallery 126 is formed integrally with the crank holder 18 extending along its longitudinal direction . the oil gallery 126 has an inlet 126a connected to the oil passage 125 at a center thereof , the passage area being progressively widened from the inlet 126a toward left and right ends . from the oil gallery 126 are branched a plurality of oil feeding paths 128 , 128 leading to a bearing surface to a journal of the crankshaft 16 and one oil feeding path 129 leading to a lubricating portion of the valve motion device 31 . thus , with actuation of the oil pump 114 , lubricating oil in the oil pan is induced through the strainer 123 and is fed under pressure to the oil gallery 126 via the oil passage 125 . further , the lubricating oil is distributed from the oil gallery 126 to portions of the crankshaft 16 and the valve motion device 31 requiring lubrication . the lubricating oil in the oil pan 16 , when passing the oil passage 125 , is filtered by an oil filter 130 disposed in front of the oil pan 12 . inside the oil filter 130 is a filler chamber through which the oil passage 125 extends . in the filter chamber is set a filter element 131 . accordingly , oil flowing along the oil passage 125 is fed to the oil gallery 126 , after being filtered in the element 131 . the front 12a of the oil pan 12 mounting the oil filter 130 is retracted from the front surface of the crank case 4 . by this structure , it is possible to restrict into a small area the oil filter 130 projecting from a front surface of the engine e . in the oil pan 12 is provided a relief valve 133 which restricts the upper limit of the exhaust pressure of the oil pump 114 . on a bottom wall of the oil pan 12 are a pair of coaxially aligned inner and outer bosses 135 and 136 having a required distance 134 therebetween . in the outer boss 136 is provided a drain bore 137 , and in the inner boss 135 is provided a valve bore 138 communicating with the oil passage 125 via the bore 137 . also , in this boss 135 is provided a lateral bore 139 opening the valve bore 138 to the oil pan 12 . in the valve bore 138 are disposed a piston - like valve body 140 opening and closing the lateral bore 139 , and a valve spring 141 biasing the valve body 140 in a direction closing the valve . a stopper ring 142 in the boss 135 supports an outer end of the valve spring 141 . thus , when the exhaust pressure of the oil pump 114 exceeds the pressure limit set by the loading of the valve spring 141 , the valve body 140 retracts by receiving the exhaust pressure and opens the lateral bore 139 thereby discharging the excess pressure from the oil passage 125 to the lateral bore 139 via the valve bore 138 . into the outer boss 136 is threadedly screwed a drain bolt 143 closing the drain bore 137 . the drain bolt 143 combines with a blind plug to close a machining port of the valve bore 138 . thus , when the drain bolt 143 is removed , oil stored in the oil pan 12 can be discharged through the drain bore 137 . due to the distance provided between the bosses 135 and 136 , as mentioned above , there is no obstruction to the oil in flowing toward the drain bore 137 . next , the lubricating system of the transmission 81 is described with reference to fig5 . in the diaphragm plate 87 are provided an exhaust port 122 of the pump chamber 115 , and a first and second orifice 147 and 148 communicating with bearing housings 145 and 146 which contain the ball bearings 86 and 89 of the input and output shafts 82 and 83 therein . in the input shaft 82 is formed a hollow portion 82a that is closed at both ends , and further , are provided an inlet bore 149 which communicates the hollow portion 82a with the bearing housing 145 , and a plurality of oil feeding bores 151 , 151 which communicate the hollow portion 82a with sliding and rotating surfaces of the transmission gears on the input shaft 82 . also , in the output shaft 83 is formed a hollow portion 83a opened into the bearing housing 146 at one end thereof and further , are provided a plurality of oil feeding bores 152 , 152 which communicate the hollow portion 83a with sliding and rotating surfaces of the transmission gears on the output shaft 83 . thus , during actuation of the oil pump 114 , a portion of the oil exhausted to the exhaust port 122 is fed to the bearing housings 145 and 146 in amounts controlled by the first and second orifices 147 and 148 to be introduced into the hollow portions 82a and 83a of the input and output shafts 82 and 83 , respectively . a portion of the oil is distributed to the oil feeding bores 151 , 151 ; 152 , 152 , respectively to lubricate each portion of the transmission gear trains 84a - 84n . when the lubricating system of the transmission 81 is thus structured , the oil passage connecting the oil pump 114 with the hollow portions 82a and 83a of the input and output shafts 82 and 83 is simplified whereby the oil feeding to the transmission 81 can be effectively performed . next , the cooling device is described . as shown in fig1 , 11 and 12 , at the left side portions of the cylinder block 3 and the cylinder head 6 are integrally formed a pair of upper and lower housing sections 155a and 155b which are connected to each other by bolts 153 so as to construct a housing 155 of a water pump 154 . in the lower housing section 155b is formed an outflow port 157 which extends to an entrance port of a water jacket 156 surrounding the cylinders 2 , 2 from the interior of the housing section 155b . also present is an inflow pipe 158 opening to the center of the interior of the pump housing 155 . to this inflow pipe 158 is connected a water hose 159 that extends to an outlet of a radiator , not shown . also , the outlet of the water jacket 156 is communicated with an inlet port of the radiator , as is common in the prior art although not shown . in the pump housing 155 is disposed an impeller 160 . a pump shaft 161 driving the impeller 160 is supported on the upper housing section 155a through the intermediary of a pair of upper and lower bearings 162 and 163 . this pump shaft 161 is arranged to extend into the valve motion chamber 8 at an upper end thereof . on the upper end of the pump shaft 161 is formed a driven gear 164 which meshes with a drive gear 163 fixedly provided on the intake camshaft 32 . by such a structure , since the pump housing 155 of the water pump 154 can be formed by portions of the cylinder block 3 and the cylinder head 6 , it is possible to simplify the structure of the water pump 154 , and also , it avoids need for a particular piping for connecting between the pump housing 155 and the water jacket 156 . further , since the impeller 160 occupies a position which is relatively close to the camshaft 32 , they can be interconnected by a relatively short pump shaft 161 . next , a description of the starting device is presented . as shown in fig1 , 3 and 9 , in consideration of weight distribution of the engine e , the starter motor 167 is connected to the crankshaft 16 at the center portion of the engine e in a depression 168 between the back surface of the cylinder block 3 and the upper surface of the crank case 4 . a rotor shaft 169 of the starter motor 167 projects from the right end portion thereof , that is , at the end adjacent the timing transmission device 50 . on the projecting end of the rotor shaft 169 is formed a pinion gear 170 which is connected to a ring gear 172 on the right end portion of the crankshaft 16 through the intermediary of a middle gear shaft 171 . the middle gear shaft 171 comprises a rotary shaft 173 supported on the crank case 4 by a pair of left and right bearings 174 and 175 ; a gear 176 of large diameter which is fixedly provided at the left end of the rotary shaft 173 and which meshes with the pinion 170 ; and a gear 177 of small diameter which is fixedly provided at the right end of the gear shaft 173 and which meshes with the ring gear 172 . the rotation of the pinion gear 170 can be transmitted to the ring gear 172 by two stage reduction . by adopting such a middle gear shaft 171 , it is possible to make the ring gear 172 of a small diameter whereby it is possible to improve compactness of the engine e . as clearly shown in fig1 the ring gear 172 is rotatably supported on the crankshaft 16 by a needle bearing 178 and is connected to the crankshaft 16 through the intermediary of an overrunning clutch 179 . the overrunning clutch 179 comprises a clutch inner 180 formed by a boss of the ring gear 172 ; a clutch outer 181 which is provided integrally at one end with the drive gear 53 of the timing transmission device 50 and which at the other end surrounds the clutch inner 180 ; and a clutch roller 182 which is interposed between the clutch inner 180 and the clutch outer 181 . the driving force developed by this arrangement can be transmitted only in one direction from the clutch inner 180 to the clutch outer 181 . accordingly , if the starter motor 167 is actuated to start the engine e , the rotation of the rotor shaft 169 is reduced in the two stages by the middle gear shaft 171 as described above and is transmitted to the ring gear 172 . the rotation , further , is transmitted to the crankshaft 16 through the intermediary of the overrunning clutch 179 so as to start the cranking of the crankshaft 16 . if the engine e starts and the rotational speed of the clutch outer 181 of the overrunning clutch is higher than that of the clutch inner 180 , the clutch is caused by the clutch roller 182 to enter an interrupting condition whereby overrunning of the starter motor 167 is prevented . finally , the structure for mounting the engine e on the motorcycle is described . in fig2 and 14 , the assembly consisting of the integral crank case 4 and transmission case 10 of the engine e has a pair of front hangers 185 integrally projected from its front portion and a pair of upper hangers 186 and lower hangers 187 also integrally projected from its rear portion . the body frame f of the motorcycle includes a main frame 189 carrying a fuel tank 188 on an upper surface thereof and slanting rearwardly . from this frame f are provided a pair of left and right front brackets 190 and a pair of left and right rear brackets 191 . the front hangers 185 are connected to the front bracket 190 by a bolt 192 . the upper hangers 186 are connected to an upper portion of the rear bracket 191 by a bolt 193 . the lower hangers 187 are connected to a lower portion of the rear bracket 191 by a bolt 194 . thus , the engine e is mounted on the vehicle body frame f . with such a mounting structure , since the engine e has the structure as previously described , in a condition supporting the assembled body of the crank case 4 and the transmission case 6 on the vehicle body frame f , the crankshaft 16 can be removed downwardly together with the piston 19 and the supporting plate 58 . this is performed by opening the left and right side covers 11 and 49 and the oil pan 12 ; by removing the crank holder 18 downwardly and further , by removing the bearing shaft 60 of the supporting plate 58 laterally . similarly , the rotor 48a of the generator may be removed previously . also , the transmission 81 and the change mechanism 104 can be taken out together with the diaphragm plate 87 by one effort , when the latter is taken out laterally after removing the second reduction device 101 from the output shaft 83 of the transmission 81 , and removing the change pedal 105 from the change spindle 106 . also , after removing the head cover 9 , the connection between the cylinder head 6 and the cylinder block 3 is released , the cylinder head 6 can be taken out laterally from between the front bracket 190 and the front fork 195 . accordingly , each of the described parts of the engine e can be attached and detached without removing the entire engine e from the vehicle body frame f , whereby maintenance of the vehicle can be very easily and rapidly performed . it should be further understood that , although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein , changes and modifications can be made in the described arrangement without departing from the scope of the appended claims . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
|
identical components are provided in the following figures with identical reference symbols . in the perspective representation according to fig1 , a vehicle 1 is shown which is designed in the exemplary embodiment as an articulated structure with a tractor 2 and a semitrailer 3 drawn by the tractor . the vehicle 1 is equipped with a monitoring apparatus for monitoring the surroundings , which includes a plurality of cameras 4 which are fastened on the vehicle 1 and whose individual images are fed for evaluation to an evaluation unit which is carried along in the vehicle 1 . the individual images of the cameras 4 are combined in the evaluation unit to form an overall image , and are displayed on a monitor situated in the direct area of view of the driver . the monitoring apparatus renders it possible to identify obstacles which come into the field of view of the camera 4 such that the driver can react to the obstacles in good time and in a suitable way . the cameras 4 are arranged distributed over the circumference of the vehicle 1 for the purpose of representing a 360 ° perspective . the cameras are fastened at approximately the same height in the upper area of the vehicle . the viewing axes of the cameras point obliquely downwards onto the ground ; owing to the fact that the viewing direction of the cameras is inclined to the ground , an approximately elliptical field of view 6 is produced on the ground for each camera 4 . in each case , two neighbouring cameras are aligned with one another in such a way that their fields of view 6 intersect on the ground . this produces a strip - shaped monitoring area surrounding the vehicle 1 without gaps . the intersecting surfaces in the fields of view 6 of neighbouring cameras are taken into account in the evaluation unit in such a way as to produce a sharp overall image advancing continuously from one field of view to the next . it is expedient for the viewing axes of directly neighbouring cameras 4 to lie substantially parallel to one another or to cover only a small angle , in order to ensure that neighbouring fields of view 6 have approximately the same perspective , with the result that no , or only slight , distortions are produced between neighbouring fields of view 6 . the viewing axes 5 have an angle inclined with reference to a perpendicular to the ground . the viewing axes 5 of the cameras 4 intersect at a point or penetrate a comparatively small hypothetical surface which is located over the vehicle 1 and marks an aerial perspective . this aerial perspective is indicated in fig2 a symbolically with the aid of a single camera 4 * which is located above the vehicle 1 and with the aid of which the vehicle 1 can be recorded with a theoretically possible single field of view 6 . fig2 b shows the overall image , to be displayed to the driver on a monitor 7 , of the vehicle 1 from the aerial perspective which is combined from the individual images shown in fig1 . the vehicle 1 is projected into the overall image 8 and can be displayed as an artificial graphic object . the proportions of the vehicle 1 are expediently inserted into the overall image 8 in a fashion true to scale . obstacles 9 in the overall image 8 which are detected by the cameras constitute a foreign object which is to be perceived directly by the driver on the monitor 7 and is displayed as a concrete image , and whose relative position and relative angular position in relation to the vehicle 1 can be gathered from the overall image 8 . in the case when , instead of cameras , use is made of alternative detecting devices , for example infrared , radar or acoustic devices with the aid of which the foreign object cannot be represented directly visually , it is possible in the evaluation unit to project into the overall image 8 artificial graphic objects which are intended to represent the foreign object . it is necessary to determine the articulation angle α between the tractor 2 and semitrailer 3 in order to display as precise as possible a top view of the area surrounding the vehicle . in accordance with a first design , this can be carried out with the aid of an edge traction in which the side edges 10 and 11 of the tractor 2 and the semitrailer 3 , respectively , which run onto one another are determined optically , and the angle β between the edges 10 and 11 , which represents the complementary angle to the articulation angle α , is determined in the evaluation unit . the articulation angle α is then calculated as as represented in fig3 b , in a further design the articulation angle α can also be determined with the aid of a triangulation method by using a measuring device 12 arranged , for example , on the tractor 2 , to measure the travel time of beams t 1 and t 2 which are emitted from the measuring device 12 to the front lateral edges of the semitrailer 3 . the articulation angle α can then be deduced from the travel time difference for beams t 1 and t 2 . as may be gathered from fig3 c , the articulation angle α can also be determined from the current degree of intersection of directly neighbouring fields of view 6 in the area of the articulation axis of the vehicle . intersection areas which are a function of the articulation angle α are produced in the area of the articulation axis of the vehicle . depending on the relative position of the tractor 2 and semitrailer 3 , the intersection areas δ 1 and δ 2 are smaller and larger , respectively , in the vicinity of the articulation axis on the opposite sides of the vehicle than in the case of a vehicle which is standing straight . the articulation angle α can also be deduced from the difference in the degree of intersection of opposite intersection areas δ 1 and δ 2 , respectively . however , it is also possible to deduce the articulation angle α by using only the knowledge of the degree of intersection of a single intersection area δ 1 or δ 2 . the vehicle 1 represented in fig4 is provided with a receiving device 13 which receives images from external cameras 14 which are arranged in a stationary fashion , for example in narrow entrances to courtyards . the images from the external cameras 14 are taken into account in addition to the images produced by the vehicle &# 39 ; s own obstacle - detecting devices , and processed together with these images to form an overall image . the area to be monitored can be enlarged by taking account of the external cameras 14 . fig5 shows the recording cones 15 of two neighbouring cameras 4 on the vehicle . the recording cones 15 each produce a field of view 6 on the ground , the degree of the intersection of the two recording cones 15 being a function of the height of the cameras 4 above the ground and of the conical angle γ of the recording cones 15 . the two recording cones 15 intersect at a height h above the ground ; all foreign objects within the recording cones 15 are detected optically and displayed on the overall image . foreign objects which are located outside the recording cones 15 , for example in the interspace between the cameras which lies above the height h , are , by contrast , no longer detected . as may be gathered from fig6 , it can be sufficient to monitor only a partial area around the vehicle . arranged in accordance with fig6 in the tail - end area of the semitrailer 3 are a total of three cameras 4 , two on opposite lateral areas and , one camera on the rear of the vehicle . all the cameras 4 are arranged in the area of the upper edge of the vehicle , and the viewing axis of the camera is directed obliquely downwards . fig7 a and 7 b show a mobile detecting device which is designed as a camera 4 in the exemplary embodiment . in order to keep the number of requisite monitoring cameras to a minimum , it suffices when changing semitrailers in each case to fit a monitoring system only to the semitrailer currently used in each case . the mobile camera system shown in fig7 a and 7 b can be used for this purpose . in fig7 a , a mobile camera 4 , in particular a radio camera , is fitted with a transmitting unit 16 and a rechargeable battery 17 . the camera can be suspended on a holder 18 which is expediently arranged in the driver &# 39 ; s cab and is equipped with a power supply unit for charging the battery 17 of the camera 4 . after charging and if required , the mobile camera 4 can be inserted into a holder rail 19 arranged on the outside of the vehicle ( fig7 b ). the images recorded are transmitted via the transmitting unit 16 on each camera 4 to an evaluation unit contained in the vehicle and are combined there to form an overall image to be displayed . it can be expedient , if appropriate , to display only the image of a single camera . it is also possible to provide the mobile camera in addition to the stationary monitoring apparatus . fig8 a and 8 b show the advantages of different arrangements and alignments of sensors 20 on the vehicle 1 . in accordance with fig8 a , a sensor 20 — infrared or ultrasonic — is arranged on the lower , rear area of the vehicle 1 in order to monitor the tail - end area of the vehicle , and is aligned with a horizontal viewing axis 5 . when the vehicle 1 is reversing , it is therefore possible to determine the distance a from an obstacle 9 . in accordance with fig8 b , the sensor 20 is arranged in the tail - end area on the upper edge of the vehicle 1 , its viewing axis 5 being directed obliquely downwards into the rear tail - end area . in this arrangement , all the obstacles and foreign objects which are located in the recording cone of the sensor 20 can be detected up to the height of the sensor 20 against the ground . | 7Electricity
|
in the following description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate several embodiments of the present invention . it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized , and mechanical , compositional , structural , electrical and other operational changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure . the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , and the scope of the embodiments of the present invention is defined only by the claims of the issued patent . fig1 depicts an example architecture in accord with embodiments . system 100 comprises computing functionality , both local and distributed . system 100 may have a unit 102 comprising one , two or more central processing units 104 , 106 , which can be considered processors . unit 102 can be a server or servers . a processor can be single - core 104 , or have multiple cores 108 , 110 where more than one processor can be placed on a “ chip ”. the processor 104 , 106 can execute instructions by many techniques , in concurrent processes and threads . many variations of multiprocessor and / or multicore systems can be used . there may be multiple memory components . certain memory components can be considered main memory 120 , which may be shared among one or more processors 104 , 106 . other memory components can be considered cache memory 112 , 114 , 116 , 118 , which may be more closely associated with a specific processor 104 , 106 . caches can be divided into levels , e . g ., l1 cache 112 , 114 , l2 cache 116 , 118 , and more . a bus 130 or other interconnection functionality can permit communication within and beyond a system . an additional unit 124 with comparable functionality can be in operative communication with a first unit 102 . there can be display and input / output functionality 122 . also , a network or networks 126 can be present . additionally , outside memory 128 or memories can be utilized . it will be readily appreciated that many interoperative variations , configurations , and architectures can be employed in accord with embodiments disclosed herein . in fig2 , an example ring buffer 200 is depicted in accord with embodiments . a ring buffer can be a data structure associated with and / or stored by one or more memory components . ring buffer 200 can have attributes including a header 210 associated with at least one or more buckets 212 , 214 , 216 , 218 , 220 in an array . each bucket can be considered an element of such array . by way of non - limiting example , ring buffer 200 can have a capacity of 32 buckets . buckets 214 , 216 and 218 represent single buckets . buckets 212 and 220 represent multiple buckets . header 210 contains fields that among other functions can manage reading and writing . such fields can include next 240 , front 241 , padding1 242 , back 243 , end 244 , padding2 248 , capacity 250 , and mask 252 . an item 230 can be placed in ring buffer 200 . the item can be a pointer to a memory structure ; it can also be the item itself rather than a pointer . in addition , a position variable 232 can track the logical position of such item . main variables that are modified by enqueue and dequeue operations in the header 210 can be defined such that they will occur in separate cache lines , helping to minimize contention among threads and allow operations to occur in parallel without cache lines being invalidated by updates in another thread . counts can be used to track logical positions in queue operations and to know if the ring in question is empty . the struct configuration can be defined to facilitate implementing various embodiments . however , added configurations can be used such as classes , or other method of allocating compound structures . as seen in fig2 , in ring buffer 200 a front 241 field references the position at which the last item was written , while the back 243 field references the next field that can be read . when front and back are equal , the buffer can be considered empty . as front 241 field reaches the end of the ring buffer it continues to be incremented , but a power of 2 modulo operation can be performed on the incremented front value before accessing the ring so that the ring logically wraps . a modulo for a size that is a power of 2 can be performed by an and operation with a mask that is produced by subtracting 1 from the size ; however , other multiples or powers can be used in connection with performing a modulo operation . in other words , the position value stored in each bucket can represent a logical position based on continued wrapping of the ring . when front 241 logically wraps to the point that it collides with back 243 , a new and larger ring can be created . new writes to the queue can occur in the new ring while reading can continue in the original ring . this can continue until the ring is empty , at which point the reads can advance to the new ring also . in embodiments , as depicted in fig3 , queue 310 can be utilized . queue 310 can have a reader portion and writer portion aligned to be in separate cache lines . the reader portion can have two pointers to ring structures and a reader_count 316 that acts as a reference count of reader processes . head 312 pointer can point to the first ring in a linked list of rings 330 , 332 , 334 , and drain pointer 314 can point to the ring currently being drained of items . the writer portion of the queue can have a fill 320 pointer to the ring currently being filled and a writer count that is a reference count of active writer processes . the writer count 322 and reader count 316 variables can act as reference counts of accessing processes and allow the system safely to release memory of rings that are no longer referenced . in addition , padding 318 can be used to reduce the possibility of conflict due to cache line sharing . next field pointers 336 and 338 are depicted . initial queue initialization and ring allocation can be performed . initializing can comprise zeroing reader and writer counts , allocating the initial ring ( with an example length of 32 ), and setting the end 244 field to an obviously invalid value that will not be matched by the back 243 field until it is reset . the number of buckets in the ring can be an integer that is a power of two and can be obtained by doubling the previous ring size to allow for efficient modulo operations that map the logical position to the actual array index . fig4 a - 4e depicts a sequence of state changes illustrating a relationship between a queue and associated ring buffer ( s ), and more specifically how added ring buffers can be declared and utilized upon detection of a potential overflow condition and how pointers in a queue can adjust accordingly . fig4 a depicts an example state upon initialization . by way of non - limiting example , capacity in ring 1 is set to 4 . fig4 b depicts an example state upon detection of a first overflow . it will be noted that capacity of ring 1 is 4 , and ring 2 is 8 , in accord with embodiments where the newly allocated ring has double the capacity . fig4 c depicts an example state where the first overflow buffer is draining and a second overflow buffer is filling . it will be noted that capacity of ring 1 is 4 , ring 2 is 8 , and ring 3 is 16 . fig4 d depicts an example where a second overflow buffer is filling , and draining . fig4 e depicts an example state where a second overflow buffer is filling and draining , and previous ring buffers have been released . an enqueue operation can be performed , which employs previously discussed data structures . conceptually , the buffer can be treated as if it were infinitely long , and the system can use a modulo operation to map onto actual ring size . to make the modulo operation even more efficient , ring size can be a value of the power of two , so that an and operation with a mask can produce an index within range of the ring size . the enqueue operation can use three atomic non - blocking operations : atomic_fetch_and_add ( afa ), atomic_fetch_and_subtract ( afs ), and compare_and_swap ( cas ). the afa and afs operations can return the value of the integer field before the update occurs . an atomic increment of the writer reference count and atomic decrement can be performed . a modulo operation can map the logical position to the actual index into the ring using the mask to point to the current bucket in the ring . the cas operation can advance the ring front 241 value . the enqueue operation can declare certain variables including index , prey , and success . these variables can comprise local fields that hold fixed copies of their respectively named fields , which can change at any moment due to other writers &# 39 ; changing them . the local fields are used to “ fix ” a value in time that will not change in order to compare against another changing field . also , an integer_max can be declared which is the maximum integral value for the size of an integer field . in accord with embodiments , fig5 a and 5b show how the current fill ring can be added to , and how the system can dynamically adjust utilizing a logical perspective if the ring buffer — which has a finite number of buckets from a physical perspective — becomes full . a result can be set equal to success 504 . the writer_count is atomically incremented 506 . a pointer to the current ring buffer being filled is loaded 508 . the fill buffer front value is read into prey 510 . it is clear that if buckets become progressively filled then , given the circular nature of the data structure , physical overflow is possible unless measures are taken . accordingly , a determination can be performed 512 to establish whether the prey front value has wrapped the buffer by exceeding the value of back plus capacity , i . e ., the buffer is full . in other words , a check is made whether it is acceptable to keep writing to the current ring buffer . if the result of this determination 512 is negative , the index can be set equal to prey + 1 at 514 , which advances index to the next position . the bucket pointer is set to the bucket at the physical index equal to index modulo ring buffer capacity 516 . the modulo operation can be done via use of a mask ( using an and operation if the size of the ring buffer is a power of 2 ). it is then tested whether the bucket is empty 518 . if the bucket is not empty , control passes back to step 508 where a pointer is loaded to the current ring buffer being filled . if the bucket is empty , then a cas swap front from prey to index is done and a determination is made whether this operation is successful 520 . if successful , the bucket is updated with the item and position is set equal to index 522 , and the writer_counter is atomically decremented 524 such as by an afs ; if unsuccessful , control passes back to step 508 where a pointer is loaded to the current ring buffer being filled . in this way items can be added to the ring buffer . however , the determination in step 512 can return a positive result . this will be so where the logical position of the ring has been advanced to such an extent as to comprise a potential overflow condition . put simply , the ring has “ wrapped .” accordingly , measures are taken to permit continued efficient non - locked operations , including by declaring a second , expanded ring buffer . accordingly , once it has been detected that the buffer has wrapped 512 , it is determined whether prey ring buffer front is less than integer_max 528 , indicating that it is blocked from further writing . a rationale is to attempt to block processes from adding to the ring ( though it is still possible ). if the answer at step 528 is yes , an attempt is made to cas ring buffer front with prey 530 . this check attempts to block further writing to the ring buffer by other processes . if the attempt in 530 is not successful , control returns to step 508 ; if it is successful , the end value is set for ring buffer to prey front 532 ( setting this value lets dequeue processes know when the ring buffer is empty ). now , a new ring buffer is allocated twice the size ( or any size that is larger than the current size ) of the current ring buffer 534 . and , if the answer is no at step 528 , control passes such that a new ring buffer is allocated twice the size ( or any size that is larger than the current size ) of the current ring buffer 534 . a second , expanded ring has now been allocated . this functionality can be extended upon further iterations through the procedure such that multiple rings can be dynamically allocated as needed , each double the size of the prior one ( or any size that is larger than the prior one ). it is tested whether the ring buffer allocation was successful 536 . if yes , next is set equal to current ring buffer next pointer 538 , and it is determined if next pointer in the ring buffer is empty 540 . if no , an attempt is made to advance queue fill pointer to next ring buffer to fill with a cas 546 , and the allocated ring buffer can be freed 548 . if the answer in step 540 is yes , however , it is determined whether a cas with the last ring buffer in the list is successful 542 . if no , the allocated ring buffer can be freed 548 ; if yes , the queue fill pointer can be pointed to the new ring buffer with a cas . returning to step 536 , where it was determined if the ring buffer allocation 536 was successful , if the answer is no , the result can be set to nomem indicating out of memory , and writer_count can be atomically decremented 524 . it should be appreciated that some operating systems will simply kill the process if memory allocation cannot be fulfilled , rendering this step moot . accordingly , a new ring can be allocated with capacity larger than and / or a multiple of the current ring , and the new ring can be added to the end of a linked list . besides enqueue operations disclosed above , reading functionality can be performed via a dequeue operation disclosed in embodiments below . in fig6 a , a result can be set equal to success 604 . the reader count can be atomically incremented 606 . a pointer can then be loaded to the current ring buffer being drained 608 . the drain buffer back value is read into prey 610 , and an index set equal to prey + 1 at step 612 . the bucket pointer is set to a bucket at physical index equal to index modulo ring buffer capacity 614 . again , this can be accomplished by a modulo operation using a mask and anding as appropriate . at this point , it can be determined whether the logical index matches bucket logical position 616 . in other words , it can be determined if the logical position of the item in the current bucket matches the current back of the ring counter — again , put simply , it is determined whether the ring has wrapped . if the answer at step 616 is yes , it is then determined whether the bucket is empty 618 . if the bucket is empty , control passes to step 608 . if the bucket is not empty , it is determined whether the cas back from prey to index was successful . if no , control passes to step 608 ; if yes , item pointer is set equal to bucket item empty bucket 622 . for context , it is possible for a writer to be in the actual process of writing to a bucket while a reader is attempting to access the very same bucket . by checking that both the position matches and that the item is present , the reader knows that the writer has completed the full write operation . on some systems , with a conservative memory update policy , the position check only might be appropriate ; however , on other systems with a more relaxed memory update policy , updates can be seen to occur out of order . for these reasons , both can be checked . then , reader_count is atomically decremented 624 . if the answer at step 616 is no , as seen in fig6 b . it is determined whether the current drain ring buffer is the same as the current fill ring buffer 628 . if the answer at step 628 is no , it is determined whether the ring buffer is blocked for writes and at end of buffer 644 , and if the answer is no , control passes back to step 608 . if the answer is yes , then next is set to the ring buffer following the current ring buffer 646 , an attempt is made to move the current queue draining buffer to next 648 , and control passes back to step 608 . it will be appreciated that one purpose of step 644 is to use values in enqueue operations to establish if it is acceptable to start draining the next ring buffer . if the answer at step 628 is yes , then result is set to empty 630 , and head is set to head of queue ring buffer list 632 . it is then determined whether head is the same as current draining ring buffer 634 . if yes , reader_count is atomically decremented 624 . if no , next is set to ring buffer following head of list 636 . it will be appreciated that one purpose of step 628 is to check whether the ring buffer is empty before attempting to advance . it is then determined if there is only one reader , and no writers 638 . if no , control passes to step 624 and reader_count is atomically decremented . if , however , it is determined that there is only one reader and no writers at step 638 , this is a condition that can indicate it may be permissible to free memory safely . put another way , the check can establish that the head ring buffer can be released as no other process references the memory . accordingly , if there is only one reader and no writers 638 , it is determined whether a cas of queue head pointer to next is successful 640 . if successful , the head ring buffer can be freed 642 , and control again can pass to step 624 where reader_count is atomically decremented . certain programming languages , such as java or c #, can support memory deallocation on a largely routine basis . thus , to the extent deallocation operations are carried out on a systematic basis such as with java , c #, or other language , in embodiments it is possible that specific calculation of the quantity of readers and / or writers may be adjusted to account for this type of “ garbage collection ”, potentially rendering this step unneeded . in addition , for the above reasons , freeing the buffer in step 548 may not be needed in embodiments . certain other languages , such as c , c ++, or other language may not currently support this functionality on a largely routine basis , and may require manual memory management to a lesser or greater degree . fig6 c discloses an added embodiment relating to dequeue operations . in this embodiment it is determined whether the ring buffer is empty by checking fields in the parent queue structure only without having directly to access the next logical bucket in ring buffer memory . it permits determination of whether a ring is not blocked and not wrapped , or not at an end . the process in in fig6 c is considered to continue from fig6 a , as illustrated . in step 650 , it is determined whether the ring is not blocked and not prey not wrapped front , or ring is blocked and prey is not at end . if the answer is yes , it is determined whether the logical index matches the bucket logical position 652 : if no , control returns to step 608 , and if yes , control passes to step 618 . if , however , the answer at step 650 is no , control passes to step 628 . subject to the foregoing , and the steps depicted in fig6 c , the remainder of steps in fig6 a and 6b are considered to apply . while the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and illustrative figures , those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments or figures described . some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms of procedures , steps , logic blocks , processing other symbolic representations of operations on data bits that can be performed on computer memory . certain steps may be performed by some or all of hardware , software , firmware , or combinations thereof . the program logic described indicates certain events occurring in a certain order . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the ordering of certain programming steps or program flow may be modified without affecting the overall operation performed by the preferred embodiment logic , and such modifications are in accordance with the various embodiments of the invention . additionally , certain of the steps may be performed concurrently in a parallel process , as well as performed sequentially . therefore , it should be understood that the invention can be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . the description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . it should be understood that the invention can be practiced with modification and alteration and that the invention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof . | 6Physics
|
referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 thereof , there is shown a perspective view of an under - counter , or stand - alone refrigerator according to the invention . the housing of the refrigerator is constructed from a box - shaped housing body 1 with two side walls 2 , a top plate 3 and a rear wall , as well as a door 4 . the door 4 is articulated , i . e ., hinge - mounted , at an opening in the housing body . the walls of the housing body 1 and also the door 4 have in each case a multilayered structure , which can be seen with more detail in fig2 . the structure includes outer wall panels 5 and 6 made of metal sheet and inner claddings 7 and 8 made of plastic . the claddings enclose intermediate spaces 15 that are filled with insulating foam . the outer wall panels 5 , 6 of the housing body 1 and of the door 4 may be painted or powder - coated in the conventional way ; they may , however , also merely be cleaned or descaled metal sheets , in particular bearing no layer of paint or coating of their own . these metal sheets are each individually covered over their entire surface with a thermoplastic film 9 or foil 9 . for the sake of clearer representation , the film 9 is in each case shown pulled away at the corner of the side wall 2 and of the door 4 in fig1 . as fig2 shows , the outer wall panel 5 and the inner cladding 7 of the housing body are interconnected , in that a spring strip 10 formed onto the edge of the inner cladding 7 engages in a groove 11 , which is formed onto the edge of the outer wall panel by bending over its metal sheet . the film 9 of the outer wall panel 5 extends over its entire free surface into the groove 11 , where it is clamped between the side wall of the groove 11 and the spring strip 10 . in order to attach the film 9 in this way to the outer wall panel 5 , it is obviously necessary to apply it before complete assembly of the housing body , in particular before insertion of the spring strip 10 into the groove 11 . in order also to cover curved housing surfaces smoothly with the film , the film may be heated — for example with a hot - air blower — and then stretched at the points required . the outer wall panel 6 of the door 4 extends over its entire front , its side flanks and , in the form of an edge strip 12 , over part of the rear side of the body of the door 4 . the inner cladding 8 of the door 4 is fastened to this edge strip 12 , for example by adhesive bonding . the outer wall panel 6 is covered with the plastic film 9 over its entire exposed surface , i . e . the front and the side flanks , an edge portion 13 of the film 9 engaging between the edge strip 12 and the inner cladding 8 and being protected in this way from unwanted detachment . a magnetic seal 14 is fastened along the periphery of the inner cladding 7 . in order to remove the film 9 , it is sufficient to cut through it with the aid of a sharp implement along the edges of the inner claddings 7 , 8 , for example at points designated in fig3 by 16 and 17 , in order subsequently to pull it off from the outsides of the wall panels 5 and 6 . the parts of the film 9 that are clamped between an outer wall panel 5 , 6 and the inner cladding 7 , 8 are left behind . if the outer wall panels 5 , 6 have been painted , the painted surface can in this way be exposed , whereby even an appliance that is several years old will appear as if it were almost new . renewed covering of the outer wall panels 5 , 6 with a film 19 of the same type as the film 9 is also possible , the edges 20 of the film 19 extending as far as the inner cladding 7 or 8 during this covering performed on the ready - assembled appliance . this is important in particular in the case of non - painted metal sheets , in order to prevent condensation from the interior of the refrigerator coming into contact with the metal sheets of the outer wall panels 5 , 6 . as a departure from the exemplary embodiment described , it is equally possible to make the free ends of the film 9 reach directly up to the transitions between the outer claddings 5 and 6 and the inner claddings 7 and 8 and fasten them at these transitions , for example by adhesive bonding . in this case , the film 9 may already itself have been provided with an adhesive layer over its full surface . films that are suitable for the purposes of the present invention are commercially available , for example , from intax gmbh & amp ; co . kg , oldenburg , germany , under the designation “ intax - folie ” as decorative and body - protecting elements for motor vehicles . they are available in many different colors . the use of multicolored films , for example with a decoration imitating wood grain , is also possible . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
|
fig1 through 11 show embodiments of easy release snap connection for attaching a lens frame to a primary eyewear , such as conventional eyeglasses or an eyewear platform . as shown in fig1 through 11 , the present invention for attaching a lens frame to a primary eyewear comprises a first snap connector 900 and a second snap connector 910 . the first snap connector 900 has a male portion 640 , and the second snap connector has a female portion 630 that is an opening for receiving the male portion 640 . the male portion 640 can be located in proximity to each temple extension 40 of a primary eyewear 12 or 15 , and the female portion 630 can be placed in a corresponding location of a lens frame 10 for receiving the male portion 640 . alternatively , the female portion 630 can be located in proximity to each temple extension 40 of a primary eyewear 12 or 15 , and the male portion 640 can be placed in a corresponding location of a lens frame 10 for mating with the female portion 630 . for example , as shown in fig1 and 4 , the female portion 630 can be located in a temple socket 500 that is attached to each temple extension 40 of a primary eyewear 12 , for receiving the male portion 640 located in an appendage socket 502 of the lens frame 10 . the female portion 630 is defined by an inner wall 540 that is surrounded by an outer wall 550 . the inner wall 540 has a first ridge 610 and a second ridge 620 protruding from its inner surface 545 . the first ridge 610 is located in proximity to an upper area of the inner wall 540 , and the second ridge 620 is located in proximity to a mid area of the inner wall 540 . the height of the inner wall 540 is greater than that of the outer wall 550 so that a first bottom surface 600 of the inner wall 540 is located lower than a second bottom surface 602 of the outer wall 550 . the second snap connector 910 further comprises a button 505 for comfortably releasing the engagement between the first snap connector 900 and the second snap connector 910 . the button 505 comprises a cap 510 and a pillar 520 , and is seated in the temple socket 500 . the width of the pillar 520 is slightly smaller than that of an opening defined by the first ridge 610 so that the pillar 520 of the button 505 can slide in and out of the female portion 630 . the movement of the button 505 is limited by a button ridge 530 , which engages the first ridge 610 of the inner wall 540 so that the button 505 is not separated from the temple socket 500 . the movement of the button 505 is also limited by the cap 510 , which has a width greater than that of the opening defined by the first ridge 610 so that the cap 510 can sit on the top surface of the temple socket 500 . the male portion 640 located in the appendage socket 502 of the lens frame 10 comprises a body 650 and a head 670 . preferably , the male portion further comprises a recess 680 located between the body 650 and the head 670 . as shown in fig6 and 7 , the male portion 640 has at least one cut formed substantially along the length of the male portion 640 so that the head 670 is split into multiple segments . there is a space 665 between the segments , and the segments do not contact each other when the male portion 640 is not inserted into the female portion 630 . the first surface 580 and the second surface 570 of the appendage socket 502 are proportioned to receive and fully engage the first bottom surface 600 and the second bottom surface 602 respectively of the temple socket 500 . as shown in fig4 , when the male portion 640 of the lens frame 10 is not inserted into the female portion 630 of the temple socket 500 , the pillar 520 of the button 505 can be located substantially within the female portion 630 , and the bottom surface of the cap 510 is substantially in contact with the top surface 590 of the temple socket 500 . depending on the specific design or need of the user , the head of the male portion and corresponding female portion can be in any shape , including but not limited to , round , cylinder , rectangle , oval , and flat . the head and the body of the male portion can each have a different shape , or can have the same shape . for example , the head can be in a substantially round shape , and the body can be in a substantially cylinder shape . in another example , the head can be in a rectangular shape , and the body can be in a cylinder shape . in still another example , the head and the body together can comprise one piece of a cylinder shape . referring to fig3 , in order to attach the lens frame 10 to a primary eyewear 12 , the male portion 640 of the lens frame 10 is inserted into the female portion 630 of the primary eyewear 12 . the width of the head 670 is slightly larger than that of an opening portion defined by the second ridge 620 so that a user has to exercise slight force in order to allow the head 670 to be compressed by and pass the second ridge 620 . the head 670 is compressible due to the space 665 made from the cut 660 . upon passing the second ridge 620 , the head 670 returns to its approximate original width . in a preferred embodiment , the recess 680 of the male portion 640 is proportioned to engage the second ridge 620 , thereby locking the male portion 640 in the female portion 630 . in another embodiment , the male portion 640 does not have the recess , and the second ridge 620 can frictionally engage a part of the head 670 for locking the male portion 640 in the female portion 630 . upon insertion of the male portion 640 into the female portion 630 , a top surface area of the head 670 engages a bottom surface area of the button 505 . also , the first bottom surface 600 and the second bottom surface 602 of the temple socket 500 engage the first surface 580 and the second surface 570 respectively of the appendage socket 502 . such engagement and the structure of the depressed first surface 580 allow for greater resistance from horizontal or side - to - side displacement . in order to release the snap connection , a user presses the button 505 , which then pushes out the male portion 640 . except the opening portions defined by the first ridge 610 and the second ridge 620 , the female portion 630 has a width slightly greater than that of the head 670 , so that once the head 670 passes the second ridge 620 the male portion 640 can freely come out of the female portion 630 . in another embodiment as shown in fig5 , the inner wall of the temple socket has a protruding area 700 , which is located in a substantially upper portion of the inner wall . upon insertion of the male portion into the female portion , the head 670 of the male portion frictionally engages the protruding area 700 due to the pressure caused by the resilient property of the compressed head 670 on the surface of the protruding area 700 , thereby securely locking the male portion in the female portion . the easy release snap connection can be used for attaching various eyewear frames . for example , a lens frame 10 can be attached by the easy release snap connection to conventional eyeglasses , as shown in fig1 and 2 , or to an eyewear platform 15 as shown in fig8 through 11 . also , lenses 20 connected by a lens connector 190 can be attached to the eyewear platform 15 by the easy release snap connection as illustrated in fig9 . the appendage socket 502 can be aligned and mounted in various positions on the lens frame 10 , including being mounted horizontally ( e . g ., fig1 - 9 ) or vertically ( e . g ., fig1 - 11 ). alternatively , the male portion 640 can be directly connected to the appendage 35 without the appendage socket . similarly , the temple socket 500 can be aligned and mounted in various positions on the temple extension 40 , including being mounted horizontally ( e . g ., fig1 - 5 , 8 - 9 ) or vertically ( e . g ., fig1 - 11 ). in an alternative , the female portion and the button can be directly constructed in the temple extension 40 without using the temple socket . finally , the primary eyewear and the lens frame including the first snap connector and the second snap connector can be made of a variety of materials including but not limited to metals , alloys , carbon fibers , plastics and other lightweight and strong composite materials . in addition , the primary eyewear and the lens frame can also be made of materials that allow a certain amount of resilience , elasticity , or “ give ” to enable the eyewear to be able to take the rigors of use . both the primary eyewear and the lens frame can assume a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the specific design or need of the user . also , both the primary eyewear and the lens frame can be each made of one piece . while the invention as described in connection with its preferred embodiments , it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended to cover all alternatives , modifications , and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 6Physics
|
embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings . in the present embodiment , it will be described as one example that video data encoded by international telecommunication union - telecommunication standardization sector ( itu - t ) recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 2 is system - encoded by itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 . fig4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a digital transmission apparatus according to the present embodiment . in fig4 , a plurality of digital video data and digital audio data are inputted to program encoders 101 , . . . , 113 ( corresponding to program 1 to n ) defined by itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 . the inputted digital video data is compressed by a video encoder 102 in conformity with itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 2 , and outputted as a video elementary stream . the outputted video elementary stream is inputted to a packetizer 103 . in the packetizer 103 , the stream is converted to a packetized elementary stream ( pes ) indicated in itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 . here , for a packetized information length , in consideration of the data error of a transmission line , packetizing is performed , for example , for each slice indicated in the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 2 . on the other hand , the inputted digital audio data is compressed by an audio encoder 108 in conformity with the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 3 , and outputted as an audio elementary stream . the outputted audio elementary stream is inputted to a packetizer 109 . in the packetizer 109 , the stream is converted to a packetized elementary stream ( pes ) indicated in the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 . additionally , fig5 shows the data structure of the pes packet . in fig5 : packet_start_code_prefix : the packet_start_code_prefix is a 24 - bit code . together with the stream_id that follows it constitutes a packet start code that identifies the beginning of a packet . the packet_start_code_prefix is the bit string 0x000001 . stream_id : in program streams , the stream_id specifies the type and number of the elementary stream . pes_packet_length : a 16 bit field specifying the number of bytes in the pes packet following the last byte of the field . a value of 0 indicates that the pes packet length is neither specified nor bounded and is allowed only in pes packets whose payload is a video elementary stream contained in transport stream packets . turning back to the description of fig4 , the video pes and audio pes packetized in the packetizers 103 , 109 are stored in fifo 104 , 110 , respectively . moreover , the packetizers 103 , 104 generate flag information which can be identified by the unit of 1 pes as described later , and store the information together with pes in the fifo 104 , 110 . a pcr generator 107 is a counter for generating program_clock_reference_base and program_clock_reference_extension for system synchronization indicated in the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 . the program_clock_reference_base generated in the pcr generator 107 is supplied to controllers 105 , 111 . the controllers 105 , 111 control the encoding of the video data , the encoding of audio data and the packetizing . moreover , upon receiving program_clock_reference_base from the pcr generator 107 , presentation_time_stamp indicated in the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 is inserted . the video pes and audio pes accumulated in the fifo 104 , 110 are inputted to a ts multiplexer 114 via a cpu / pes data bus 115 . furthermore , pes identification flag information is inputted to the multiplexer 114 via a flag bus 116 . additionally , in the present embodiment , the cpu / pes data bus 115 has a width of 16 bits , and the flag bus 116 has a width of one bit . the video pes and audio pes inputted via the cpu / pes data bus 115 are written to a ram 122 via a buffer 119 , and further supplied to a pes_length detector 123 . moreover , the pes identification flag information inputted via the flag bus 116 is supplied to the pes_length detector 123 . a cpu 124 reads pes_packet_length included in a pes header from the detection result of the pes_length detector 123 , and converts the video pes and audio pes written in the ram 122 to a transport stream packet in conformity with the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 . the data converted to the transport stream packet is transferred to fifo 128 via a buffer 127 from the ram 122 . in the fifo 128 , the rate conversion is performed in accordance with the transmission line and ts is outputted . moreover , the cpu 124 grasps each program state via bi - directional buffers 118 , 106 , 112 from a cpu data bus 120 , generates psi indicated in the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 , and writes psi to psi / ram 126 via a bi - directional buffer 121 . at the above - described rate conversion of the fifo 128 , the cpu 124 performs the multiplexing control of the respective data ( video ts , audio ts , psi , pcr ). a detailed processing operation in the digital transmission apparatus constituted as described above will be described hereinafter with reference to a flowchart of fig6 . first , in step s 201 , each program state is grasped from the cpu 124 via the cpu data bus 120 and bi - directional buffers 118 , 106 , 112 , parameters , and the like necessary for encoding are supplied in accordance with each state , and the controllers 105 , 111 are controlled . the controllers 105 , 111 controlled by the cpu 124 control the encoders 102 , 108 , respectively . subsequently , in step s 202 , the psi is generated in accordance with each program state grasped in the step s 201 , and written to the psi / ram 126 from the cpu 124 via the cpu data bus 120 and bi - directional buffer 121 . in step s 203 , the pattern of data “ 0xff ” ( stuffing bytes ) is written to all areas for use of the ram 122 from the cpu 124 . in step s 204 , the cpu 124 reads the storage amount ( fifo 104 , 110 ) of each video packetized elementary stream and audio packetized elementary stream via the cpu data bus 120 and bi - directional buffers 118 , 106 , 112 . here , the controllers 105 , 111 have a function of monitoring the writing amount to the fifo 104 , 110 from the packetizers 103 , 109 . in step s 205 , the fifo having the most storage amount is selected from the read fifo having the storage amounts which exceed a given value . for example , supposing that the fifo 104 is selected , in the next step s 206 the cpu 124 transmits a command to the controller 105 via the cpu data bus 120 and bi - directional buffers 118 , 106 to read three words of stored data of the fifo 104 . the controller 105 receives this read command , and outputs the number of data designated by the fifo 104 to the cpu / pes data bus 115 . moreover , the same number of pes identification flags are outputted to the flag bus 116 . the video pes and pes identification flag information accumulated in the fifo 104 in this case are shown in fig7 . in step s 206 , three words ( 0x0000 , 0x01e0 , 0x009a ) of the video pes shown in fig7 are supplied to the buffer 119 and pes_length detector 123 , and the pes identification flags ( 1 , 1 , 1 ) for the three words are supplied to the pes_length detector 123 . in step s 207 , the pes_length detector 123 holds , from the supplied pes identification flags , pes_packet_length ( 0x009a in fig7 ) which is the code length of the video pes , and the cpu 124 reads this code length . in step s 208 , the amount of information read from the fifo 104 is calculated from the pes code length read by the cpu 124 . in fig7 , since the pes code length is 160 bytes , and the information of three words ( 6 bytes ) are already read , the remaining number of data is 154 bytes ( 77 words ). since the payload length of the transport stream packet is 184 bytes ( 92 words ) at maximum , all the 77 words of the remaining pes data can be multiplexed , and the insertion of the adaptation field for 12 words (= 92 words −( 77 + 3 ) words ) is necessary . in step s 209 , from the calculation result of the step s 208 , one word in total of ts - sync ( 4 bytes ) and adaptation_field_length and its annexed flag information ( 1 byte ) of the adaptation field ( 12 words ) excluding the stuffing byte is written to the ram 122 from the cpu 124 via the bi - directional buffer 121 . here , the stuffing byte in the adaptation field becomes unnecessary by the ram initialization of the step s 203 . moreover , the pes data ( 3 words ) held in the buffer 119 in the step s 206 are written to the ram 122 . in step s 210 , the cpu 124 transmits the read command for 77 words of the stored data of the fifo 104 to the controller 105 via the bi - directional buffers 118 , 106 . the controller 105 receives this read command , outputs the data for 77 words to the cpu / pes data bus 115 from the fifo 104 , and additionally outputs the same number of pes identification flags to the flag bus 116 . in this case , the cpu 124 designates a writing address and writes the data for 77 words inputted via the cpu / pes data bus into the ram 122 via the buffer 119 . until the above - described step s 210 , one transport stream packet is completed . subsequently , in step s 211 , the cpu 124 checks the psi transmission period defined in the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 . if the multiplexing is necessary , in step s 212 , psi_packet is transferred to the fifo 128 from the psi / ram 126 . if not , in step s 213 , the pcr transmission period defined in the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 is checked . when the multiplexing is necessary , in step s 214 the pcr value is sent to pcr bus 117 from the pcr generator 107 via the bi - directional buffers 118 , 106 , and transferred to the fifo 128 via a buffer 125 . conversely , when it is still not time to multiplex , it is determined in step s 215 whether the transport stream packet effective for the ram 122 is present . when the packet is present , in step s 216 the data of the ram 122 is transferred to the fifo 128 via the buffer 127 . after the data of the ram 122 is transferred , the data “ 0xff ” ( stuffing byte ) is written to the ram 122 from the cpu 124 via the bi - directional buffer 121 , and the ram is again initialized . when there is no transport stream packet effective for the ram 122 , in step s 217 null_packet conforming to the itu - t recommendation h - 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 is written to the fifo 128 . after the above - described step is performed , the process returns to the step s 204 , thereby repeating the same operation . as described above , according to the present embodiment , by adding the flag whose code length can be identified as the auxiliary information to the video pes which is a variable length packet , the code length of the variable length can easily be detected . during the transport stream packetizing , since the reading from each buffer is controlled in accordance with the code length , the efficient packetizing can be performed . moreover , the increase of programs to be multiplexed can easily be processed without increasing hardware circuits . furthermore , the data wiring for transmission / reception between a plurality of encoders and multiplexers does not have to be increased . in this embodiment , the ts multiplexer 114 of fig4 is changed to the constitution of a ts multiplexer 114 ′ shown in fig8 , and the other constitutions are the same as those of fig4 . additionally , in fig8 the same parts as those of fig4 are denoted with the same reference numerals , and the description thereof is omitted . in the present embodiment , a pcr timer 201 and a psi timer 202 are newly disposed . the pcr timer 201 counts the periods of program_clock_reference_base and program_clock_reference_extension ( multiplexed elapse time ). moreover , the psi timer 202 counts the period of psi ( multiplexed elapse time ). a cpu 124 ′ controls the multiplexing based on outputs of the pcr timer 201 and psi timer 202 , and feedback - controls the pcr timer 201 and psi timer 202 . a detailed processing operation in the digital transmission apparatus constituted as described above will be described hereinafter with reference to a flowchart of fig9 . additionally , in fig9 the processing similar to that of fig6 is denoted with the same step numeral , and the description thereof is omitted . first , in step s 201 ′, each program state is grasped from the cpu 124 via the cpu data bus 120 and bi - directional buffers 118 , 106 , 112 , parameters , and the like necessary for encoding are supplied in accordance with each state , and the controllers 105 , 111 are controlled . the controllers 105 , 111 controlled by the cpu 124 control the encoders 102 , 108 , respectively . furthermore , the pcr timer 201 and psi timer 202 are reset . after the pcr timer 201 and psi timer 202 are reset , they operate in real time . in step s 303 , the value of the pcr timer 201 is read , and compared with a predetermined value . here , the predetermined value is obtained by subtracting the time for transmitting 188 bytes for one transport stream packet from 100 ms which is the upper limit of the transmission cycle of the pcr field defined in the itu - t recommendation h . 222 . 0 : iso / iec 13818 - 1 , and it is determined whether or not the value of the pcr timer 201 exceeds this predetermined value . as a result of the determination , if the value exceeds the predetermined value , the process advances to step s 304 . if not , the process advances to step s 306 . in the step s 304 , when the value of the pcr timer 201 exceeds the predetermined value as the result of the determination of the step s 303 , the pcr value is transmitted to the pcr bus 117 from the pcr generator 107 via the bi - directional buffers 118 , 106 , and transferred to the fifo 128 via the buffer 125 , and the pcr packet is outputted . after the pcr packet is outputted in the step s 304 , in step s 305 the pcr timer 201 is reset . then , after turning back to the step s 204 , the subsequent processing steps are repeatedly executed . in step s 306 , when the value of the pcr timer 201 does not exceed the predetermined value as the determination result of the step s 303 , the value of the psi timer 202 is read , and compared with the predetermined value . here , by considering an image restoring time during decoding the predetermined value is set to a value obtained by subtracting time to transmit 188 bytes for one transport stream packet from 500 ms , and it is determined whether or not this predetermined value exceeds the value of the psi timer 202 . when the value exceeds the predetermined value as the determination result , the process advances to step s 307 . if not , the process advances to step s 309 . in the step s 307 , when the value of the psi timer 202 exceeds the predetermined value as the determination result of the step s 306 , psi_packet is transferred to the fifo 128 from the psi / ram 126 , and a psi packet is outputted . after the psi packet is outputted in the step s 307 , in step s 308 the psi timer 202 is reset . then , after turning back to the step s 204 , the subsequent processing steps are repeatedly executed . in step s 309 , when the value of the pci timer 202 does not exceed the predetermined value as the determination result of the step s 306 , it is determined whether the transport stream packet effective for the ram 122 is present . when the packet is present , the process advances to step s 310 . if not , the process advances to step s 311 . in the step s 310 , when the transport stream packet effective for the ram 122 is present , the data of the ram 122 is transferred to the fifo 128 via the buffer 127 . after the data of the ram 122 is transferred , the data “ 0xff ” ( stuffing byte ) is written to the ram 122 from the cpu 124 via the bi - directional buffer 121 , and the ram is again initialized . subsequently , after returning to the step s 204 , the subsequent processing steps are repeatedly executed . in the step s 311 , when there is no video transport stream packet effective for a multiplexing buffer 204 as the determination result of step s 309 , the value of the pcr timer 201 read in the step s 303 is compared with the value of the psi timer 202 read in the step s 306 , and it is determined whether or not the value of the pcr timer 201 exceeds the value of the psi timer 202 . when the value of the pcr timer 201 exceeds the value of the psi timer 202 as the determination result , the process advances to step s 312 . if not , the process advances to step s 314 . in the step s 312 , when the value of the pcr timer 201 exceeds the value of the psi timer 202 as the determination result of the step s 311 , the pcr value is transmitted to the pcr bus 117 from the pcr generator 107 via the bi - directional buffers 118 , 106 , and transferred to the fifo 128 via the buffer 125 , and the pcr packet is outputted . after the pcr packet is outputted in the step s 312 , in step s 313 the pcr timer 201 is reset . then , after returning to the step s 204 , the subsequent processing steps are repeatedly executed . in the step s 314 , when the value of the pcr timer 201 does not exceed the value of the psi timer 202 as the determination result of the step s 311 , psi_packet is transmitted to the fifo 128 from the psi / ram 126 , and the psi packet is outputted . after the psi packet is outputted in the step s 314 , in step s 315 the psi timer 202 is reset . then , after returning to the step s 204 , the subsequent processing steps are repeatedly executed . by executing the above - described processing steps , no wasteful stuffing packet for attaining a fixed rate is inserted when the variable length video pes is multiplexed with the fixed length transport stream packet . even before reaching the defined insertion cycle , the pcr packet or the psi packet is inserted , so that the wasteful stuffing can be eliminated . specifically , in the present embodiment , since pcr and psi are multiplexed in accordance with the generated amount of variable length encoded data , no wasteful information is transmitted onto the transmission line . therefore , the data transmission can efficiently be performed . moreover , the pcr multiplexing period is variable , and transmission errors can effectively be solved . furthermore , since the psi multiplexing period is also variable , the image restoring time can be shortened . as the number of programs to be multiplexed increases , the above - described effect increases , so that according to the present embodiment , the efficient data transmission can be performed by effectively utilizing the transmission line . additionally , the present invention is not limited to the apparatus of the above - described embodiment , and can be applied to a system constituted of a plurality of apparatuses ( e . g ., a host computer , an interface apparatus , and the like ), or to an equipment constituted of one apparatus ( e . g ., a digital vtr , a digital video camera , and the like ). moreover , to realize the function in the above - described embodiment , the program code of software for realizing the function of the above - described embodiment is supplied to the apparatus connected to various devices so as to operate the devices or the computer in the system , and the system or apparatus computer ( cpu , mpu , and the like ) operates the devices according to the supplied program code . this embodiment is also included in the present invention . in this case , the program code itself of the software realizes the function in the above - described embodiment , and the present invention is constituted by the program code itself , and means for supplying the program code to the computer , such as the storage medium in which the program code is stored . as the storage medium for storing the program code , for example , a floppy disk , a hard disk , an optical disk , an optical magnetic disk , a cd - rom , a cd - r , a magnetic tape , a nonvolatile memory card , a rom , and the like can be used . moreover , not only when the function of the above - described embodiment is realized by executing the supplied program code by the computer , but also when the program code realizes the function in the above - described embodiment in cooperation with the operating system ( os ) operating in the computer , or other applications , such program code is of course included in the present invention . furthermore , after the supplied program code is stored in the memory disposed in the function expansion board of the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer , the cpu , and the like disposed in the function expansion board and function expansion unit perform a part or the whole of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code , and the function of the above - described embodiment is realized by the processing . this case is also included in the present invention . in other words , the foregoing description of embodiments has been given for illustrative purposes only and not to be construed as imposing any limitation in every respect . the scope of the invention is , therefore , to be determined solely by the following claims and not limited by the text of the specifications and alternations made within a scope equivalent to the scope of the claims fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 7Electricity
|
an embodiment of the instant invention comprises an etch suitable for etching polysilicon and which is particularly useful for removing polysilicon from deep , narrow openings with minimal removal of oxides and nitrides . a first inventive etch embodiment comprises the combination of a halogen - containing gas , for example br , hbr , cf 4 , nf 3 , cl 2 , or hcl , and an oxygen - containing gas , for example o 2 or he — o 2 in an etcher which is top and bottom powered or modified to be top and bottom powered . various other similar gasses may function sufficiently , and suitable high - density etchers include an applied materials dps or hdp , a lam model 9400 or tcp , or other such etchers . various etcher settings and gas flow rates provide different results which can be optimized for specific processes . the settings discussed below provide settings optimized for a process to etch the polysilicon 26 of fig1 to result in a structure similar to fig2 , having reduced ( or eliminated ) stringers when compared with conventional etches . other applicable parameters relative to fig1 for this embodiment include a gate stack 14 height ( from the top surface of wafer 12 to top of nitride 22 ) of between about 2 , 500 å and about 3 , 000 å , a polysilicon layer 26 thickness of between about 3 , 500 å and about 4 , 000 å , and a distance between adjacent spacers of about 1 , 300 å . to etch the polysilicon layer , a pressure of between about 42 mtorr and about 78 mtorr , an upper ( tcp ) power of from about 245 watts to about 455 watts , and a lower ( bias ) power of from about 49 watts to about 91 watts would provide sufficient etch results . more preferably , the pressure will be in the range of about 54 mtorr to about 66 mtorr , the top power will be in the range of about 315 watts to about 345 watts , and the lower power will be in the range of about 63 watts to about 77 watts . most preferably , the pressure will be about 60 mtorr , the upper power will be about 350 watts , and the lower power will be about 70 watts . generally , a lower pressure will provide a more vertical anisotropic etch ( more etching of the horizontal bottom of the opening ) and a higher pressure will provide a more isotropic etch . also , as the top power increases the etch will become more isotropic and as bottom power increases the etch will become more anisotropic . the flow rate of the halogen - containing gas is preferably in the range of about 35 standard cubic centimeters ( sccm ) to about 65 sccm , more preferably in the range of about 45 sccm to about 55 sccm , and most preferably about 50 sccm . the oxygen flow rate of the oxygen - containing gas is preferably in the range of about 1 . 9 sccm to about 4 . 7 sccm , more preferably between about 2 . 4 sccm and about 4 . 0 sccm , and most preferably between about 2 . 7 sccm and about 3 . 6 sccm . the total flow rate of the oxygen - containing gas can easily be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art . as an example , using he — o 2 as the oxygen - containing gas , the total flow rate of the he — o 2 ( helium and oxygen components ) is preferably in the range of about 6 . 3 sccm to about 15 . 6 sccm , more preferably between about 8 . 1 sccm and about 13 . 2 sccm , and most preferably between about 9 sccm and about 12 sccm , as the he — o 2 gas comprises 30 % oxygen and 70 % helium . using the preferred settings described above , the polysilicon will be etched at a rate of between about 1 , 000 å / min and about 2 , 000 å / min . the amount of polysilicon etched toward the bottom of the opening varies proportionally with the amount ( flow rate ) of oxygen - containing gas . thus if relatively little oxygen - containing gas is introduced into the etch chamber , the polysilicon is etched at about the same rate along the entire height of the feature thereby providing a substantially vertical anisotropic etch . with increasing proportions of oxygen - containing gas the etch becomes more isotropic and etches an increasing percentage of polysilicon from the bottom of the feature . fig2 depicts a structure resulting from an etch of the fig1 device with an inventive etch having a flow rate of oxygen - containing gas in the lower ranges of those specified above . in especially narrow regions , this etch may leave polysilicon in the corners of the features , for example between the bottom of oxide spacer 24 and the bottom of the opening defined by the top of the wafer which form a 90 ° angle in fig2 . increasing the proportion of oxygen - containing gas will more effectively remove the polysilicon from the narrow regions . however , especially high proportions of oxygen - containing gas , especially in combination with top power in the higher range , may result in the structure of fig4 wherein the polysilicon feature 26 being etched is undercut 40 . as this etch is particularly selective to oxide and nitride , such an undercut is relatively benign . the feature 26 is not narrowed and the critical dimension does not need to be altered . further , the polysilicon which is removed to leave undercut 40 will be filled in by a dielectric provided during subsequent processing . with increased doping of the polysilicon , the etch will result in additional undercut . in another embodiment of the invention , the oxygen flow rate of the oxygen - containing gas can remain low ( for example , from about 1 . 9 sccm to about 2 . 7 sccm ) during the first part of the etch then increased ( for example , from about 3 . 6 sccm to about 4 . 7 sccm ) toward the end of the etch . further , the top power can remain in the lower ranges ( for example , from about 245 to about 315 watts ) during the first part of the etch , then increased ( for example , from about 385 to about 455 watts ) toward the end of the etch . this embodiment would allow for stringer removal with minimal undercutting and therefore minimal removal of the polysilicon feature being formed . with the various embodiments described above a polymer can form as the etch progresses . polymers are well known in the art to form especially on vertical surfaces during etching . in another embodiment of the invention , the etch further comprises the use of helium at a flow rate of between about 70 sccm and 130 sccm , preferably between about 90 sccm and 110 sccm , and most preferably about 100 sccm , introduced into the etch chamber with the halogen - containing gas and the oxygen - containing gas . adding helium reduces the build - up of polymer in the center of the wafer and prevents the etch from shutting down in the center of the wafer . the etch is believed to remove more material at the bottom of a polysilicon feature ( at a location proximal to the semiconductor wafer ) than at the top ( at a location distal to the wafer ) under certain conditions described above as a result of “ charging ” which causes the ions to bend into the stringers . this is in contrast to conventional stringer etches which use high pressures to scatter the ions into the stringers resulting from collisions between ions . these conventional etches are somewhat uncontrollable as they use high energy ions to “ erode ” the undesirable material , which also erodes the desirable material the ions contact . the inventive etch is highly selective to oxide and thereby provides good polysilicon removal with little oxide or nitride removal , even during an extended over - etch . it is estimated that a polysilicon : oxide etch rate of between about 50 : 1 and about 150 : 1 can be achieved with the various embodiments of the invention as described above . increasing the flow rate of the oxygen - containing gas ( specifically the oxygen component ) increases the undercut ( or “ nip ”) of the polysilicon and also increases the selectivity to oxide and nitride . thus an etch with a higher oxygen flow rate etches a lower portion of the feature at a faster isotropic rate than it etches an upper portion . fig5 – 7 depict etch results on test wafers which can be expected with increasing flow rates of he — o 2 . similar results can be obtained with other oxygen - containing gasses . each of fig5 – 7 comprise the use of a silicon wafer having blanket layers of polysilicon about 900 å thick , a silicide layer about 1 , 000 å thick overlying the polysilicon , a nitride layer about 1 , 500 å thick overlying the silicide layer , and a patterned photoresist layer ( not depicted ) thereover . the photoresist is patterned to form features each having a width of 1 , 500 å and a pitch of 3 , 000 å . the nitride and silicide are both etched using conventional etches . for example , a nitride etch can comprise the use of 50 sccm cf 4 , 50 sccm he , and 35 sccm ch 2 f 2 at a pressure of 10 mtorr , an upper power of 700 watts , a lower power of 250 watts for a duration of 60 seconds . the silicide etch can comprise 75 sccm cl 2 and 25 sccm cf 4 at a pressure of 4 mtorr , an upper power of 250 watts , a lower power of 75 watts for a duration of 50 seconds . further , as the etch of the test wafers is performed to depict the change in isotropic etching which results from increasing the flow rate of the oxygen - containing gas , the polysilicon is first anisotropically etched to result in a vertical profile . an exemplary polysilicon etch comprises the use of 40 sccm cl 2 , 6 sccm he — o 2 , and 180 sccm hbr at a pressure of 20 mtorr , an upper power of 160 watts , a lower power of 30 watts , for a duration of 30 seconds . fig5 depicts an etch using a flow rate of 6 sccm he — o 2 , 50 sccm hbr , 100 sccm he , 70 watts lower power , 350 watts upper power , a pressure of 60 mtorr , and a duration of 60 seconds . the resulting etch provides little or no lateral etching or undercutting of the polysilicon 50 , the silicide 52 , or the nitride 54 . this etch would , however , etch polysilicon in a vertical direction and would provide an inventive substitute for the exemplary polysilicon etch described in the previous paragraph . thus the need for the 30 % undercut tolerance described above is reduced or eliminated and a smaller device with increased feature density can be formed . fig6 depicts an etch using a flow rate of 9 sccm he — o 2 , 50 sccm hbr , 100 sccm he , 70 watts lower power , 350 watts upper power , a pressure of 60 mtorr , and a duration of 60 seconds . the resulting etch undercuts the polysilicon 60 , especially toward the bottom of the feature . the upper portion of the polysilicon 60 remains substantially vertical . this etch removes the polysilicon at a faster isotropic rate than the etch described with reference to fig5 . fig7 depicts an etch using a flow rate of 12 sccm he — o 2 , 50 sccm hbr , 100 sccm he , 70 watts lower power , 350 watts upper power , a pressure of 60 mtorr , and a duration of 60 seconds . the resulting etch removes the polysilicon 60 along the entire height of the feature . as is depicted in fig5 – 7 , increasing the oxygen - containing etchant , for example the he — o 2 described , results in an increasingly retrograde etch profile . the etch profiles depicted in fig5 – 7 are generally homogeneous across a wafer with stacks at the edge of the wafer having etch rates and profiles similar to those at the center of the wafer or at any other wafer location . also , the amount of undercut will increase with increased doping of the blanket polysilicon layer . an embodiment of the etch can be used after a conventional etch , with the conventional etch removing the majority of exposed polysilicon , and the inventive etch used to remove any remaining undesirable polysilicon such as stringers from particularly small spaces . a semiconductor assembly formed in accordance with the invention can be attached along with other devices to a printed circuit board , for example to a computer motherboard or as a part of a memory module used in a personal computer , a minicomputer , or a mainframe . a device formed in accordance with the invention could further be useful in other electronic devices related to telecommunications , the automobile industry , semiconductor test and manufacturing equipment , consumer electronics , and virtually any consumer or industrial electronic equipment . while this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments , this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the illustrative embodiments , as well as additional embodiments of the invention , will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description . for example , the various etch parameters can be easily modified by one of ordinary skill in the art for high density etchers other than the models described . it is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention . | 7Electricity
|
the milk liquid to be evaporated is introduced via pipe 1 into effect 2 . upon leaving pipe 1 , the milk liquid is equally distributed by divider plates 3 over the downpipes 4 . the milk liquid forms a film over the walls of these downpipes 4 , which are heated externally with water vapor introduced via pipe 5 . a two - phase flow of concentrate and vapor enter liquid collector 6 , where product and vapor are separated . the product is pumped through pipe 7 and pump 8 to the divider plate of the next effect . the vapor is directed via line 9 to the next effect to condense on the outside of the downpipes . in the process according to the invention , a fat fraction can be supplied under the downpipes 4 or to the product flow in pipe 7 . 1628 kg liquid containing 81 kg skim milk solids , 24 . 5 kg whey protein solids obtained through ultrafiltration , and 188 kg desalted whey solids , was divided in 2 portions a and b of 814 kg each . the solids content of this liquid was 18 %. to portion a ( comparative example ), 83 kg liquid fat ( stored under nitrogen ) was added with mixing at 50 ° c . this fat had the composition as shown in column c of table i . this fat - enriched liquid was subsequently evaporated to a solids content of 46 % in an evaporator with three effects . portion b ( invention ) was evaporated to the extent where a product flow of a solids content of 35 % was fed into the last effect of the evaporator . under the downpipes of this last effect , 83 kg of the above fat composition was added to the liquid in a constant flow at 50 ° c ., in such a manner that the fat was evenly distributed during the evaporation time that likewise a liquid of a solids content of 46 % was obtained . both portions were subsequently homogenized in a two - stage homogenizer ( 100 + 30 bar ), followed by cooling to 8 ° c . and the addition , with mixing , to the liquid of a number of additives which are conventional for food for premature infants : minerals , except for copper and iron , vitamins , amino acids , taurine , uridine monophosphate , guanosine monophosphate , inosine monophosphate , cytidine monophosphate , adenosine monophosphate . then both portions were spray - dried ( inlet temperature 186 ° c ., outlet temperature 90 ° c .) and a conventional premix ( containing iron and copper ) was admixed to form the desired end product . this product was packaged in cans , under nitrogen or not . from a determination of the peroxide numbers of the fat fraction the powders of batch b possessed a higher stability than the powders of batch a over a storage period of 13 and 26 weeks , respectively . the peroxide numbers of the fat fraction were determined according to a modification of the method of loftus hills and thiel ( loftus hills , g . and thiel c . c ., j . dairy res . 14 ( 1946 ), 340 ; australian standard n 63 , ( 1968 ), p 22 ). according to this method , the fat is extracted from the powder at 55 ° c . with a mixture of 1 - chlorobutane / methanol , whereafter the peroxides present in the extract oxidize fe ( ii ) ions which have been added with a reagent , to form fe ( iii ) ions , whereafter the latter ions are determined spectrophotometrically by means of an ammonium rhodanide stain . the table below presents the results of this peroxide number determination . ______________________________________ peroxide number of the fat ( meq / kg ) in 20 samples storage period at 20 ° c . : 13 weeks 26 weeks______________________________________batch a , not packaged under n . sub . 2 0 . 7 1 . 4batch b , not packaged under n . sub . 2 0 . 02 0 . 6batch a , packaged under n . sub . 2 0 . 3 1 . 4batch b , packaged under n . sub . 2 0 0 . 7______________________________________ a comparable conclusion could be drawn from tests where the fat fraction was enriched with additional antioxidant ( dose 200 ppm ascorbyl palmitate on the fat , and 1000 ppm ronoxan a ® containing 25 % ascorbyl palmitate , 5 % dl - α - tocopherol and 70 % lecithin ), whether or not combined with bringing the powder under nitrogen gas directly after drying . the addition of fat in the last effect of the evaporator led to an improved and optimum result in terms of product stability . in accordance with a known method ( c ), 62 kg soya oil was added with vigorous stirring to a mixture of 390 kg whole milk , 1496 kg low - fat milk , and 107 kg butter serum . this mixture was heated up by known techniques , heated at 120 ° c . for three minutes and evaporated to 7 . 8 % fat and 18 % non - fat milk solids ( nfms ). this product was subsequently homogenized ( 150 + 25 bar , 50 ° c .). this was followed by final standardization to 7 . 8 % fat and 18 % nfms with either water , or different amounts of solutions of na 2 hpo 4 and / or nah 2 po 4 supplemented with water . this was followed by packaging in cans and sterilization at 121 ° c . in accordance with the process of the present invention ( d ), 390 kg whole milk ( 4 . 38 % fat and 8 . 85 % nfms ) was mixed with 1496 kg skim milk ( 0 . 03 % fat and 9 . 24 % nfms ) and 107 kg butter serum ( 0 . 53 % fat and 8 . 44 % nfms ). this mixed milk was heated to 120 ° c . by known techniques , followed by sustained heating for 3 minutes . the hot milk was then transferred onto the first effect of a falling film evaporator ( two effects ) and evaporated to a solids content of approximately 21 %. under the downpipes of the second effect , 62 kg soya oil of 50 ° c ., evenly distributed over the entire required evaporation time , was added in a constant flow . thus a product with 7 . 8 % fat and 18 % nfms was obtained . this evap was subsequently homogenized in the conventional manner ( 150 + 25 bar , 50 ° c .) and standardized either with water or with a solution of na 2 hpo 4 and / or nah 2 po 4 in water . finally , the evap was sterilized in cans , as described with reference to the traditional method ( c ). concentrated milk was produced as in example 2 , except that the butter serum was not mixed with the other milk liquids before evaporation but , after heating to 50 ° c ., was injected into the second effect of the evaporator right beside the soya oil . the evap could be sterilized without addition of phosphates or other milk - foreign stabilizers . concentrated milk was prepared as in example 3 , but the soya oil was replaced with an oil containing 81 % oleic acid ( see oil b , table i ). concentrated milk was prepared as in example 3 , but the soya oil was replaced by fatty mixture c , as indicated in table i . according to the process of the present invention such as it has been illustrated in the examples , oxidation - sensitive fatty acids enter into contact with oxygen to a minimal extent as compared with the process according to the comparative example . as a result , remarkably stable milk concentrates having a prolonged storage life are obtained by a simpler process operation . table i______________________________________fatty acid % soya oil oil b fat mixture c______________________________________c8 : 0 1 . 1c10 : 0 1 . 1c12 : 0 12 . 6c14 : 0 4 . 6c15 ( a ) isoc15 : c16 ( a ) isoc16 : 0 10 . 5 3 . 5 20 . 7c16 : 1ω7c17 anteisoc17 isoc17 : 0c17 : 1ω9c18 : 0 4 . 0 4 . 0 3 . 1c18 : 1ω9 22 81 36 . 5c18 : 1ω7 0 . 1c18 : 2ω6 54 . 5 9 . 0 15 . 80c18 : 3ω6gla 0 . 35c18 : 3ω3 7 . 5 1 . 9c18 : 4 0 . 05c20 : 0 0 . 5 0 . 5c20 : 1ω9c20 : 1ω7c20 : 2ω6c20 : 3ω6c20 : 3ω3c20 : 4ω6 aac20 : 5ω3 epa 0 . 25c22 : 0 0 . 5 1 . 0c22 : 1ω9 / 11c22 : 2ω6c22 : 4ω6c22 : 5ω3c22 : 6ω3 dha 0 . 35c24 : 0c24 : 1ω9other 0 . 5 1 . 0 1 . 50______________________________________ | 0Human Necessities
|
as shown in fig1 the system architecture to which a preferred embodiment of the present invention pertains includes a plurality of client web browsers 1a through 1n connected to the internet 2 . a plurality of web servers 3a , 3b and 3c are also connected to the internet 2 . each client web browser 1a - 1n can access information stored on a web server 3a - 3c by sending a request specifically identifying the requested web server over the internet 2 , as described above . web server 3b is shown in further detail in fig1 as this server illustrates a server architecture according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . server 3b is a high availability server capable of serving many more requests than the other two normal availability servers 3a and 3c . server 3b , for example , is providing sports scores for a popular international sporting event and is thus being accessed by browsers all over the world at almost the same time . server 3b must thus be able to deal with this large volume of near simultaneous requests . as shown , server 3b is broken up into a messaging and queuing unit 31 and a plurality of normal availability web servers 32a - 32n . web servers 32a - 32n can be , for example , identical to the other servers 3a and 3c . messaging and queuing unit 31 is a software product which can be running on one of the servers 32a - 32n or on a separate server machine included within server architecture 3b . the details of the messaging and queuing software unit 31 are well known in the art , however , a brief background description of such a unit will now be given to explain its function with respect to the disclosed embodiment of the present invention . an alternative communication model to the synchronous , time - dependent ` request and await response ` model ( as usually used in the www environment ) is asynchronous messaging known in the art as &# 34 ; messaging and queuing &# 34 ;. a program which sends a message to a receiver program need not be blocked to await a reply from the receiver and so can continue executing , and the sender and receiver are not synchronised ( serialised ) with one another . asynchronous inter - program messaging typically uses message queues as intermediate storage facilities into which messages are placed when sent from a first program and from which they can be retrieved by a receiver program when it is ready . there is no dedicated logical connection between the programs . after placing a message in a queue , the sender program can proceed to execute other tasks which may involve sending messages to other programs in the network . it is known in the art to provide asynchronous messaging systems which support inter - program communication across heterogeneous networks , and which shield application programs ( which are each written for a particular operating system environment ) from the complexities of the network and from the work of maintaining and locating message queues . such messaging systems are important to many commercial enterprises who need to achieve effective interoperation between their various business application programs but whose data processing resources comprise a range of disparate operating system and hardware environments . message queuing and commercially available message queuing products are described in &# 34 ; messaging and queuing using the mqi &# 34 ;, b . blakeley , h . harris & amp ; r . lewis , mcgraw - hill , 1994 , and in the following publications which are available from ibm corporation : &# 34 ; an introduction to messaging and queuing &# 34 ; ( ibm document number gc33 - 0805 - 00 ) and &# 34 ; mqseries - message queue interface technical reference &# 34 ; ( ibm document number sc33 - 0850 - 01 ). ibm and mqseries are trademarks of ibm corporation . ibm &# 39 ; s mqseries messaging software products provide transactional messaging support , synchronising messages within logical units of work in accordance with a messaging protocol which gives assured once and once - only message delivery even in the event of system or communications failures . mqseries products provide assured delivery by not finally deleting a message from storage on a sender system until it is confirmed as safely stored by a receiver system , and by use of sophisticated recovery facilities . prior to commitment of transfer of the message upon confirmation of successful storage , both the deletion of the message from storage at the sender system and insertion into storage at the receiver system are kept ` in doubt ` and can be backed out atomically in the event of a failure . this message transmission protocol and the associated transactional concepts and recovery facilities are described in international patent application wo 95 / 10805 and u . s . pat . no . 5465328 , which are incorporated herein by reference . as requests ( messages ) having url &# 39 ; s specifying server 3b are received ( step 301 of fig3 ) from client web browsers 1a - 1n over the internet , messaging and queuing unit 31 of server 3b receives and stores ( step 302 ) the requests in a queue . the web servers 32a - 32n inform ( step 303 ) the messaging and queuing unit 31 when they are ready to receive a request from the queue . that is , when server 32a has finished serving previous requests and is now sitting idly , it sends a message to the messaging and queuing unit 31 asking for another request to serve . the same applies for the other servers 32b - 32n . messaging and queuing unit 31 then sends ( step 304 ) a queued client request to a server unit in response to having received a request from the server unit for a client request . this is known as a &# 34 ; pull &# 34 ; model since servers 32a - 32n &# 34 ; pull &# 34 ; requests off of the queue when they are ready . this has the advantage of not overloading a server since it is not given any work to do until it asks for such work . servers 32a - 32n can thus operate much more efficiently and effectively . a unique correlation identifier is assigned to each http request as it is received by messaging and queuing unit 31 . a received request is then placed on the request queue of unit 31 . the unit 31 then waits ( by suspending a blocking mqget call ) until a server 32a - 32n which indicated that it was ready to receive a request returns a reply having the assigned correlation identifier to unit 31 . the reply is stored in an http reply queue in unit 31 and sent back to the browser 1a - 1n that initiated the request . web servers 32a - 32n are adapted so that instead of monitoring their usual port ( port 80 for most servers ) for http requests ( as the other servers 3a and 3c do ) they monitor the request queue of unit 31 . alternatively , a bridge program could be run alongside a respective server 32a - 32n to monitor the request queue of unit 31 and supply requests to port 80 of the server . in this latter configuration , the server &# 39 ; s reply would be received by the bridge program and translated into a message to be added to the http reply queue of unit 31 . by using a messaging and queuing unit between the internet and a plurality of parallel - connected servers , messages stored in the messaging and queuing unit 31 can be prioritized using well - known messaging and queuing techniques . fig2 shows a priority assigning unit 312 , which assigns priorities to client request that are stored in queue 311 , both of these elements are parts of the well - known structure of a messaging and queuing unit . for example , if one client web browser 1a is requesting textual information ( e . g ., sports scores ) and another client web browser 1b is requesting graphical data ( a colour picture of the sports arena ), it would be useful to be able to serve the textual information first , as the graphical information takes much longer to serve as it is much more data intensive . browser 1a would thus be quickly served the simple text request . browser 1b would expect to wait longer for the graphics request and thus it is highly advantageous to serve the text request first . the two http requests stored in the queue of unit 31 are examined by looking at the extensions of their url &# 39 ; s . if the extension refers to text ( html ) this http request is moved ahead of a request having an extension gif ( signifying graphical image data ). also , a well - known triggering feature ( see additional server unit triggering unit 313 in fig2 ) of messaging and queuing unit 31 can be employed to &# 34 ; wake up &# 34 ; additional servers 32a - 32n if the queued messages surpass a threshold number . that is , there may be times of low usage where it is not desirable to have all of the servers 32a - 32n active . there are other times of high usage when more servers of the set 32a - 32n should be active . thus , messaging and queuing unit 31 periodically checks the number of queued requests and if it is higher than a threshold amount , additional servers can be triggered to turn on during these periods of high usage . further , since messaging and queuing unit 31 accepts an internet connection for each request and places the received http request in a queue , it can then quickly service the next request by immediately accepting another connection . in prior architectures it was necessary to wait until a received request was served by a server and a reply sent back through the opened connection before another connection could be accepted to receive the next request from the internet . accordingly , the performance and availability of web servers can be greatly enhanced according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . while the preferred embodiment has been described in the context of the world wide web as the network , many other networks of connected computer devices are also within the scope of the invention . | 7Electricity
|
an isotropic graphite (&# 34 ; ig - 11 &# 34 ; produced by toyo tanso ) was dipped in b 2 o 3 ( extra fine grade reagent ) dissolved at 1200 ° c . using an autoclave , then a pressure of 150 kg / cm 2 was applied to the dipped graphite using n 2 gas , thereby b 2 o 3 being impregnated into pores of the graphite . after completing the impregnation process , boron was diffused in the graphite by means of a hip treatment device at a temperature of 2000 ° c . and under a pressure of 2000 kg / cm 2 for 1 hour ( employing ar as pressure medium ), thus a solid solution of graphite being obtained . in this respect , for carrying out the hip treatment , the product to be treated was put in a cylindrical sheath of graphite on which a cap was applied . thereafter , using a vacuum container , a vacuum treatment was performed at 2000 ° c . under 1 torr for 1 hour . boron concentration of the obtained composite material was measured by mannitol method by which it was recognized that the boron concentration was 4 . 0 % by weight ( with respect to boron element ), among which b 2 o 3 was 0 . 02 % by weight . this means that almost all of b 2 o 3 not reacted was evaporated and eliminated . the carbon - boron composite material obtained through example 1 was further treated by repeating the same manner as example 1 . boron concentration of the boron composite material thus obtained was 7 % by weight , among which b 2 o 3 was 0 . 03 % by weight . as apparent from the above description , it was acknowledged that content of boron in the composite material was increased . a plain weave cloth of pan high strength carbon material ( 3000 filaments , 7μm in fiber diameter , 300 kg / mm in tensile strength ) was impregnated with a phenolic resin solution ( prepared by diluting a resol type phenolic resin with methanol to 1 / 2 to 1 / 3 ), and after drying it for 24 hours , a prepreg sheet was obtained . this prepreg sheet was laminated in a dryer , heat - treated ( at 100 ° c . for 0 . 5 hour ), then placed on a die and treated by holding it in a hydraulic press at 140 ° c . under 50 kg / cm 2 for 1 hour . thus , a 2d compact comprising two sheets of laminate were obtained . the compact thus obtained was inserted into coke powder and heat - treated up to 1000 ° c . under non - oxidation atmosphere at a temperature increasing speed of 10 ° c ./ hour , then further treated using a vacuum furnace up to a high temperature of 2000 ° c . under a reduced pressure of 5 torr at a temperature increasing speed of 100 ° c ./ hour . as a result , a 2d c / c composite material free from crack was obtained . a solution prepared by adding 1 part by weight h 2 o to 1 part by weight of orthoboric acid ( h 3 bo 3 ) was added to the mentioned 2d c / c composite material to be dipped and impregnated thereinto . h 2 o of the composite material was then evaporated in a dryer kept at 120 ° c . thereafter , another impregnation treatment with an aqueous solution was further carried out . it was recognized that the aqueous solution obtained was relatively low in viscosity and impregnated easily into deep portion through the gap and fine pores . after completing the mentioned first process ( impregnation treatment ), the second process was carried out on the same conditions as the foregoing example 1 , and a carbon - boron composite material mainly comprising of a matrix of c / c composite material was obtained . boron concentration of the product thus obtained was 3 . 7 % by weight ( value converted to boron element ). a mesophase spherical carbon (&# 34 ; kmfc &# 34 ; produced by kawasaki steel corp .) was ground to fine particles of not larger than 5 m in average grain size . after thermo - compressive molding , the fine particles were baked at 2500 ° to 3000 ° c ., and using the obtained highly pure ultrafine isotropic graphite material ( hereinafter referred to as iso - 880 ), a reaction of boronization was performed in the same manner as that of example 1 . this carbon matrix was a carbon material of high strength and of which fine particle &# 39 ; s capacity is small . thus as a result of performing a boronization in the same manner as the foregoing example 1 , it was recognized that concentration of boron in the obtained c - b composite material was 2 . 6 % ( by weight ) and residual amount of b 2 o 3 after the third treatment was not more than 0 . 01 %. in addition , table 1 shows values obtained by analyzing the iso - 880 material and the elements other than boron after the reaction of boronization . though ordinary carbon material usually contains about 400 ppm of impurities , this impurity value can be decreased to not more than 10 ppm by halogenation treatment at high temperature ( as disclosed in the japanese laid - open patent publication ( unexamined ) no . 63 - 79759 ), and it is further possible to reduce total quantity of ash to 1 to 2 ppm when required . it may be said that the iso - 880 in this example is a material obtained by eliminating impurities beforehand using the halogenation treatment disclosed in the japanese patent publication no . 63 - 79759 , for example . atomic absorption analysis and bright line spectrum analysis or the like were adopted together as analysis method . in the table , (-) indicates elements not detected . as is explicit from the result of analysis of impurity amount before and after the treatment of boronization , increase of elements other than boron is not found . a test sample was prepared employing ig - 110 as a matrix , said ig - 110 being obtained by highly purifying ig - 11 serving as carbon material in the same manner as example 4 ( content of boron of this sample was 4 . 2 %). other test samples were prepared by the methods shown in examples 1 and 3 , and these samples were all subject to neutron irradiation test to acknowledge the manner of diffusion of boron element . for such acknowledgment of diffusion of boron , the inventors took advantage of the property of boron having very high neutron absorption performance . described hereinafter are results of the mentioned recognition of dispersion or diffusion of boron in the test samples with the use of neutron irradiation method . the neutron irradiation test was performed on the test samples prepared in examples 1 and 3 as well as on the sample prepared according to the prior art . b 4 c powder available in the market was ground and those of 3 to 7μm in grain size were selected to be employed as test sample . on the other hand , 50 parts by weight of coke powder ( not larger than 15μm in average grain size ), 10 parts by weight of artificial graphite powder ( not larger than 40μm in average grain size ) and 40 parts by weight of pitch were admixed together and kneaded while heating ( at 230 ° c . for 2 hours ), then molded and fine ground . thereafter 7 . 7 parts by weight of the mentioned b 4 c particles were added to 100 parts by weight of the product obtained by the mentioned fine grinding , then heated and kneaded together with a small amount of coking agent . the kneaded product was further molded under pressure , and baked at 2000 ° c ., thereby a test sample being obtained . as a result of chemical analysis , content of boron was 4 . 2 % by weight ( value converted to pure boron element ). each of the three test samples obtained as described above were then cut to be a thin plate of 2 mm in thickness , and subject to neutron irradiation test on the following manner : each test sample was put on a dry plate and irradiated with neutron . portions where neutron was absorbed became white , while portions where neutron was not absorbed were blackened by exposure . fig1 to 2 show test results . these drawings are schematic explanatory views illustrated based on photos taken by exposure to neutron irradiation . as for the product according to the prior art , boron compound was found existing in the form of b 4 c fine particles , and portions where neutron was absorbed remained in the form of white spots as unexposed parts . on the other hand , portions without boron ( i . e ., irradiated by neutron ) remained blackened by exposure . the drawings show the mentioned spots of 10 magnifications to clearly show them . in the case of example 1 , it is recognized that boron component are very finely and evenly diffused . no white spot is found no matter how enlarging the original photo picture . accordingly , the exposure resulted in showing an even intermediate color between white and black on all over the picture in the drawings , and no white spot was found being different from fig1 . as mentioned above referring to fig1 despite that 4 % boron compound existed actually , no portion of white dots showing absorption of boron was presented . this means that boron was diffused in the form of very fine particles . in the case of example 3 , boron was impregnated into a carbon - carbon composite material . though no result of analysis in the form of photogragh was prepared , it is understood that boron is ultrafinely distributed evenly throughout the entire test sample . as is understood from the above - discussed comparison between the product obtained according to the prior art and that obtained according to the invention , there is a remarkable difference in the aspect of boron dispersion or diffusion therebetween . thus , in the present invention , it is obvious that boron is evenly diffused in such a manner as to be fine incomparable to b 4 c particles according to the prior art . substantially the same results as above were obtained also with regard to examples 2 and 4 . in addition , the c - b composite material wherein boron component is ultra finely diffused has a superior oxidation resistance . such oxidation resistance is an essential requirement in the event of using a carbon composite under oxidizing atmosphere . in this respect , described hereunder is an example of measurement of oxidation resistance of the test sample prepared by the method according to the invention : oxidation resistance of the following ( boron - carbon ) composite material prepared by the methods in examples 1 and 5 was analyzed . the test sample ( containing 4 . 2 % of boron ) prepared by the method according to prior art ( employing b 4 c powder : the same one as the mentioned neutron test ). the carbon matrix ( ig - 11 ) employed at the time of preparing the test sample used in example 1 ( containing 0 . 0 % of boron ). the carbon matrix ( ig - 11 ) employed at the time of preparing the test sample used in example 1 and further highly purified by halogenation method ( ig - 110 ) ( containing 0 . 0 % of boron ). each of the above described five test samples was cut ( 32 × 20 × 12 . 5 mm ), then put and left in an air bath heater kept at 700 ° c . reduction in weight and percentage of oxidation loss of each test sample was measured at appropriate time intervals . fig3 shows the results of such measurement : where reference symbols respectively denote the following : as is clearly seen from fig3 in the example 1 ( hereinafter indicated as a in the drawing ), oxidation resistance was remarkably improved by impregnation of boron component as compared with comparative example 2 ( indicated as d ) in which matrix ( ig - 11 ) before impregnation with boron component was employed . moreover , it is to be noted that oxidation resistance was remarkably high when boron contents were at the same level , as compared with the product according to the prior method ( comparative examples 1 , c ) in which b 4 c powder was added . substantially the same result was recognized through the comparison between example 5 ( b ) in which treatment of boron addition was applied to a highly purified material and comparative example 3 . these results seem to come out by the following reason . that is , in the prior method , boron component which is a b 4 c powder expected to perform oxidation resistance effect exists partially in the form of grains , and there are more portions without boron component from where oxidation begins . on the other hand , in the present invention , since boron component is very finely distributed throughout the entire part evenly , reaction of oxidation tends to be restrained as a whole . for producing a c - b composite material of the present invention , it is to be noted that boronizing reaction of carbon material according to the method of the invention is featured by accomplishing even and ultra - fine diffusion of boron . a further feature exists in that the boronization is applicable to any kind and shape of carbon material without negatively affecting nature and physical property of object material . in this sense , the foregoing table 1 shows comparison between physical property before boronization of carbon material employed in the invention and that after boronization thereof . in addition , following table 2 shows comparative example 4 . the test sample prepared by the method according to example 4 and not boronized at all . table 2______________________________________ comp . ex . 4 example 4 comp . ex . 2 example 1 iso - 88 iso - 88 + b ig - 11 ig - 11 + b______________________________________bulk specific 1 . 90 1 . 95 1 . 77 1 . 86gravity ( g / cm . sup . 3 ) bending 950 950 400 400strength ( kg / cm . sup . 2 ) elastic 1300 1300 1000 1000coefficient ( kg / mm . sup . 2 ) thermal 70 70 116 116conductivity ( w / mk ) ______________________________________ it is understood from the above table 2 that , as a result of applying boronization , neither organization , structure , etc . of the original carbon material nor physical property thereof remains unchanged . simulation test on a crucible for glass molding was carried out . flat molds ( 1 ) shown in fig4 were prepared respectively using &# 34 ; ig - 11 &# 34 ; ( comparative example 2 ), example 1 and the mentioned product according to prior art . each molten boro - silicate glass ( 2 ) is injected into the mold ( 1 ) at 1300 ° c . under natural atmosphere , then solidified by natural cooling , and the solidified glass was taken out . this process was repeated to determine durability . in the test , thickness of the mold was made thin for the purpose of obtaining test result in short time , and durability was determined by counting number of repetitions up to destruction of the mold due to repetitions . to be more specific , in the flat mold in fig4 &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; is 50 φmm , &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; is 30 mm , and thickness is 3 mm . ______________________________________ numbermaterial of times sample______________________________________comp . example 2 ( ig - 11 ) 5 comp . examplematerial by prior method 8 comp . exampleexample 1 ( ig - 11 + b ) 15 the invention______________________________________ as is seen from the above table , the carbon material according to the method of the invention exhibited a satisfiable durability as compared with the orginal matrix as a matter of course and with the carbon materials prepared by the prior method . in another test on the same glass to which hermetic seal was applied , the invention was more effective than the product according to the prior art . when using a carbon material as a heat element under the atmosphere containing large amount of oxygen , carbon dioxide gas , moisture and the like , there usually arises a problem of deterioration due to oxidation exhaustion . hence , it is preferable that even heating and partial heating in the heating element are as small as possible . from this viewpoint , the boron - carbon composite material according to the invention in which boron is evenly and finely diffused in graphite matrix is particularly effective . then , a heating element was prepared of the same material as example 7 , and subject to a deterioration test under the atmosphere using the method illustrated in fig5 as follows : ______________________________________material hour ( h ) sample______________________________________comp . example 2 ( ig - 11 ) 0 . 5 comp . examplematerial by prior method 1 comp . exampleexample 1 ( ig - 11 + b ) 2 the invention______________________________________ measured was a time when electric current value was sharply reduced from normal current value due to imperfect contact at bolted part because of deterioration . it is understood from the above result that the carbon material prepared by the method of the invention has a superior durability also when employed as a heating element . forming a graphite containing boron into a cylinder for use in air hot press and employing an isotropic high density graphite as a punch , a hot press was manufactured , and a test was carried out on the life of cylinder . in this test , al 2 o 3 powder was heat - treated at 1400 ° c . ( for 2 hours ) under 180 kg / cm 2 . cylinders were respectively prepared using the hot press of the same material as example 7 . durability of each cylinder was tested by the method shown in fig6 . ______________________________________ numbermaterial of times______________________________________comp . example 2 ( ig - 11 ) 5boron material by prior method 8example 1 ( ig - 11 + b ) 15 ( the invention ) ______________________________________ referring to fig6 lower part of the cylinder ( 21 ) was filled with alumina powder ( 23 ) interposing a separator ( 22 ), and another separator ( 24 ) was placed on the alumina powder . then a pressure was applied by a punch ( 25 ) in the direction of the arrow , and number of times of repeated use showing a durability was measured . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
the installation comprises a rotary part 1 preceded by a means 2 for preheating the waste , of elongated shape and substantially cylindrical , said means 2 being supplied with waste from a hopper 3 via a transfer line 4 . the waste coming from hopper 3 is measured out , compacted , then pushed into transfer line 4 by a tappet 5 or any other device known to the man skilled in the art and capable of fulfilling the same purpose . the waste enters a first zone 2a of preheating means 2 . heating of the waste can be provided indirectly therein by a heating jacket 6a swept by a hot fluid flowed in through a line 7a or by the combustion of an appropriate fuel inside said jacket . the first zone 2a of the preheating means is used for removing a large part of the humidity contained in the waste , and for preheating it up to a temperature ranging between 50 ° and 150 ° c ., preferably between 60 ° and 90 ° c . preferably , the temperature of the waste at the outlet of zone 2a is measured by means of a probe 8a , and the information obtained is used for regulating the heat input provided to heating jacket 6a . heating of the waste continues then in a second zone 2b of the preheating means 2 according to a process substantially equivalent to that of the first zone 2a , i . e . with a heating jacket 6b supplied with hot fluid through a line 7b . in the second zone 2b , the humidity remaining after the first zone 2a is removed , and the waste is brought to a temperature ranging between 100 ° and 500 ° c ., preferably between 140 ° and 200 ° c . the temperature at the outlet of the second zone 2b is advantageously controlled by means of a probe 8b and the information obtained is used for regulating heating means 6b . the end 9 of the second preheating zone 2b is connected to the rotary part 1 by means of a seal 10 . end 9 can be equipped with a narrowing 11 intended for keeping a compact waste flowage inside transfer line 4 and in preheating pipe 2 . a gas extraction device 12 , a priori non - heated but thermally insulated , is arranged between zones 2a and 2b , at the level of a zone bearing reference number 2c . this extraction device 12 receives the steam produced by the waste in parts 2a and 2b and the pyrolysis gases produced in the rotary cylinder 1 , after the latter have flowed through the waste bed present in zone 2b in a countercurrent flow . to fulfil this function , extraction device 12 comprises means 13 such as porous surfaces , ports , grates , or any other equivalent means , allowing passage of the gases from the part 2c of the preheating pipe 2 towards said extraction device without carrying along notable amounts of solid matters . the pyrolysis gases and the steam are then flowed out of device 12 by means of line 14 while the solids that possibly accompany the gases can be separated therefrom by sedimentation in device 12 or by any other means known to the man skilled in the art , and then discharged through a line 15 . after leaving preheating means 2 , the waste falls into the rotary cylinder 1 by gravity and forms a bed 20 therein . rotary cylinder 1 is more or less inclined according to the desired solids inventory and rate . this rotary cylinder 1 can be heated by means located outside such as burners using for example pyrolysis gases , or by means 21 placed directly inside the rotary cylinder as shown in the appended single drawing . in this case , the heating means 21 , mounted on a stationary part 22 , can consist for example of a nested tube in which a combustion of a fuel such as natural gas or pyrolysis gases free of the main part of the tars and the particles is performed . the nested tube can also be supplied with a hot fluid obtained for example by air heating in the furnace burning the pyrolysis gases . the stationary part 22 is connected to the rotary part 1 by means of a joint 23 which forms a perfect gas seal between the ambience prevailing in said cylinder 1 and the outside . advantageously , the stationary part 22 can be equipped with a device 24 intended for the emergency evacuation of the pyrolysis gases , in case the flow of pyrolysis gases is strongly slowed down or if they can no longer flow through pipe 2b or through extraction device 12 . in the rotary cylinder 1 , the waste is treated at temperatures ranging between 150 ° and 900 ° c ., and preferably between 400 ° and 600 ° c . the waste moves forward from the inlet 1a to the stationary part 22 . the resulting solid phase is concentrated in part 22a , then discharged through a line 25 . a hopper 26 intended for injecting a basic element ( absorbent ) in the waste can also be mounted on preheating means 2 , preferably in zone 2a . it will be clear that the interest of the preheating pipe ( or means ) is to dry the waste , then to heat it up to a temperature close to but less than the temperature t 0 from which the waste emits toxic substances such as chlorinated products , which must imperatively be trapped in the solid phase present in the rotary part . it is important that the gas phase in the rotary furnace 1 is homogeneous , and it could be advantageous to use means known to the man skilled in the art to intensify the circulation of the gases in said rotary part and to improve the stirring of the gases and of the solids . besides , it is important to note that , when the pyrolysis gases percolate through the waste in the part 2b of the preheating pipe , they take part in the heating of the waste . lowering of the temperature of the pyrolysis gases in this part leads to the condensation of the tars and to the trapping of certain acid compounds such as hydrochloric acid by the basic substances deliberately added to the waste , or which more generally accompany most of the industrial and household waste . a retention of the finest particles also occurs in the waste bed . the result of this stage of &# 34 ; filtration &# 34 ; by the waste bed is a gas free of its polluting elements , of the tars and of the dusts , a gas that can for example be reused immediately in heating device 21 . the original feature of the device according to the invention can be illustrated by the following example : household waste is treated with a device identical to that of the appended figure . the waste exhibits 30 % of humidity . the three heating zones are so adjusted that the temperatures are respectively 100 °, 150 ° and 500 ° c . at the outlet of parts 2a , 2b and 1 . when the waste is in part 2a , it has lost approximately 50 % of humidity . setting aside the heat losses , the energy supplies at the level of devices 6a , 6b and 21 are respectively 0 . 523 , 0 . 268 and 0 . 368 mj / kg of treated waste . in the case of a conventional rotary furnace without preheating pipe , the energy requirements would amount to 1 . 52 mj / kg of waste . it should therefore be noted that , still setting aside the heat losses , the proposed system allows an overall energy gain of 25 %, and that the energy consumption at the level of the rotary part only amounts to 25 % of its value with the conventional rotary furnace . as a result of the description above , the most significant advantages of the device according to the invention are as follows : self - cleaning of the pyrolysis gases by percolation of the gases through the waste bed 2b present in the preheating means , with notably removal of the tars by condensation ( the latter can perform several up - and - down trips between the rotary part and the preheating pipe , but they are finally thermally cracked ), with fixation of the residual non - trapped acid compounds at the level of the rotary part and with removal of the main part of the fine particles carried along by the gas , by filtration through the waste bed in the preheating pipe , lowering of the energy requirements of the operation through the use of a large part of the sensible heat of the pyrolysis gases for heating the waste on the one hand , and through a significant decrease in the size of the rotary part of the device , which is the main source of heat losses , on the other hand , cost decrease and simplification of the construction problems notably through a significant decrease in the size of the rotary cylinder in relation to conventional systems , possibility of treating waste of very varied nature and humidity through the presence of several heating zones ( 2a , 2b , 1 ) adjusted independently of one another . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
|
as shown in fig1 the wire 1 is fed in the direction of the arrow from a feeding means , not shown , in linear fashion from right to left over the rollers 10 and 11 through four loops 5 of a strand of material 2 which has been steeped or immersed in lubricant . the strand of material 2 is unwound from a braked wind - off 3a means which gives a specific resistance to coiling . the strand of material 2 is unwound and guided by a tension measuring means 4 and a direction - changing roller 6 in coils around the wire 1 to the direction - changing rollers 7 and to the driven wind - up means 8 . fig2 illustrates another embodiment of the invention in which an additional auxiliary roller 9 is provided between the direction - changing roller 6 and 7 . the auxiliary roller 9 enables the strand of material 2 to be wrapped around the wire 1 in contra - rotating fashion . in fig3 - 6 , a housing 14 with a downwardly projecting carrier 13 and a tongue portion 27 , which is pivotally attached to the carrier 13 are arranged on a console 12 . the supply spool or wind - off spool 3 for a strand or material 2 impregnated with lubricant is rotatably mounted on the console 12 . the strand of material 2 extending from the spool 3 passes around a shaft 15 and direction - changing rollers 39 and 16 , before repeatedly about guide roller 17 and drive roller 18 . a pressure roller 19 is pressed against the strand of material 2 which is wrapped twice around the drive roller 18 . the strand of material passes from the drive roller 18 over direction - changing rollers 22 , 6 , 7 , 28 , 26 , 23 and 25 to the wind - up spool 8 with a conically tapered reel 31 . in the region between the direction - changing rollers 6 and 7 , the strand of material 2 is wrapped around the wire 1 which is guided over the support rollers 11 and 10 and moves in the same direction as the wire , the strand of material passes over the direction - changing mandrel 29 approximately in the center between the direction - changing rollers 6 and 7 . the tongue portion 27 is pivotable horizontally and vertically , for example , through 180 ° horizontally and 15 ° vertically . the vertical pivotal movements can be made by using a fixing screw 30 in a slot . as can be seen in fig4 the housing 14 contains a synchronous motor 32 which drives the exchangeable drive roller 18 by means of a shaft 47 , which drive roller 18 meters the supply of the strand of material 2 . secured to the shaft 47 is a belt pulley 33 over which a belt 48 passes via the direction - changing roller 36 to the belt pulley 34 on the shaft 46 of the wind - up spool 8 . the belt 48 rotates the wind - up spool 8 at the same speed that the synchronous motor 32 drives the drive roller 18 . a screw 21 can be used to adjust the tensioning of the belt . in order to compensate for undesirably high tensioning in the strand of material 2 , compensating means 24 is used which is prestressed in its normal position by spring 35 . the adjusting screw 20 can be used to adjust the tensioning of the spring . if the tensioning of the strand of material 2 is too great , the end of the compensating means 24 is drawn under with the direction - changing roller 25 , wherein the lever arm of the compensating means 24 draws the direction - changing roller 36 for the drive belt 48 against the tensioning by the spring 35 underneath as well , whereby slippage of the drive belt 48 is increased , and the excessive tensioning of the spring is compensated for . as can be seen particularly well in fig6 the direction - changing mandrel 29 in the region of the tongue portion 27 is secured to a mandrel lever 40 which is pivotable about an axis of rotation 41 . the mandrel lever 40 is prestressed in the upward direction by means of the spring 42 . this prestressing can be adjusted by the use of the adjusting screw 45 . by pivoting the mandrel lever 40 it is possible to move the direction - changing mandrel 29 in the slot 46 from the bottom end position shown in fig6 to an upper end position not shown . in the bottom end position shown in fig6 the mandrel lever 40 is disposed on the actuating lever 43 of a microswitch 44 , and it closes an electrical contact therein . this bottom end position is adopted by the direction - changing mandrel 29 when it is drawn in the direction of the arrow 50 by the strand of material 2 in the normal operative position if the strand of material as shown in fig3 passes over the direction - changing mandrel . if the strand of material tears or if the tensioning of the strand of material is too low , the direction - changing mandrel 29 is pushed up in the slot 46 in the direction of the arrow 51 beneath the force of the spring 42 , wherein the electrical contact is interrupted which triggers a signal visible in the form of signal lights 37 or 38 in fig5 for example . in order that the invention may be more readily understood , reference is made to the following examples , which are intended to be illustrative of the invention , but are not intended to be limiting in scope . an electrical winding wire with a diameter of 0 . 3 mm and a 40 μm thick polyimide lacquering was issued from the lacquering installation downstream of a lacquering and drying device with a surface temperature of 200 ° c . in front of the wind - off means , which was 4 m away from the discharge end of the oven , the wire still had a surface temperature of 60 ° c . the wire was fed at 100 m / min . an advancing means was used to advance the strand of material which was steeped in a lubricant at a speed of 0 . 1 m / min . with the winding wire being encircled four times by the strand of material in the direction opposite that in which the wire was being fed . the tensioning of the strand of material was set to 10 g . the strand of material comprised a cotton twine with 40 g / km ( 40 tex ) strength and a lubricant content of 35 to 45 g / km . the lubricant comprised 98 % of a paraffin having a melting point of 50 ° to 54 ° c . and 2 % wetting agent ( fc 170 ). the twine was steeped , cooled and wound up by being dipped and stripped by a rubber nozzle . the means for advancing the strand of material was installed 0 . 5 m in front of the wire feeding means . an electric winding wire which was 0 . 58 mm in diameter and having a 40 μm thick polyimide lacquering was issued from the lacquering and drying installation downstream of the lacquering and drying means with a surface temperature of 200 ° c . upstream of the feeding means , which was 4 m away from the discharge of the oven , the wire had a surface temperature of 60 ° c . the wire was fed at a rate of 40 m / min . by using an advancing means for the strand of material as described in the drawings , a strand of material which was steeped in lubricant was encircled four times around the wire , and was advanced continuously at a rate of 0 . 063 m / min in the direction in which the wire was being fed . the tensioning of the strand of material was set to 50 g . the strand of material was a cotton twine with 45 g / km ( 45 tex ) strength and a lubricant content of 75 g / km . the lubricant used was beeswax . the twine was steeped , cooled and wound up by being dipped and stripped using a rubber nozzle . the advancing means for the strand of material was installed 2 m behind the exit from the drying oven . while certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the methods and apparatus disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the . invention , which is defined in the appended claims . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
in accordance with the present invention , there is provided an electronic stimulator implant for improving bladder voiding and preventing bladder hyperreflexia in a patient and which may eliminate detrusor - sphincter dyssynergia and hyperreflexia and maintain tonicity of the pelvic floor muscle of the bladder as shown in fig1 . fig2 illustrates an electronic stimulator implant for maintaining the bladder in accordance with the present invention , which is identified by reference numeral 10 . a tonicity signal generator 12 is contained in the electronic stimulator implant 10 . the tonicity signal generator 12 generates a tonicity signal which prevents bladder hyperreflexia by maintaining the tonicity of the pelvic floor muscle of the bladder , its effect on the reflex arc slows down contractions of the detrusor muscle which normally occurs in absence of feedback stimulation from the brain , thereby preventing hyperreflexia . a battery 13 is connected to the tonicity signal generator 12 , for providing power thereto . a voiding signal generator 14 is also contained in the electronic stimulator implant 10 . the voiding signal generator 14 generates a functional electrical stimulation ( fes ) signal to activate the bladder voiding process upon command . the voiding signal generator 14 generates a single signal which combines a first waveform of a low frequency and high amplitude , which activates contraction of the detrusor muscle , and a second waveform of a high frequency and low amplitude , which inhibits contraction of the external urethral sphincter of the bladder , thereby achieving bladder voiding without dyssynergia . an ac - dc voltage converter and regulator 15 is connected to the voiding signal generator 14 , for providing dc power thereto . a receiving coil 16 is connected to the power converter 15 . the coil 16 receives a power ac signal from coil 30 by inductance coupling . ac - dc voltage converter and regulator 15 rectifies and regulates a voltage signal . the command signal is modulated over the ac power signal by generator 28 . a command signal and feedback communications circuit 19 is connected to the coil 16 via regulator 15 . a modulated information signal generated by circuit 28 is detected , demodulated and decoded by circuit 19 . circuit 19 thus transmits a command signal to the tonicity signal generator 12 as will be explained hereinafter . while the voiding signal generator 14 can operate automatically when power is supplied by circuit 15 , preferably , circuit 19 supplies a command signal to turn on and off the voiding signal . likewise , circuit 19 is able to vary an impedance of coil 16 so that the variation of impedance can be detected by circuit 28 in order to communicate feedback data from the implant to the device 26 . the electrode - tissue contact impedance can be monitored either by generator 14 or by generator 12 . for example , the current flow to the electrode can be measured during the supply of the voiding signal , and this measured current value can be compared with stored values . the status of the contact impedance can be communicated to the device 26 and an indicator ( not shown ) connected to circuit 28 can indicate the status of the electrode - tissue contact . preferably , the impedance is measured using a voltage to frequency converter which converts the voltage at the electrode to a frequency . the frequency signal is then sampled over a time window and converted using a frequency counter circuit which outputs an 8 - bit word corresponding to the frequency , i . e . the measured voltage at the electrode . the measured voltage is related to the electrode - nerve impedance . the impedance to frequency conversion and the frequency to 8 - bit word conversion circuitry is also described in “ implantable measurement technique dedicated to the monitoring of electrode - nerve contact in bladder stimulators ”, med . biol . eng . comput ., 2000 , 38 , 465 - 468 , the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference . the impedance measurement is used firstly to adjust the amplitude of the signal generators 12 , 14 to ensure that the injected charge into the nerve remains constant over time for the tonicity and voiding signals . the impedance value ( i . e . the 8 - bit word ) is also communicated to the device 26 as mentioned above , using for example frequency modulation in the signal between the device 26 and the implant . outputs of tonicity and voiding signal generators 12 , 14 are connected through a selector 17 . the selective 17 normally allows the signal from generator 12 to pass through . upon command , the selector 17 is turned off to discontinue the tonicity signal when generator 14 operates . this is preferred , although not essential . a bipolar electrode has a first end 18 connected to the selector 17 and a second end 20 for connecting to a sacral nerve , such as the s 2 sacral segment . a cuff 22 is disposed at the second end 20 , for attachment to the sacral nerve . the cuff 22 is preferably made of a shape memory alloy ( sma ) and isolated by silastic , which is cooled to open before and during placement on the nerve . the cuff 22 then warms up to body temperature and elastically grasps the nerve firmly with the exact desired pressure . the electrode comprises two teflon ™ coated stainless steel wires connected to platinum contacts having a 25 μm thickness . the contacts are separated in the axial direction of the nerve by about 1 to 2 mm , and molded in an elastomeric envelope made of silastic and provide the electrical connection to the nerve . various methods of wrapping the contacts around the nerve can be used , although the sma cuff electrode is preferred . the electronic stimulator implant 10 is activated by an external controller 26 . the external controller 26 contains a power generator 28 . a transmitting coil 30 is mounted to the power generator 28 . a batter 32 is connected to the power generator 28 , for providing power thereto . a switch 34 is connected to the power generator 28 , to allow the patient to manually activate the power generator 28 . upon activation of the switch 34 , the power generator 28 provides power to the voiding signal generator 14 using electromagnetic coupling between the transmitting coil 30 and the receiving coil 16 of the implant 10 . the transmitting coil 30 establishes an electromagnetic ac coupling with the receiving coil 16 of the implant 10 when in proximity thereof , for supplying power thereto and for transmitting a control signal to the implant 10 . however other coupling techniques may be used in addition to radio - frequency magnetic inductance coupling , such as an optical receiver and infrared . a versatile version of the controller includes a keyboard , display , and allows all stimuli parameters to be programmed . the external controller used for programming stimuli parameters is thus preferably a more sophisticated controller than unit 26 , the latter being used by the patient . a processing unit 36 is contained in the external controller 26 and connected to the power generator 28 . the control signal from the power generator 28 sets the needed parameters , such as frequency and / or amplitude of the voiding signal , and determines a continuous or intermittent mode for the tonicity signal . the control signal generated by the processing unit 36 of the external controller 26 is received by the voiding signal generator 14 ( via circuit 19 ). fig4 illustrates the waveforms generated by the tonicity signal generator 12 ( below ) compared to the waveform generated by the voiding signal generator 14 ( above ). in the waveform generated by the voiding signal generator 14 , lfa corresponds to the low frequency amplitude . lfw to the low frequency pulse width , lfp to the low frequency period , hfa to the high frequency amplitude , hfw to the high frequency pulse width and hfp to the high frequency period . the high frequency signal amplitude may vary from 0 to 3 ma and the pulse width of the high frequency signal from 10 to 900 μsec . the amplitude of the tonicity signal is about 25 % to 50 % of the amplitude of the voiding signal . the lower power level required makes it practical to use a self - contained power source such as battery 13 for powering the first signal generator 12 . through a surgical procedure , the implant 10 is inserted in a subcutaneous pouch in proximity of the surface of the skin of a patient , while an electrode is superficially inserted in the subcutaneous space . the second end of the electrode 20 thereof is connected to the sacral root via the cuff 22 . the implant 10 generates continually or intermittently the tonicity signal , to maintain a basic stimulation of the external urethral sphincter and the pelvic floor muscle . the tonicty signal requires a minimum of energy from the battery 13 in the implant 10 . to activate bladder voiding , the patient holds the external controller 26 and puts it close to the skin area of the body covering the implant 10 . the patient then activates the manual switch 34 of the external controller 26 . a control signal is generated by the processing unit 36 of the external controller 26 , which is transmitted by radiofrequency electromagnetic coupling from the transmitting coil 30 to the receiving coil 16 in the implant 10 . upon receiving the control signal , the voiding signal generator generates a combined fes waveform as described above , which is transmitted through the electrode 22 to the sacral nerve . the high - frequency waveform of the voiding signal inhibits the somatic fibers innervating of the external urethral sphincter of the bladder while leaving the detrusor muscle thereof free to be stimulated by the low - frequency waveform , thereby voiding the bladder . the voiding signal generator 14 can be provided by an fpga . the generator can be provided by a low - power consumption microcontroller , such as the microchip ™ pic based on a surface mount component , and both generator circuits can be provided by an optimized dedicated full custom integrated circuit ( ic ) device . preferably , a single application specific integrated circuit ( asic ) is used for providing the two signal generator functions with minimal power consumption . while the invention has been described with particular reference to the illustrated embodiment , it will be understood that numerous modifications thereto will appear to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the above description and accompanying drawings should be taken as illustrative of the invention and not in a limiting sense . | 0Human Necessities
|
hereinafter , embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings as needed . as shown in fig1 , an actuator 10 of an embodiment is a part of a locking mechanism 5 installed in a charging port 2 a of a vehicle 1 such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle . the locking mechanism 5 prevents a charging connector 4 from coming off a power receiving connector 3 while a storage battery ( not illustrated ) installed in the vehicle 1 is being charged . it should be noted that the directional references “ up ,” “ down ,” “ forward ,” “ backward ,” “ right ” and “ left ” in relation to the actuator 10 in the following descriptions are given just for the sake of convenience in order to describe the structure of the actuator 10 , and are not intended to limit the orientation and the like of the actuator 10 . fig1 shows how the actuator 10 of the embodiment is installed in the vehicle . as shown in fig1 , the actuator 10 of the embodiment is attached to the vehicle in a way that the rear of the actuator 10 is inclined downward at approximately 30 degrees to a horizontal plane . the charging port 2 a in the vehicle body 2 is a space in which a tip end portion of a power receiving connector 3 is housed . the power receiving connector 3 is inserted through an opening in a wall portion 2 b of the charging port 2 a , and the tip end portion of the power receiving connector 3 projects into the charging port 2 a . the power receiving connector 3 is electrically connected to the storage battery ( not illustrated ) via a cable ( not illustrated ). it should be noted that the axis of the power receiving connector 3 is inclined at approximately 30 degrees to the horizontal plane in a way that the power receiving connector 3 becomes lower toward the inside of vehicle from a tip end of the power receiving connector 3 . a charging cable 4 a is provided to a charging apparatus ( not illustrated ) such a charging station . a tip end portion of the charging cable 4 a is provided with the charging connector 4 . the coupling of the charging connector 4 to the power receiving connector 3 enables the storage battery ( not illustrated ) to be supplied with electric power from the charging apparatus via the charging cable 4 a . the locking mechanism 5 is formed from : a hook 4 b provided to a tip end portion of the charging connector 4 ; an engagement protrusion 3 b formed on the tip end portion of the power receiving connector 3 ; and the actuator 10 provided above the power receiving connector 3 . the hook 4 b is inclinable in the vertical direction . as the charging connector 4 is put deeper into the power receiving connector 3 , the hook 4 b having been in contact with the engagement protrusion 3 b moves inclined upward . thereafter , once the hook 4 b climbs over the engagement protrusion 3 b , the hook 4 b moves inclined downward , and eventually gets into engagement with the engagement protrusion 3 b . once the hook 4 b hooks around the engagement protrusion 3 b in this manner , a condition is established in which the charging connector 4 cannot be unplugged from the power receiving connector 3 . the actuator 10 restricts the inclining movement of the hook 4 b while the hook 4 b is in a state of being in engagement with the engagement protrusion 3 b . the actuator 10 includes : a housing 20 in which a drive mechanism 100 ( see fig3 ) is housed ; and a locking pin 50 projecting from a front surface of the housing 20 . the housing 20 is disposed on the vehicle inner side of the wall portion 2 b of the charging port 2 a . the locking pin 50 is extendable from and retractable into the housing 20 in the forward - backward direction , and projects into the charging port 2 a through an insertion hole formed in the wall portion 2 b . as shown in fig2 , the housing 20 is a resin - made box body . the locking pin 50 projects from a hole portion 36 c formed in a front surface 34 a . as shown in fig3 , the housing 20 includes : a housing lower 30 whose inner space forms a housing space 31 ; and a housing upper 40 configured to close an opening 32 of the housing lower 30 . the assembling of the housing lower 30 and the housing upper 40 makes the housing space 31 inside the housing 20 . the housing lower 30 is a box - shaped member including the opening 32 which is formed in the upper surface of the housing lower 30 . the housing lower 30 includes : a bottom portion 33 shaped like a flat plate ; and a peripheral wall portion 34 uprightly provided on an outer peripheral edge portion of the bottom portion 33 . the peripheral wall portion 34 is a frame surrounding the housing space 31 , and is shaped almost like a square in a plan view . the bottom portion 33 is shaped almost like a square in the plan view ( see fig4 ). a male connector 35 projects downward from a right rear portion of the bottom portion 33 . a female connector ( not illustrated ) configured to supply the electric power to the drive mechanism is coupled to the male connector 35 . the female connector is electrically connected to a controller ( not illustrated ) installed in the vehicle 1 ( see fig1 ). an attachment portion 36 a configured to be attached to the inner surface of the wall portion 2 b of the charging port 2 a ( see fig1 ) is projectingly provided to the front surface 34 a of the peripheral wall portion 34 of the housing lower 30 . the hole portion 36 c through which to insert the locking pin 50 penetrates through a middle portion of the attachment portion 36 a in the right - left direction . a couple of left and right housing supporting portions 36 b configured to be attached to the power receiving connector 3 ( see fig1 ) is formed in the lower surface of the housing lower 30 . an opening edge portion 37 of the housing lower 30 ( an upper end edge portion of the peripheral wall portion 34 ) projects outward from an outer surface of the peripheral wall portion 34 in a way that the opening edge portion 37 is shaped like a flange . a seal groove 37 a into which to fit an endless seal member ( not illustrated ) is formed along the full circumference of the upper surface of the opening edge portion 37 ( see fig4 ). the housing upper 40 is a flat plate - shaped lid member configured to close the opening 32 of the housing lower 30 . an outer periphery of the housing upper 40 is formed in the same shape as is that of the opening edge portion 37 of the housing lower 30 . an outer peripheral edge portion of the housing upper 40 is brought into engagement with the opening edge portion 37 of the housing lower 30 , and is bonded to the opening edge portion 37 with an adhesive such as a hot - melt adhesive . in addition , the seal member ( not illustrated ) provided to the opening edge portion 37 of the housing lower 30 fluid - tightly seals the gap between the housing lower 30 and the housing upper 40 . the locking pin 50 is a shaft member whose cross section is shaped like a circle . the axial direction of the locking pin 50 is oriented in the forward - backward direction . the front end portion of the locking pin 50 is shaped like a hemispherical surface . as shown in fig4 , a rear portion of the locking pin 50 is housed in the housing space 31 of the housing lower 30 , while a front portion of the locking pin 50 projects to the outside of the housing lower 30 through the hole portion 36 c formed in the front surface 34 a of the peripheral wall portion 34 . as shown in fig3 , the drive mechanism 100 configured to extend and retract the locking pin 50 in the forward - backward direction is housed in the housing space 31 of the housing lower 30 . the drive mechanism 100 includes : a holder 60 configured to hold the locking pin 50 ; a cam member 70 including a cam gear 72 projectingly provided with a cam 73 ; an electric motor 80 ; and a drive transmission member 90 provided between an output shaft 81 of the electric motor 80 and the cam gear 72 . the drive mechanism 100 further includes : switches 210 configured to detect the position of the locking pin 50 ; and a board 200 to which the electric motor 80 and the switches 210 are electrically connected . the cam member 70 is a member configured to move the holder in the forward - backward direction . the cam member 70 includes : a rotary shaft 71 whose axial direction is oriented in the vertical direction ; the cam gear 72 which is a spur gear , and which is coaxial with the rotary shaft 71 ; and the cam 73 projectingly provided to a lower surface of the cam gear 72 . the cam 73 is eccentric from a center of turn of the cam gear 72 . as shown in fig4 , the cam member 70 is disposed in a central portion of the housing space 31 . a lower portion of the rotary shaft 71 is inserted through a cam housing frame 62 , which will be described later . a lower end portion of the rotary shaft 71 is rotatably supported by a bottom surface 33 a of the housing lower 30 . an upper end portion of the rotary shaft 71 projects to the outside of the housing upper 40 ( see fig3 ) through a through - hole in the housing upper 40 . a teeth surface is formed on almost a left haft of an outer peripheral surface of the cam gear 72 in fig4 . in addition , a rod 74 projecting outward in the radial direction is formed on the cam gear 72 ( see fig3 ). the rod 74 is a part configured to push in a detector of the switch 210 ( see fig3 ) for detecting the extension , which will be described later . the cam 73 is a part configured to push out the holder 60 , which will be described later , in the forward - backward direction ( see fig5 ), and is projectingly provided to the lower surface of the cam gear 72 ( see fig3 ). an outer periphery of the cam 73 is shaped almost like a triangle in the plan view . as shown in fig6 , a vicinity of one of the three corner portions of the cam 73 is disposed on the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 . in other words , the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 is disposed eccentrically from a central position 73 a of the cam 73 toward the vicinity of the one corner portion of the cam 73 . thus , the central position 73 a of the cam 73 is eccentric from the center of turn 72 a to the right . in the cam member 70 , an angle of turn of the cam gear 72 is set in a way that the cam 73 reciprocatingly turns around the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 within a range less than one rotation . incidentally , in the embodiment , the cam 73 reciprocatingly turns around the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 within a range of approximately a third of one rotation ( approximately 128 degrees ). regardless of where the cam gear 72 is located during its turn , the central position 73 a of the cam 73 is always disposed in an area to the right of the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 ( an area to the right of the axis of the locking pin 50 ). for this reason , a movement area s 2 of the cam 73 is shaped almost like a semicircle in a way that an amount of rightward protrusion of the movement area s 2 of the cam 73 from the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 is larger than an amount of leftward protrusion of the movement area s 2 of the cam 73 from the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 . as shown in fig4 , the electric motor 80 includes a motor housing 82 which is disposed in a left front portion of the housing space 31 . in addition , the output shaft 81 projects backward from the motor housing 82 . a screw gear 81 a shaped like a cylinder is fitted on to the output shaft 81 . the drive transmission member 90 transmits drive force of the electric motor 80 to the cam gear 72 . as shown in fig3 , the drive transmission member 90 includes : a rotary shaft 91 whose axial direction is oriented in the vertical direction ; a lower gear 92 which is a helical gear , and which is coaxial with the rotary shaft 91 ; and an upper gear 93 which is a spur gear , and which is coaxial with the rotary shaft 91 . the upper gear 93 is smaller in diameter than the lower gear 92 . the lower gear 92 is referred to as a “ first gear ” in the claims , while the upper gear 93 is referred to as a “ second gear ” in the claims . in the housing space 31 , as shown in fig4 , the drive transmission member 90 is disposed backward of the motor housing 82 , and between the screw gear 81 a and the holder 60 . a lower end portion of the rotary shaft 91 is rotatably supported by the bottom surface 33 a of the housing lower 30 . an upper end portion of the rotary shaft 91 is rotatably supported by the housing upper 40 ( see fig3 ). a teeth surface of the lower gear 92 is connected to a teeth surface of the screw gear 81 a of the electric motor 80 from above . a teeth surface of the upper gear 93 is connected to the teeth surface of the cam gear 72 . a right front portion of the lower gear 92 enters a space s 1 under the lower surface of the cam gear 72 . as shown in fig6 , the space s 1 under the lower surface of the cam gear 72 includes : an area s 3 which a part of the lower gear 92 enters ; and the movement area s 2 of the cam 73 . since the amount of leftward projection of the movement area s 2 of the cam 73 from the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 ( from the axis of the locking pin 50 ) is smaller , the lower gear 92 can be placed closer to the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 . incidentally , an imaginary movement area s 2 ′, in which the cam 73 would move if the cam 73 would make one rotation around the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 , would interfere with the lower gear 92 . in the embodiment , an outer peripheral edge portion of an imaginary movement area s 2 ′ comes into contact with an outer peripheral edge portion of the lower gear 92 . as shown in fig4 and 5 , once the screw gear 81 a of the electric motor 80 is rotated , its drive force is transmitted to the lower gear 92 , and the drive transmission member 90 thus rotates about its axis . thereby , the drive force is transmitted from the upper gear 93 to the cam gear 72 , and the cam gear 72 thus turns about its axis . hence , the cam 73 turns about the axis of the rotary shaft 71 . as shown in fig4 , the holder 60 is disposed in the intermediate portion of the housing space 31 in the right - left direction . front , rear , left and right side surfaces , as well as upper and lower surfaces are formed on the holder 60 . a vertically - opened opening 60 a and the cam housing frame 62 are formed in a rear portion of the holder 60 . in addition , a recessed portion 63 is formed in a left rear portion of the holder 60 . a rod 64 projecting rightward is formed on a front portion of the right side surface of the holder 60 . the rod 64 is a part configured to push in a detector of the switch 210 ( see fig3 ) for detecting the retraction , which will be described later . a pair of left and right guide rails 33 b extended in the forward - backward direction are provided to the bottom surface 33 a of the housing lower 30 . the holder 60 is mounted on the two guide rails 33 b , and is movable along the two guide rails in the forward - backward direction . as shown in fig4 , an elastic member 51 is provided between a front end surface of the holder 60 and an inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 34 . the elastic member 51 is a coil spring , and the locking pin 50 is inserted through the elastic member 51 . it should be noted that : the elastic member 51 is not limited to the coil spring ; and various elastic members such as rubber and a disk spring may be used as the elastic member 51 . the cam housing frame 62 is an endless frame forming a peripheral wall of the opening 60 a formed in the rear portion of the holder 60 . the lower portion of the rotary shaft 71 of the cam member 70 is inserted through the cam housing frame 62 , and the cam 73 projectingly provided to the lower surface of the cam gear 72 is inserted into the cam housing frame 62 from above . front and rear inner surfaces of the cam housing frame 62 form cam receiving surfaces in which a cam surface of the cam 73 comes into contact . fig7 shows rotated state of the cam 73 which turns inside the cam housing frame 62 in each quarter of the overall angle of turn of the cam 73 . as shown in fig7 , all the rotated state of the turning cam 73 falls inside the cam housing frame 62 . in the embodiment , since as shown in fig6 , the amount of rightward protrusion of the movement area s 2 of the cam 73 from the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 is larger , the cam housing frame 62 is disposed eccentrically from the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 ( the axis of the locking pin 50 ) to the right . as shown in fig4 , the recessed portion 63 set back toward the inside of the cam housing frame 62 ( the opening 60 a ) is formed in the left rear portion of the holder 60 . as shown in fig7 , the recessed portion 63 is formed in an area outside an area where the cam 73 turns in the cam housing frame 62 . furthermore , as shown in fig6 , the recessed portion 63 is disposed in the space s 1 under the lower surface of the cam gear 72 , and between the lower gear 92 and the cam 73 . reference sign l 1 in fig6 denotes an imaginary outline of the left half which would be made symmetrical with the right half of the cam housing frame 62 with respect to the axis of the locking pin 50 when the holder 60 is moved furthest backward . if in this manner , the left and right halves of the cam housing frame 62 would have axial symmetry with respect to the axis of the locking pin 50 , the cam housing frame 62 would interfere with the lower gear 92 . in contrast , in the embodiment , the recessed portion 63 is formed in the left rear portion of the holder 60 . thereby , the holder 60 is designed such that the rear portion of the holder 60 does not come into touch with the lower gear 92 . furthermore , the recessed portion 63 is designed such that when the holder 60 is moved furthest backward , the right front portion of the lower gear 92 enters the recessed portion 63 . to this end , the width of the recessed portion 63 in the right - left direction becomes larger toward the rear end in a way that the recessed portion 63 evades the lower gear 92 . thereby , an inclination portion 62 a which inclines further rightward toward the rear end is formed in the left half of the cam housing frame 62 . as shown in fig3 , a holding hole 61 is opened in a central portion of the front end surface of the holder 60 . the locking pin 50 can be held by the holder 60 by : inserting the rear portion of the locking pin 50 through the holding hole 61 ; and bringing a claw portion ( not illustrated ) in the holder 60 into engagement with an engagement groove 50 a formed in the rear portion of the locking pin 50 . in the embodiment , the attachment of the locking pin 50 to the holder 60 can be achieved by : housing only the holder 60 in the housing lower 30 ; and thereafter inserting the locking pin 50 through the hole portion 36 c from outside the peripheral wall portion 34 . since in this manner , only the holder 60 is housed in the housing lower 30 when the locking pin 50 and the holder 60 are attached to the housing lower 30 , the size of the housing lower 30 can be made smaller . as shown in fig3 , the board 200 is formed wider in the right - left direction , and is disposed in a front portion of the opening 32 of the housing lower 30 . the board 200 is configured to control the drive of the electric motor 80 . the switches 210 , the electric motor 80 and the male connector 35 are electrically connected to the board 200 . in the actuator 10 , as shown in fig4 , once the screw gear 81 a of the electric motor 80 is rotated , its drive force is transmitted to the cam gear 72 via the drive transmission member 90 . as shown in fig5 , once the cam gear 72 is rotated in the right direction ( in the clockwise direction ), the cam 73 rotationally moves forward while in a state of being in contact with a front - side inner peripheral surface of the cam housing frame 62 . thus , the cam 73 pushes out the inner peripheral surface of the cam housing frame 62 forward . thereby , the holder 60 moves forward , and the locking pin 50 extends forward . accordingly , an amount of protrusion of the locking pin 50 from the housing 20 increases . during this time , the elastic member 51 contracts between the holder 60 and the peripheral wall portion 34 . once the rod 74 of the cam gear 72 pushes in the detector of the switch 210 ( see fig3 ) for detecting the extension while the holder 60 is moving forward , the switch 210 ( see fig3 ) for detecting the extension outputs a detection signal to the controller ( not illustrated ), and the rotation of the output shaft 81 thereby stops . it should be noted that when the holder 60 is moving forward , elastic force of the elastic member 51 acts on the holder 60 , and the front - side inner peripheral surface of the cam housing frame 62 is held in a state of being in touch with the cam 73 . thereby , the holder 60 and the locking pin 50 become stable . for this reason , the locking pin 50 can be made to stay at a predetermined extension position accurately . once as shown in fig4 , the cam gear 72 is rotated in the left direction ( in the counterclockwise direction ) starting from the state where the locking pin 50 extends , the cam 73 rotationally moves backward , and thus pushes out the inner surface of the cam housing frame 62 backward . thereby , the locking pin 50 retracts backward . accordingly , the amount of protrusion of the locking pin 50 from the housing 20 can be decreased . once the rod 64 of the holder 60 pushes in the detector of the switch 210 ( see fig3 ) for detecting the retraction while the holder 60 is moving backward , the switch 210 for detecting the retraction outputs a detection signal to the controller , and the rotation of the output shaft 81 thereby stops . in the embodiment , while the cam 73 is turning backward , the elastic force of the elastic member 51 acts on the holder 60 . thereby , in response to the turn of the cam 73 , the holder 60 moves backward while the front - side inner peripheral surface of the cam housing frame 62 is in the state of being in contact with the cam 73 . since in this manner , the front - side inner peripheral surface of the cam housing frame 62 is held in the state of being in touch with the cam 73 while the locking pin 50 is retracting , the holder 60 and the locking pin 50 become stable . for this reason , the locking pin 50 can be made to stay at a predetermined retraction position accurately . once the controller ( not illustrated ) detects that as shown in fig1 , the charging connector 4 is coupled to the power receiving connector 3 , the locking pin 50 extends from the housing 20 , and the front portion of the locking pin 50 is deployed above the hook 4 b of the charging connector 4 . thereby , the locking pin 50 restricts the inclining movement of the hook 4 b , and the hook 4 b is fixed in the state of being in engagement with the engagement protrusion 3 b of the power receiving connector 3 . for this reason , it is possible to prevent the charging connector 4 from coming off the power receiving connector 3 . thereafter , once the extension of the locking pin 50 stops , the charging apparatus ( not illustrated ) starts to charge the storage battery ( not illustrated ). in addition , once an unlock signal is inputted into the controller ( not illustrated ) after the charging , the locking pin 50 retracts into the housing 20 , and the front portion of the locking pin 50 withdraws from above the hook 4 b of the charging connector 4 . this makes the hook 4 b become able to make inclining movement . thereby , the hook 4 b can be detached from the engagement protrusion 3 b of the power receiving connector 3 , and the charging connector 4 accordingly can be unplugged from the power receiving connector 3 . furthermore , as shown in fig3 , an unlock lever 42 attached to the upper end portion of the rotary shaft 71 of the cam member 70 is provided to an upper surface of the housing upper 40 ( see fig2 ). the turning of the unlock lever 42 makes it possible to forcibly turn the cam member 70 by hand , and thereby to makes the locking pin 50 retract . in the above - described actuator 10 , since as shown in fig6 , the cam 73 does not make one rotation around the center of turn of the cam gear 72 , the movement area s 2 of the cam 73 which is formed in the space s 1 under the lower surface of the cam gear 72 becomes smaller . in addition , the part of the lower gear 92 is disposed in the area into which the cam 73 does not move , which is in the imaginary movement area s 2 ′ in which the cam 73 would move if the cam 73 would make one rotation around the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 . thereby , in the space s 1 under the lower surface of the cam gear 72 , the lower gear 92 can be placed closer to the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 . accordingly , in the actuator 10 of the embodiment , the space where the cam member 70 and the drive transmission member 90 are placed can be made smaller as shown in fig4 . for this reason , the size of the housing 20 ( see fig2 ) can be reduced . moreover , since the lower gear 92 is placed closer to the center of turn of the cam gear 72 , the upper gear 93 is also placed closer to the center of turn of the cam gear 72 . for this reason , an outer diameter of the cam gear 72 can be made smaller . accordingly , in the actuator 10 of the embodiment , since the size of the housing 20 ( see fig2 ) can be reduced , and since the outer diameter of the cam gear 72 can be made smaller , material costs can be cut back . besides , the recessed portion 63 is formed in the cam housing frame 62 in the holder 60 of the actuator 10 . in addition , the lower gear 92 is placed closer to the recessed portion 63 . for these reason , the lower gear 92 can be placed closer to the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 ( see fig6 ) without allowing the lower gear 92 to interfere with the cam housing frame 62 . furthermore , since the cam housing frame 62 can be formed in the endless shape , the strength of the cam housing frame 62 can be secured sufficiently . although the foregoing descriptions have been provided for the embodiment of the present invention , the present invention is not limited to the embodiment , and modifications may be made to the present invention as needed , within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention . although in the embodiment , as shown in fig4 , the cam housing frame 62 of the holder 60 is formed in the endless shape , the cam housing frame 62 does not have to be formed in the endless shape as long as at least front and rear inner surfaces with which the cam 73 comes into contact are formed . for example , if the cam housing frame 62 is opened by cutting away a portion of the cam housing frame 62 between a part corresponding to the lower gear 92 and a part corresponding to the cam 73 ( the portion of the cam housing frame 62 where the recessed portion 63 is formed ), the lower gear 92 can be placed much closer to the center of turn 72 a of the cam gear 72 . moreover , although in the embodiment , as shown in fig1 , the actuator of the present invention is applied to the locking mechanism 5 configured to prevent the charging connector 4 from coming off the power receiving connector 3 , the actuator of the present invention is applicable to various actuators . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
the below definitions serve to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the specification and claims , including the scope to be given such terms . by the term “ non - denaturing anionic detergent ” is intended for the purposes of the present invention , any detergent that does not denature protein , has a net negative charge and includes , for example , one or more detergents selected from the group consisting of n - lauroyl sarcosinate , deoxychloic acid , taurocholic , glycocholic and cholic acids . by the term “ decontaminating agent ” is intended for the purposes of the present invention , one or more agents which remove or inactivate / destroy any infectious material potentially present in a biological tissue sample , for example , such agents include but are not limited to one or more of the following : an antibacterial agent ; an antiviral agent ; an antimycotic agent ; an alcohol , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , and / or t - butyl ; trisodium phosphate ; a preservative such as chlorine dioxide , isopropanol , methylparabin ® ( croda , inc . ), inactine ™; antimicrobials ; antifungal agents ; sodium hydroxide ; hydrogen peroxide ; a detergent ; and ultrapure water , where the decontaminating agent or agents do not chemically alter the matrix components of the soft tissue grafts . by the term “ essentially free from ” is intended for the purposes of the present invention , a soft tissue graft where the material ( for example , cellular elements and infectious materials ) removed from the soft tissue graft is not detectable using detection means known in the art at the time of filing of this application . by the term “ normal tissue ” is intended for the purposes of the present invention , a particular soft tissue , for example a vein , artery , heart valve , ligament , tendon , fascia , dura mater , pericardium or skin , present in a living animal , including for example a human , a pig ( porcine ), a sheep ( ovine ), and / or a cow ( bovine ). tensile properties , as well as other mechanical properties , of a particular devitalized soft tissue graft approximate , that is , are not statistically significantly different from , the tensile properties of that tissue in a living animal that are essential to the function of that tissue . by the term “ devitalized tissue graft ” it is intended for the purposes of the present invention , soft tissue including , but not limited to , veins , arteries , heart valves , ligaments , tendons , intervertebral disc , menisci , fascia , dura matter , pericardium , and skin , from any mammalian source , including but not limited to , a human source , porcine source , ovine , and a bovine source , where the devitalized graft produced is allogenic or xenogenic to the mammalian recipient , and where the devitalized tissue is essentially free from reproductively and / or metabolically viable cells , for example , a graft devoid of reproductively viable cells could contain metabolically viable cells that are incapable of increasing the numbers of metabolically viable cells through the normal process of meiosis or mitosis ; a graft devoid of metabolically viable cells would , for example , be a graft devoid of cells capable of engaging in those metabolic activities essential to the normal function of those cells , i . e . the cells would be metabolically dead , a metabolically dead cell might still be visible in histology sections appearing similar to a metabolically live cell when viewed with the use of a microscope ; cellular remnants , including nucleic acids , small molecular weight proteins , lipids , and polysaccharides , while the devitalized tissue retains reproductively non - viable cells and / or metabolically non - viable cells and / or large molecular weight cytoplasmic proteins , such proteins including for example , actin to act as a chemoattractant . by the term “ non - viable cells ” is intended for the purposes of the present invention , cells that are metabolically and / or reproductively non - viable . a metabolically non - viable cell is a cell incapable of engaging in those metabolic activities essential to the normal function of that particular cell , i . e . the cells would be metabolically dead ; a metabolically dead cell might still be visible in histology sections . a reproductively non - viable cell is a cell that is incapable of increasing its numbers . by the term “ cellular elements ” is intended for the purposes of the present invention , those components including but not limited to nucleic acids , small molecular weight proteins , lipids , polysaccharides , and large molecular weight cytoplasmic proteins . by the term “ large molecular weight cytoplasmic proteins ” is intended for the purposes of the present invention , cellular elements that are proteins having a high molecular weight that are present in the cytoplasm of cells , such proteins preferably including those having a molecular weight of from about 50 kd to about 2 million kd , and include for example actin , desmin and vimentin . by the term “ usp grade sterile water ” is intended for the purposes of the present invention , water that conforms to standards set forth in the u . s . pharmacopia for sterility and chemical composition . using solutions of high ionic concentration may result in the precipitation of solubilized cell remnants that may impart a tendency to the graft to be immunogenetic and or act as a nidus of calcification . by the term “ storage solution ” is intended for the purposes of the present invention , a solution for storing the devitalized tissue graft and includes , for example , isotonic saline and / or a decontaminating solution optionally including one or more decontaminating agents . such solutions include , for example , solutions of chlorine dioxide , alcohol solutions , isotonic solutions , polyhydroxy compounds such as glycerol , containing one or more decontaminating agents , the decontaminating agents including , for example , low concentrations of chlorine dioxide , inactine ™, 70 % isopropanol , or peracetic acid . these solutions may also be low molecular weight , water replacing agents including , but not limited to , glycerol as detailed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 569 , 200 , which is incorporated by reference in its entirety . by the term “ allowash ® solution ” is intended those compositions disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 556 , 379 incorporated herein by reference . examples of suitable allowash ® compositions include a cleaning composition containing about 0 . 06 wt % polyoxyethylene - 4 - lauryl ether ; about 0 . 02 wt % poly ( ethylene glycol )- p - nonyl - phenyl - ether ; about 0 . 02 wt % octylphenol - ethylene oxide and endotoxin free deionized / distilled water . the invention provides a process for removing viable cells , cellular remnants , nucleic acids , small molecular weight proteins , lipids , and polysaccharides , while retaining metabolically non - viable and / or reproductively non - viable cells and / or retaining large molecular weight cytoplasmic proteins including for example , actin , and without resultant damage to the matrix and / or tissue structure . in one preferred aspect , the actin is left to serve as a chemoattractant and thereby attract the appropriate cell type to infiltrate the graft and repopulate it . preferably , the tissue thickness does not exceed about 8 mm , more preferably does not exceed about 6 mm , and most preferably does not exceed about 4 mm , such that the time intervals described herein are sufficient for the process solutions to penetrate the tissue . processing times may be altered to accommodate thicker tissues . a quantity of endonuclease is used for a given volume of tissue , such that the quantity is sufficient to digest the dna and rna within that specified volume of tissue . the invention recognizes that the mechanical strength of soft tissue graft biomaterials resides in the matrix structure of the graft . the matrix structure of these biomaterials includes collagens , elastins , mucopolysaccharides and proteoglycan components . in a preferred aspect of the invention , the devitalization process does not substantially compromise the mechanical strength of the graft . yet , in another preferred aspect of the invention the devitalization process does not compromise the mechanical strength of the graft . although the description of the invention is directed primarily at processing vascular graft materials , it should be appreciated that this invention is not restricted to processing of vascular graft materials and may also be directed to processing non - vascular soft tissue grafts . such tissue grafts include , but are not limited to , tissues such as tendons , fascia , ligaments , menisci , pericardium , intestine , skin , dura , and cartilage . such soft tissue may be processed by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains by simple manipulation of the inventive processing times , without undue experimentation . tissue is processed according to the invention by surgically removing normal healthy tissues , for example , veins , arteries , heart valves , tendons , ligaments , intervertebral discs , menisci , articular cartilage , etc ., from animals or humans . the removed tissue is then transported to a processing facility where the tissue is cleaned of extraneous matter and quickly submersed in the first processing ( extracting ) solution which includes hypotonic buffered solutions containing one or more endonucleases , for example benzonase ®, and one or more non - denaturing detergents including , for example , n - lauroyl sarcosinate . other suitable non - denaturing anionic detergents include deoxychloic acid , taurocholic , glycocholic and cholic acids . procurement and transport of tissue is preferably carried out sterilely and is held in a sterile container on wet ice in a solution iso - osmolar to the cellular population of the tissue being procured and transported . furthermore , antibiotics may be added to the procurement and transport solution as long as tissue and transport solution samples are acquired for initial bioburden assessment . the invention includes the use of one or more decontaminating agents including for example one or more antibiotics , anti - fungal agents or anti - mycotic agents . other such agents may be added during processing if so desired to maintain sterility of the procured tissues . according to an aspect of the invention , a process for preparing biological material for implantation into a mammalian cardiovascular system , musculoskeletal system , or soft tissue system , or for recellularization in vitro , is provided and includes removing cells , cellular remnants , nucleic acids , small molecular weight proteins , lipids , and polysaccharides , while retaining large molecular weight cytoplasmic / cytoskeletal components , and forms an extracellular matrix including collagens , elastins , proteoglycans , mucopolysaccharides , and large molecular weight cytoplasmic / cytoskeletal proteins . the process includes , isolating from a suitable donor a desired tissue sample of the biological material ; extracting the tissue with mildly alkaline hypotonic buffered solution of one or more endonucleases , for example benzonase ®, and one or more anionic non - denaturing detergents including for example . n - lauroyl sarcosinate . other suitable non - denaturing detergents include deoxychloic acid , taurocholic , glycocholic and cholic acids . thereafter , the tissue is washed with water , which is passed through a bed of hydrophobic adsorbent resin and anion exchange resin . the tissue subsequently may be exposed to a solution containing one or more decontaminating agents , such decontaminating agents including , for example , chlorine dioxide , and alcohol . the decontaminated devitalized tissue produced is then stored in a storage solution in a sealed container , the storage solution optionally containing one or more water replacement agents such as glycerol and / or decontaminating agents , such solutions including , for example , isotonic saline ; solutions of chlorine dioxide ; alcohol solutions ; isotonic solution containing one or more decontaminating agents , the decontaminating agents including , for example , low concentrations of chlorine dioxide or 70 % isopropanol or ethanol . the invention provides for the removal of cellular components without resultant damage to the matrix structure in which the cells resided , while ensuring that the repopulation enhancing large molecular weight cytoplasmic proteins , including cytoskeletal proteins including , for example , actin , are retained to serve as a chemoattractant . preferably , the soft tissue sample thickness does not exceed about 4 mm such that the time intervals described herein are sufficient for the solutions to penetrate the tissue . the concentration of endonuclease utilized is based on calculations designed at achieving a sufficient quantity of endonuclease within a given volume of tissue which is sufficient to digest the dna within that volume of tissue in a specified period of time and is not arbitrarily chosen based on volume of processing solution . the inventive process maintains the mechanical strength of the soft tissue graft biomaterials in part because the process does not detrimentally affect the integrity of the collagen matrix structure of the graft . the invention provides for the production of soft tissue grafts , which are readily repopulated by recipient cells , post implantation , or readily repopulated in vitro . the inventors surprisingly discovered producing a devitalized tissue which retains large molecular weight cytoplasmic proteins results in enhanced repopulation of the devitalized tissue graft after implantation . the inventors have further discovered that controlling the cellular remnants and removing processing reagents and solubilizable cellular remnants enables cells to repopulate the tissue and the cells repopulating the tissue to remain non - apoptotic facilitating long - term function and synthesis of new matrix . in one aspect , in vivo or in vitro recellularization of treated tissue is controlled by managing the levels of cellular remnants left in the tissues after devitalization . in this context , cellular remnants may include cells that are incapable of dividing , cells that are incapable of maintaining metabolic function , and cells that do not retain anything except the cytoplasmic skeleton . in one embodiment , the inventors have found that for devitalized tissues that retain reproductively nonviable cells , the cells undergo apoptosis and degrade over time after being implanted . such tissues may promote osteointegration and may be slower to recellularize compared to tissues devitalized to retain only cytoskeletal proteins . on the other hand , devitalized tissues that retain cytoplasmic proteins and a minor amount of cellular remnants will recellularize more quickly with minimal recalcification . thus , depending on the ultimate application of the tissue to be implanted , the devitalization process may be controlled to promote or retard recellularization and to promote or retard osteointegration . therefore , devitalized musculoskeletal tissues ( tendons for example ) may preferably be processed to retain reproductively / metabolically non - vital cells and cardiovascular tissues may be processed to retain cytoplasmic proteins where the musculoskeletal tissues will be implanted in sites where the cellular remnants will promote osteointegration and retard recellularization and cytoplasmic cytoskeletal proteins will not promote cartilage or bone formation and will promote recellularization . although the description of this invention is directed primarily at processing vascular graft materials and tendons , it should be appreciated that this invention may also be directed to processing fascia , ligaments , menisci , intervertebral discs , pericardium , skin , dura , and cartilage by simple manipulation of processing times and parameters , such manipulation may be readily determined and employed by one of ordinary skill in the art , without undue experimentation . in the inventive process , normal healthy vessels ( veins , arteries , heart valves , tendons , ligaments , fascia , pericardium , intestine , urethra , etc .) are surgically removed from animals or humans , transported to the processing facility where they are cleaned of extraneous matter and immediately submersed in an extracting solution which contains a hypotonic buffered solution containing one or more endonucleases including for example , benzonase ®, and one or more non - denaturing detergents including , for example , n - lauroyl sarcosinate . in that most such vessels and tendons are procured at sites distant from the processing facility and that such vessels and tendons may ultimately either be cryopreserved , devitalized or cryopreserved and subsequently devitalized , procurement and transport will normally be in a sterile container on wet ice in a solution iso - osmolar to the cellular population of the tissue being procured and transported . one or more decontaminating agents , including , for example , one or more antibiotics , may be optionally employed in any step of the inventive process , to maintain sterility of the procured tissues . fig1 illustrates the processing of a long vein grafts ( 1 ), the distal end of the vein is cannulated onto the ribbed attachment ( 2 ) of the inlet port ( 3 ) and a single suture ( 4 ) is used to secure the vein . an additional suture line ( 5 ) is attached to the proximal end of the vein for later use in maintaining the vein in an extended state in the processing vessel ( 6 ). the vein ( 1 ) is then removed from the extracting solution and transferred to the processing vessel ( 6 ) that has been temporarily inverted . the second suture line ( 5 ) along with the vein ( 1 ) is passed through the processing vessel ( 6 ) and secured to a point ( 7 ) on the outlet port end ( 8 ) of the processing vessel ( 6 ). prior to closing the processing vessel , a portion of the extracting solution is gently added to the processing vessel and the inlet port ( 3 ), with attached vein ( 1 ), is then secured . the processing vessel ( 6 ) is turned such that the inlet port ( 3 ) is down and the outlet port ( 8 ) is up and the vessel ( 6 ) is attached to its support racking system via clamps ( 9 ). sterile disposable tubing ( 10 ) is attached to the inlet port ( 3 ) and to pump tubing in a peristaltic pump ( 11 ). further , sterile disposable tubing ( 12 ) is attached to the inflow side ( 13 ) of the peristaltic pump ( 11 ) and to the solution reservoir ( 14 ) which will contain all remaining extracting solution . finally , sterile disposable tubing ( 15 ) is attached between the top ( outlet ) port ( 8 ) of the processing vessel ( 6 ) and the solution reservoir ( 14 ). sterile , in - line , filters ( 16 ) may optionally be added at suitable positions in the fluid flow to safeguard sterility during processing . the extracting solution is pumped into , through and out of the processing vessel ( 6 ) such that flow of fluids through the luminal part of the vein tubule passes into the processing vessel ( 6 ) to affect constant solution change in the processing vessel and out through the outlet port ( 8 ) to a solution reservoir ( 14 ). by processing the vein in an inverted state , air which may be trapped in the luminal space of the vein will be induced to exit , thereby facilitating equal access of the processing solutions to the vein tissue being processed . processing of the vein tissue with the extracting solution is preferably carried out at temperatures ranging from about 4 ° c . to about 42 ° c ., preferably from about 10 ° c . to about 37 ° c ., and most preferably from about 15 ° c . to about 25 ° c ., for time periods ranging from about 1 hour to about 36 hours ( overnight as necessary to accommodate processing scheduling of processing staff ), preferably from about 6 hours to about 30 hours , and more preferably from about 12 hours to about 24 hours . the extracting solution is preferably pumped at a flow rate of from about 2 mls / min to about 200 mls / min , more preferably from about 5 mls / min to about 100 mls / min and most preferably from about 30 mls / min to about 60 mls / min . one preferred endonuclease ( benzonase ®) is optimally active between ph 6 and 10 , and from 0 ° c . to above 42 ° c . ( merck literature describing product ) when provided with 1 - 2 mm mg + 2 . thereafter , the tissue is processed with a decontaminating water solution which passes through a bed of hydrophobic adsorbent resin and anion exchange resin optionally containing one or more decontaminating agents including , for example , chlorine dioxide . under the optional processing procedures , only sufficient solution need be circulated through the processing vessel to affect one volume change of solution in the processing vessel . under the processing procedures with the water , this solution should be circulated through the tissue at a temperature of from 0 ° c . to about 42 ° c ., preferably from about 10 ° c . to about 37 ° c ., and most preferably from about 15 ° to about 25 ° c ., for a time period of at least 3 hours , preferably from about 1 to about 36 hours , and most preferably from about 3 to about 24 hours . following processing with the final processing solution , i . e . water or decontaminating water solution , the vein is removed from the processing vessel and transferred into storage solution , for example , glycerol , 70 % isopropanol , or 0 . 001 % to 0 . 005 % chlorine dioxide in sterile ultrapure water / isotonic saline , and packaged in a volume of storage solution sufficient to cover the tissue preventing dehydration or stored between minus 80 ° c . and 4 ° c . this packaged graft may then be terminally sterilized , for example , using gamma irradiation , if so desired . artery segments may be similarly processed , taking into consideration that veins have valves and the direction of flow must mimic the physiological flow of blood through the veins and their valves . veins also generally have a smaller internal diameter than arteries , thus dictating slower flow rates with veins . fig2 illustrates processing heart valve grafts . the heart valve ( 1 ) is placed into the deformable processing device ( 6 ′) such that the valved end of the conduit is directed towards the inlet port ( 3 ) and the non - valved end of the conduit is directed towards the outlet port ( 8 ). prior to closing the processing vessel ( 6 ′), a portion of the extracting solution is gently added to the processing vessel . the processing vessel ( 6 ′) is turned such that the inlet port ( 3 ) is down and the outlet port ( 8 ) is up to effect removal of air bubbles , and the vessel ( 6 ′) is attached to its support racking system via clamps ( 9 ). sterile disposable tubing ( 10 ) is attached to the inlet port ( 3 ) and to pump tubing in a peristaltic pump ( 11 ). further , sterile disposable tubing ( 12 ) is attached to the inflow side ( 13 ) of the peristaltic pump ( 11 ) and to the solution reservoir ( 14 ) which will contain all remaining extracting solution . finally , sterile disposable tubing ( 15 ) is attached between the top ( outlet ) port ( 8 ) of the processing vessel ( 6 ′) and the solution reservoir ( 14 ). sterile , in - line , filters ( 16 ) may optionally be added at suitable positions in the fluid flow to safeguard sterility during processing . the extracting solution is pumped into , through and out of the processing vessel ( 6 ′) such that the flow of fluids through the luminal part of the heart valve ( 1 ) passes into the processing vessel ( 6 ′) to affect constant solution change in the processing vessel ( 6 ′) and out through the outlet port ( 8 ) to a solution reservoir ( 14 ). by processing the heart valve ( 1 ) in this orientation , air which may be trapped in the luminal space of the valve will be induced to exit facilitating equal access of the processing solutions to the valve tissue being processed . processing of the heart valve ( 1 ) tissue with the extracting solution is performed at , for example , a temperature of from about 4 ° c . to about 42 ° c ., preferably from about 10 ° c . to about 37 ° c ., and most preferably from about 15 ° c . to about 27 ° c ., for time periods ranging from about one hour to about 36 hours ( overnight as necessary to accommodate processing scheduling of processing staff ), preferably from about 6 hours to about 30 hours , and more preferably from about 12 hours to about 24 hours . the extracting solution is preferably pumped at a flow rate of from about 50 mls / min to about 350 rills / min , more preferably from about 100 mls / min to about 275 mls / min and most preferably from about 150 mls / min to about 250 mls / min . the extracting solution may be supplemented with antibiotics such as polymixin , vancomycin and or lincomycin at concentrations familiar to those skilled in the art . however , cefoxitin is inhibitory to the activity of benzonase ® and is therefore not used to disinfect the tissue during devitalization . one preferred endonuclease , benzonase ®, is optimally active between ph 6 and 10 , and from 0 ° c . to above 42 ° c . ( merck literature describing product ) when provided with 1 - 2 mm mg 2 . following processing with the extracting solution , the extracting solution is optionally replaced with water which is recirculated through a bed of hydrophobic resin such as xad - 16 ® from rohm and haas and an anionic exchange resin , amberlite 410 ®, from rohm and haas . thereafter , the tissue is processed with a decontaminating water solution optionally containing one or more decontaminating agents including , for example , chlorine dioxide , antibiotics or isopropanol . under the optional processing procedures , only sufficient solution ( including the hypertonic salt solution ) need be circulated through the processing vessel to affect one volume change of solution in the processing vessel . under the processing procedures with water this solution should be circulated through the tissue at a temperature of from 0 ° c . to about 42 ° c ., preferably from about 20 ° c . to about 37 ° c ., and most preferably from about 20 ° c . to about 27 ° c ., for a time period of at least three hours , preferably from about one to about twenty - four hours , and most preferably from about three to about six hours . following processing with the final processing solution , i . e . water or decontaminating water solution , sterile isotonic saline is circulated through the tissue such that the available volume of washing solution approximates a 1000 - fold dilution of previous solutions . in this final processing step , the heart valve is removed from the processing vessel and transferred into storage solution , for example , water solution of glycerol , 70 % isopropanol , or 0 . 001 % to 0 . 005 % chlorine dioxide in sterile ultrapure water / isotonic saline , and packaged in a volume of storage solution sufficient to cover the tissue to prevent dehydration . this packaged graft may then be terminally sterilized , for example , using gamma irradiation , if so desired . for all other soft tissue grafts preferably the thickness does not exceed about 8 mm , more preferable does not exceed 5 mm , and most preferably the thickness does not exceed about 2 - 3 mm . if the thickness of the tissue graft exceeds about 5 mm , incubation and processing times need to be suitably extended . such incubation and processing times may be readily selected and employed by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains without undue experimentation based on the thickness of the tissue being processed , the type of tissue being processed , and the volume of tissue being processed . prior to closing the processing vessel , a portion of the extracting solution is gently added to the processing vessel . the vessel is attached to its support racking system , for example , via clamps . sterile disposable tubing is attached to the inlet port and to pump tubing in a peristaltic pump . further , sterile disposable tubing is attached to the inflow side of the peristaltic pump and to the solution reservoir , which will contain all remaining extracting solution . finally , sterile disposable tubing is attached between the top ( outlet ) port of the processing vessel and the solution reservoir . sterile , in - line , filters may optionally be added at suitable positions in the fluid flow to safeguard sterility during processing . the extracting solution is pumped into , through and out of the processing vessel such that flow of fluids occurs in close proximity to the surfaces of the soft tissue grafts into the processing vessel to affect constant solution change in the processing vessel and out through the outlet port to a solution reservoir . processing of the soft tissue graft with the extracting solution is preferably performed at a temperature of from about 4 ° c . to about 42 ° c ., preferably from about 10 ° c . to about 37 ° c ., and most preferably from about 15 ° c . to about 27 ° c ., for a period of time preferably of from about 1 hour to about 48 hours , ( overnight as necessary to accommodate processing scheduling of processing staff ), preferably from about 8 hours to about 48 hours , and more preferably from about 12 hours to about 36 hours . the extracting solution is preferably pumped at a flow rate of from about 10 mls / min to about 500 mls / min , more preferably from about 50 mls / min to about 350 mls / min and most preferably from about 100 mls / min to about 275 mls / min . one preferred endonuclease ( benzonase ®) is optimally active between ph 6 and 10 , and from 0 ° c . to above 42 ° c . ( merck literature describing product ) when provided with 1 - 2 mm mg + 2 . following processing with the extracting solution , the rinse solution is circulated through and / or around the tissue at a temperature of from about 4 ° c . to about 42 ° c ., preferably from about 10 ° c . to about 37 ° c ., and most preferably from about 15 ° c . to about 27 ° c ., for a time period of at least 12 hours , preferably from about 8 to about 48 hours , and most preferably from about 12 hours to 36 hours . ultrapure sterile water is circulated through a bed of hydrophobic adsorbent resin and anion exchange resin and / or around the tissue and processing vessel . following the water wash , the tissue is optionally processed with a decontaminating solution and a water replacement agent . throughout processing for all tissue grafts , the tissue is processed at a flow rate sufficient to affect a volume change in the processing vessel about every 2 - 5 minutes , suitable flow rates including , for example , from about 100 mls / min to about 500 mls / min , preferably from about 150 mls / min to about 300 mls / min , even more preferably from about 200 mls / min to about 250 mls / min and most preferably about 250 mls / min . following washing with the decontaminating solution , the soft tissue graft may be removed from the processing vessel and transferred into a water replacement agent such as glycerol as a storage medium . alternatively , the storage solutions may be pumped into the processing vessel until the decontaminating solution has been adequately exchanged and the whole processing vessel sealed , sterilized , for example , using gamma - irradiation , and used as the storage container for distribution . suitable storage solutions are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention applies , and such solutions may be readily selected and employed by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention applies without undue experimentation . the storage containers with solution and soft tissue grafts may be terminally sterilized using methods known in the art including , but not limited to , gamma irradiation at doses up to 2 . 5 mrads . fig3 illustrates a system for processing heart valve grafts or similar non - vascular tissue grafts such as tendons . a heart valve or non - vascular tissue graft , such as a tendon , is placed into the devitalization chamber ( a ) using a suitable insert shown in fig4 to minimize the volume processing reagents required to devitalizalize the tissue . the lid ( b ) is screwed down tightly to engage the o - ring thereby eliminating leakage from the chamber ( a ). the hydrophobic adsorbent resin and anion exchange resin are added to the resin chamber shown in fig5 and placed in the resin housing ( c ). there is an o - ring at the top and bottom of the resin chamber to ensure a secure fit between the resin chamber and the resin housing to force the flow of water through the resin chamber . sterile disposable tubing that is medical grade is attached to ports 101 , 103 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 109 110 and 111 with 3 - way stop cocks inserted in - line ( 112 , 113 , and 114 ). the tubing is attached to the sipper devices ( 115 , 116 ) such that the return flow enters the side with the shortest spout and the outbound flow is pulled through the longest spout . the tubing is placed onto the rollers of the peristaltic pump ( 102 ) and the clamp lowered to hold the tubing in place . once the water and devitalization solution ( 118 ) ( buffer , n - lauroyl sarcosinate , polymixin b and benzonase ®) are connected , all connections are checked to ensure that they are tight . pump ( 102 ) is turned on and its calibration is checked . the solution is drawn up the long spout of sipper ( 115 ) proceeds through port ( 101 ) and tubing through the roller assembly of the pump ( 102 ) into the tissue chamber through port ( 103 ) and proceeds through the insert , which diffuses the liquid through the grafts , then out the top of the chamber and through port ( 105 ) and continues past stopcocks ( 113 and 112 ) then into the sipper ( 115 ) through the short spout and port ( 106 ). this cycle continues for approximately 24 hours at 15 ° c . at 250 mls / minute . after the 24 hours have passed , the system is reversed to empty the tissue chamber . stopcocks ( 112 , 113 and 114 ) are turned to redirect the flow to and from the water reservoir ( 117 ) and to direct the flow through the resin housing chamber ( c ). the pump flow direction is then returned to the initial direction , the chamber is filled by the water exiting sipper ( 116 ) out the long spout and into the tubing through ( 111 ), through the rollers on pump ( 102 ), through the devitalization chamber ( a ) into the tissue chamber through port ( 103 ) and proceeds through the insert , which diffuses the liquid through the gratis , then out the top of the chamber and through port ( 105 ) and continues past stopcocks ( 113 ) which directs the flow of water into the resin housing chamber ( c ) through the resin chamber ( 108 ) out port ( 109 ) through the tubing and into sipper ( 116 ) via the short spout ( 110 ) and into the water reservoir ( 117 ). this cycle continues for 24 hours at 15 ° c . at 250 mls / minute . when the tissue is to be removed , the pump is reversed to remove the water from the devitalization chamber and then the tissue is aseptically removed and placed into a storage solution containing 0 . 001 % chlorine dioxide and 80 % glycerol . throughout processing for all tissue grafts , the tissue is processed at a flow rate sufficient to affect a volume change in the processing vessel about every 2 - 5 minutes , suitable flow rates including for example of from about 100 mls / min to about 500 mls / min , preferably from about 150 mls / min to about 300 mls / min , even more preferably from about 200 mls / min to about 250 mls / min and most preferably about 250 mls / min . following washing with the decontaminating solution , the soft tissue van may be removed from the processing vessel and transferred into a water replacement agent such as glycerol as a storage medium . alternatively , the storage solutions may be pumped into the processing vessel until the decontaminating solution has been adequately exchanged and the whole processing vessel sealed , sterilized for example using gamma - irradiation , and used as the storage container for distribution . suitable storage solutions are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention applies , and such solutions may be readily selected and employed by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention applies without undue experimentation . the storage containers with solution and soft tissue grafts may be terminally sterilized using methods known in the art including , but not limited to , gamma irradiation at doses up to 2 . 5 mrads . the following examples illustrate processing of soft tissue grafts according to the invention . saphenous vein tissues ( two ) from each leg of an acceptable human donor were carefully dissected under sterile conditions to remove all visible fat deposits and the side vessels were tied off using non - resorbable suture materials such that the ties did not occur in close proximity to the long run of the vessel . sutures may restrict the devitalization process and the tissues under the sutures were removed following devitalization . for long vein grafts ( 40 - 60 cm ) ( fig1 ), the distal ends of the veins were cannulated onto the ribbed attachment of the inlet ports and single sutures used to secure each vein . additional suture lines were attached to the proximal ends of the veins . the veins were then removed from the dissecting solution ( rpmi 1640 , papaverine ) and transferred to the processing vessel which had been temporarily inverted . the second suture line along with the vein was passed through the processing vessel and secured to a point on the outlet port end of the processing vessel . prior to closing the processing vessel , a portion of the extracting solution was gently added to the processing vessel and the inlet port , with attached vein , was then secured . the processing vessel was then turned such that the inlet port was down and the outlet port was up and the vessel attached to its support racking system via clamps . sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inlet port and to pump tubing in a peristaltic pump . further , sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inflow side of the peristaltic pump and to the solution reservoir which contained all remaining extracting solution . total extracting solution volume approximated 250 ml . finally , sterile disposable tubing was attached between the top ( outlet ) port of the processing vessel and the solution reservoir . sterile , in - line , filters were added at suitable positions in the fluid flow to safeguard sterility during processing . the extracting solution was then pumped into , through and out of the processing vessel such that flow of fluids through the luminal part of the vein tubule passed into the processing vessel to affect constant solution change in the processing vessel and out through the outlet port to a solution reservoir . by processing the vein in an inverted state , air which had been “ trapped ” in the luminal space of the vein was induced to exit , which facilitated equal access of the processing solutions to the vein tissue being processed . processing of the vein tissue with the extracting solution was performed at 15 ° c . for 24 hours using a flow rate of the extracting solution of 50 mls / min . the extracting solution consisted of 50 mm . tris - hcl / tris base ( ph 8 . 0 ), 2 mm mgcl 2 , 16 mm n - lauroyl sarcosinate , and an endonuclease ( benzonase ®) ( 203 u / ml ). following processing with the extracting solution , water was passed through the veins and then through a bed of hydrophobic adsorbent resin ( xad - 2 ) and anion exchange resin ( amberlite 910 ) at 15 ° c . for 24 hours at 50 mls / min . following the rinse step a water replacement agent , glycerol was circulated through the veins in conjunction with a decontaminating agent , 0 . 001 % chlorine dioxide , for 3 hours at 15 ° c . at 50 mls / min . fluorometry using pico green ( molecular probes ) was used to determine the percent reduction in dna . the average percent reduction was 99 . 93 %+ 1 - 0 . 03 %. in addition , h & amp ; e staining and masson &# 39 ; s trichrome stain were employed to look for residual nuclei and residual cell remnants , respectively . there were no nuclear remnants seen on the h & amp ; e slides and a minimal amount of desirable cytoplasmic proteins . in addition immunohistochemistry was performed to demonstrate the absence of mhci / ii proteins and the presence of alpha smooth muscle actin . saphenous vein tissues ( two ) from each leg of an acceptable human donor were carefully dissected under sterile conditions to remove all visible fat deposits and side vessels were tied off using nonresorbable suture materials such that the ties did not occur in close proximity to the long run of the vessel . sutures may restrict the devitalization process and the tissues under the sutures were removed following devitalization . for long vein grafts ( 33 and 28 cm ) ( fig1 ), the distal ends of the veins were cannulated onto the ribbed attachment of the inlet ports and single sutures used to secure each vein . additional suture lines were attached to the proximal ends of the veins . the veins were removed from the dissecting solution ( rpmi 1640 , papaverin ) and polymixin b . then the veins were cryopreserved according to current guidelines in rmpi 1640 , 10 % fetal calf serum , and 10 % dmso and control rate frozen at 1 ° c ./ min and held in nitrogen vapor until devitalization . prior to devitalization the tissue was thawed and diluted using an alloflow ® chamber ( disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 879 , 876 and 6 , 326 , 188 , which are incorporated by reference in their entireties herein ). the veins were then transferred to the processing vessel , which had been temporarily inverted . the second suture line along with the vein was passed through the processing vessel and secured to a point on the outlet port end of the processing vessel . prior to closing the processing vessel , a portion of the extracting solution was gently added to the processing vessel and the inlet port , with attached vein , was then secured . the processing vessel was then turned such that the inlet port was down and the outlet port was up and the vessel attached to its support racking system via clamps . sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inlet port and to pump tubing in a peristaltic pump . further , sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inflow side of the peristaltic pump and to the solution reservoir , which contained all remaining first extracting solution . total processing solution volume approximated 250 ml . finally , sterile disposable tubing was attached between the top ( outlet ) port of the processing vessel and the solution reservoir . sterile , in - line , filters were added at suitable positions in the fluid flow to safeguard sterility during processing . the extracting solution was pumped into , through and out of the processing vessel such that flow of fluids through the luminal part of the vein tubule passed into the processing vessel to affect constant solution change in the processing vessel and out through the outlet port to a solution reservoir . by processing the vein in an inverted state , air which had been “ trapped ” in the luminal space of the vein was induced to exit facilitating equal access of the processing solutions to the vein tissue being processed . processing of the vein tissue with the extracting solution was performed at 15 ° c . for 8 hours using a flow rate of the extracting solution of 50 mls / min . the extracting solution consisted of 50 mm tris - hcl / tris base ( ph 8 . 3 ), 2 mm mgcl 2 , 32 mm n - lauroyl sarcosinate , and an endonuclease ( benzonase ®) ( 406 units / ml ). following processing with the extracting solution , the extracting solution was replaced with sterile water and was circulated through the tissue and a hydrophobic adsorbent resin ( xad - 16 ®) and anion exchange resin ( amberlite 410 ®) at a flow rate of 50 mls / min for 16 hours . following washing in this final processing step , the vein was removed from the processing vessel and transferred into storage solution of 80 % glycerol and 0 . 001 % chlorine dioxide in sterile ultrapure water and packaged in a volume of this solution sufficient to cover the tissue . fluorometry using hoechst 33528 ( sigma aldrich chemical company ) was used to determine the percent reduction in dna . the average percent reduction was 99 . 64 %+/− 0 . 07 %. in addition , h & amp ; e staining and masson &# 39 ; s trichrome stain were employed to look for residual nuclei and residual cell remnants , respectively . there were no nuclear remnants seen on the h & amp ; e slides and a minimal amount of desirable cytoplasmic proteins . in addition immunohistochemistry was performed to demonstrate the absence of mhci / ii proteins and the presence of alpha smooth muscle actin . internal mammary artery tissues ( two ) from an acceptable human donor were carefully dissected under sterile conditions to remove all visible fat deposits and side vessels were tied off using nonresorbable suture materials such that the ties did not occur in close proximity to the long run of the vessel . sutures may restrict the devitalization process and the tissues under the sutures were removed following devitalization . for short artery grafts ( 11 and 8 cm ) ( fig1 ), one end of each artery was cannulated onto the ribbed attachment of the inlet ports and single sutures used to secure each artery . the arteries were then removed from the dissecting solution ( rpmi 1640 and papaverine ) and one or more antibiotics and transferred to the processing vessel which had been temporarily inverted . prior to closing the processing vessel , a portion of the extracting solution was gently added to the processing vessel and the inlet port , with attached artery , was then secured . at this point , the processing vessel was turned such that the inlet port was down and the outlet port was up and the vessel attached to its support racking system via clamps . sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inlet port and to pump tubing in a peristaltic pump . further , sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inflow side of the peristaltic pump and to the solution reservoir , which contained all remaining extracting solution . total processing solution volume approximated 150 ml . finally , sterile disposable tubing was attached between the top ( outlet ) port of the processing vessel and the solution reservoir . sterile , in - line , filters were added at suitable positions in the fluid flow to safeguard sterility during processing . the extracting solution was pumped into , through and out of the processing vessel such that flow of fluids through the luminal part of the artery tubule passed into the processing vessel to affect constant solution change in the processing vessel and out through the outlet port to a solution reservoir . by processing the artery in an inverted state , air which had been “ trapped ” in the luminal space of the vein was induced to exit facilitating equal access of the processing solutions to the vein tissue being processed . processing of the artery tissue with the extracting solution was performed at 25 ° c . for 24 hours using a flow rate of the extracting solution of 100 ml / min . the extracting solution consisted of 50 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 2 mm mgcl 2 , 32 mm n - lauroyl sarcosinate , and an endonuclease ( benzonase ®) ( 325 units / ml ). following processing with extracting solution , the detergent solution was then replaced with ultrapure water that was pumped through the chamber and subsequently through a bed of hydrophobic resin ( xad - 4 ®) and anion exchange resin ( amberlite ® 910 ). the processing water solution was circulated ( flow rate of 100 mls / min ) through the tissue at room temperature ( 15 ° c . ), for a time period of 36 hours . following processing with the second processing solution , the artery was removed from the processing vessel and transferred into storage solution of 70 % ( v : v ) pharmaceutical grade isopropanol in sterile ultrapure water and packaged in a volume of this solution sufficient to cover the tissue . fluorometry using pico green ( molecular probes ) was used to determine the percent reduction in dna . the average percent reduction was 99 . 23 % 0 . 04 %. in addition , h & amp ; e staining and masson &# 39 ; s trichrome stain were employed to look for residual nuclei and residual cell remnants , respectively . there were no nuclear remnants seen on the h & amp ; e slides and a minimal amount of desirable cytoplasmic proteins . in addition immunohistochemistry was performed to demonstrate the absence of mhci / ii proteins and the presence of alpha smooth muscle actin . aortic and pulmonary tissues ( one each ) from a heart of an acceptable human donor were carefully dissected under sterile conditions to remove all visible fat deposits and cardiac muscle tissue ( leaving only a small but visible band of cardiac muscle tissue around the proximal end of the conduit ). the valves were then removed from the dissecting solution ( rpmi 1640 ) and placed in rpmi 1640 plus 10 % fetal calf serum . subsequently 10 % dmso was added drop - wise to the media , the bag was sealed and cryopreserved in a cryomed chamber . the tissue was cooled at 1 ° c ./ min until − 40 ° c . was achieved upon which time the tissue was transferred to the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen ( ln2 ). at the time of use the tissue was removed from the vapor phase ln2 , thawed and diluted using an alloflow ® chamber ( alloflow is a trademark of lifenet , virginia beach , va .) as described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 879 , 876 and 6 , 326 , 188 , which are incorporated by reference in their entireties herein . next , the valves were placed in the devitalization chamber , some detergent solution was added and the chamber sealed . the hydrophobic adsorbent resin and anion exchange resin cartridge was snapped into place . the vessel was attached to its support racking system via clamps . sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inlet port and to pump tubing in a peristaltic pump . further , sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inflow side of the peristaltic pump and to the solution reservoir , which contained all remaining extracting solution . total processing solution volume approximated 350 ml . finally , sterile disposable tubing was attached between the top ( outlet ) port of the processing vessel and the solution reservoir . sterile , in - line , filters were added at suitable positions in the fluid flow to safeguard sterility during processing . the extracting solution was pumped into , through and out of the processing vessel . processing of the valve and conduit tissue with the extracting solution was performed at 25 ° c . for 24 hours using a flow rate of the extracting solution of 250 mls / min . the extracting solution consisted of 50 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 2 mm mgcl 2 , 64 mm n - lauroyl sarcosinate , and an endonuclease ( benzonase ®) ( 375 units / ml ). following processing with the extracting solution , the extracting solution was replaced with sterile ultrapure water ( 350 mls at a pump rate of 250 mls / min ) being recirculated over a time period of 24 hours and through a bed of hydrophobic adsorbent resin ( xad - 16 ) and anion exchange resin ( amberlite 410 ®). following washing in this final processing step , the heart valves were removed from the processing vessel and transferred into storage solution of 0 . 05 % chlorine dioxide and 90 % glycerol in sterile ultrapure water and packaged in a volume of this solution sufficient to cover the tissue and stored at − 80 ° c . fluorometry using pico green ( molecular probes ) was used to determine the percent reduction in dna . the average percent reduction was 99 . 13 %+/− 0 . 06 % for the conduit , 99 . 98 %+/− 0 . 02 % for the leaflets and 99 . 1 %+/− 0 . 05 for the myocardium . in addition , h & amp ; e staining and masson &# 39 ; s trichrome stain were employed to look for residual nuclei and residual cell remnants , respectively . there were no nuclear remnants seen on the h & amp ; e slides and a minimal amount of desirable cytoplasmic proteins visualized in the conduit and leaflet . in addition , immunohistochemistry was performed to demonstrate the absence of mhci / ii proteins in the conduit , leaflet and myocardium and the presence of alpha smooth muscle actin in the conduit . the devitalized human arterial tissues as produced in example 3 , were stained with mason trichrome and histologically examined . human saphenous veins were then decellularized using the method as taught in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 776 , 853 ( the “&# 39 ; 853 patent ”), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein . specifically , the following extraction process steps , in accordance with the &# 39 ; 853 patent , were employed in this example : 1 . a variety of arteries were treated : femoral , iliac , carotid , aortic . 2 . the vessels were resected and cleaned of adhering connective tissues and debris prior to extraction . 3 . cleaned vessels were immediately placed into the first extraction solution called solution a , which consisted of : 10 mm tris . hcl and 5 mm edta at ph 8 . 0 supplemented with 50 u / ml penicillin / streptomycin combination ( stock of 10 , 000 u / ml penicillin and 10 , 000 μg / ml streptomycin gibco ) and 1 μm pmsf ( phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride — an antiproteolytic agent ). extraction was carried out with vessels enclosed in nitex envelopes in a cylinder at 5 ° c ., with stirring for 24 hours ( range of 24 hours to 48 hours ) 4 . the vessels were placed into the second extraction solution , solution b consisting of : 50 mm tris . hcl , 1 . 5m kcl , and 1 % triton x - 100 ( a non - ionic detergent ), 5 mm edta at ph 8 . 0 supplemented with 1 μm pmsf and 50 u / ml penicillin / streptomycin as in solution a . extraction was carried out with vessels in nitex envelopes in a cylinder at 5 ° c . with stirring for 24 hours ( range of 24 to 72 hours ). the volume ratios of solutions a or b to tissue were a minimum of 100 : 1 . 5 . the vessels were washed three times in 100 : 1 volumes of either purified ( milli q system 0 . 2 u ) filtered water or the same water after autoclaving and then for 30 minutes to 1 hour in hanks buffered salt solution ( gibco ) containing 10 mm hepes buffer and 50 u / ml penicillin / streptomycin at 37 ° with rocking . 6 . the vessels were treated enzymatically as follows : the vessels were transferred to solutions containing 0 . 75 mg / 15 ml dnase i ( type iii — sigma ) and rnase ( type 1a — sigma ) 1 . 25 mg / 15 ml and rocked for 4 to 6 hours at 37 ° c . 7 . the vessels were washed briefly one time in purified water for 30 minutes or transferred directly to solution c . 8 . the vessels were mounted in nitex envelopes and extracted with solution c consisting of 50 mm tris . hcl at ph 9 . 0 with 1 % sds ( sodium dodecyl sulphate ) for 24 hours ( range 24 to 96 hours ) at ambient temperature . 9 . the vessels were washed in & gt ; 100 : 1 volumes of water or saline at least three times over 24 hours ( range 24 to 96 hours ). 10 . the vessels were stored in either hanks buffered salt solution with hepes ( 10 - 25 mm ) and penicillin and streptomycin or in phosphate buffered saline with the same antibody at 4 ° c . the penicillin and streptomycin concentration was raised to 100 u / ml and 100 μg / ml respectively . the extraction procedure was initiated by hypotonic lysis of the tissue cells . antibiotics were included from the onset of the process . no cell poisons , such as azide were used in this process which was initiated by the hypotonic lysis of the tissue cells . a high salt , non - ionic detergent combination was used to extract a substantial proportion of the cytoplasmic components . the high salt solution generally included a salt concentration in the range of 1 to 2 molar of the desired salt . in accordance with this example , the preferred salt was potassium chloride at 1 to 2 molar , usually 1 . 5m . this type of salt will not precipitate in colder solutions at the higher concentrations . it is known from cultured cell work that this combination is gentle and leaves behind a cell cytoskeleton but completely permeabolizes the cell . a combined use of dnase and rnase was used under physiologic conditions to remove nuclear material , both enzymes being used together to provide an effective removal . the veins processed according to the &# 39 ; 853 patent ( the “&# 39 ; 853 arteries ”) of example 5 were also stained with mason trichrome and histologically examined . upon examination , the vein sections according to the invention ( the “ inventive arteries ”) stained minimally pink indicating the retention of large molecular weight cytoplasmic proteins in the arterial soft tissue matrix . on the other hand , the decellularized &# 39 ; 853 arteries , did not show any trace of pink staining indicating the absence of large molecular weight cytoplasmic proteins . both sets of tissue stained negatively for the presence of nuclei acids ( no black staining ) and both arteries stained positively for collagen ( green ). to confirm the identity of the pink staining proteins , the inventive arteries and the &# 39 ; 853 arteries underwent immunohistochemical staining for alpha smooth muscle actin and desmin . the inventive arteries of examples 1 - 4 stained weakly for the alpha smooth muscle actin and very weakly for the desmin relative to a cellular positive control . conversely , the &# 39 ; 853 arteries of example 5 did not stain positively for either actin or desmin confirming the massons &# 39 ; trichrome stain . pulmonary tissue procured from a sheep was processed according to the method described in example 4 . at the time of implant , the tissue was removed from the − 80 ° c . freezers and placed in an alloflow ® chamber to thaw , dilute and rehydrate the graft . the graft was surgically implanted into the right ventricular outflow tract ( rvot ) of a juvenile sheep and remained in vivo for 20 weeks . at explant the valve was examined and was unremarkable . the valve was sectioned into thirds , each third containing a leaflet , sinus of valsalva and conduit . the h & amp ; e staining demonstrated recellularization of the conduit , sinus of valsalva and one third of the leaflet . alizarin red s staining demonstrated all portions of the graft examined were free from calcification . the tunel assay demonstrated all portions of the graft were free from apoptosis . immunohistochemistry ( ihc ) for alpha smooth muscle actin demonstrated staining in the media of the conduit as expected and somewhat into the media and adventitia as also expected . ihc for factor viii , a specific marker for endothelial cells demonstrated a smooth line of endothelial cells on the basement membrane of the conduit and on approximately one third of the leaflet . in situ hybridization for type i collagen demonstrated collagen production in the conduit , indicating the recipient cells that had infiltrated the matrix and were making autologous collagen and turning over the devitalized donor matrix . the pressure gradients maintained at 18 mm hg throughout the entire implant . these data are is representative of tissue explained from all 20 sheep implanted . pulmonary tissue procured from a sheep was processed according to the method described in example 4 . at the time of implant , the tissue was removed from the − 80 ° c . freezers and placed in an alloflow ® chamber to thaw , dilute and rehydrate the graft . the graft was fashioned into 2 patches and one was surgically implanted into the right ventricular outflow tract ( rvot ) and the other into the descending thoracic aorta ( dca ) of a juvenile sheep and remained in vivo for 20 weeks . the patches were sewn into a 2 cm defect in the vessel wall . at explant the patches were examined and the dca patches were unremarkable and the rvot patches had adhesions from the lung on the periadventital surface . the patches were sectioned into thirds , and each third was further sectioned into fifths . the sections were examined for interactions at the patch and native tissue junction and patch alone . the h & amp ; e staining demonstrated recellularization of the conduit on all sections examined . alizarin red s staining demonstrated all portions of the patch graft examined were free from calcification . the tunel assay demonstrated all portions of the patch graft were free from apoptosis . immunohistochemistry ( ihc ) for alpha smooth muscle actin demonstrated staining in the media of the conduit as expected and somewhat into the media and adventitia as also expected . ihc for factor viii , a specific marker for endothelial cells demonstrated a smooth line of endothelial cells on the basement membrane of the conduit . in situ hybridization for type i collagen demonstrated collagen production in the conduit , indicating the recipient cells that had infiltrated the matrix and were making autologous collagen and turning over the devitalized donor matrix . while the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention following , in general , the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth as follows in the scope of the appended claims . any references including patents cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety . achilles , tibialis and gracilis tendons from an acceptable human donor were carefully dissected under sterile conditions to remove all bone , fascia and visible fat deposits . the tendons were then removed from the dissecting solution ( rpmi 1640 ) and placed in rpmi 1640 plus 10 % fetal calf serum . subsequently 10 % dmso was added drop - wise to the media . the bag was then sealed and cryopreserved in a cryomed chamber . the tissue was cooled at 1 ° c ./ min until − 40 ° c . was achieved upon which time the tissue was transferred to the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen ( ln2 ). at the time of use the tissue was removed from the vapor phase ln2 , thawed and diluted using an alloflow ® chamber as described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 879 , 876 and 6 , 326 , 188 , which are incorporated by reference in their entireties herein . next , the tendons were placed in the devitalization chamber , some detergent solution was added and the chamber sealed . the hydrophobic adsorbent resin and anion exchange resin cartridge was snapped into place . the vessel was attached to its support racking system via clamps . sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inlet port and to pump tubing in a peristaltic pump . further , sterile disposable tubing was attached to the inflow side of the peristaltic pump and to the solution reservoir , which contained all remaining extracting solution . total processing solution volume approximated 325 ml . finally , sterile disposable tubing was attached between the top ( outlet ) port of the processing vessel and the solution reservoir . sterile , in - line , filters were added at suitable positions in the fluid flow to safeguard sterility during processing . the extracting solution was pumped into , through and out of the processing vessel . processing of the valve and conduit tissue with the extracting solution was performed at 25 ° c . for 6 hours using a flow rate of the extracting solution of 275 mls / min . the extracting solution consisted of 50 mm tris - hcl ( ph 8 . 0 ), 2 mm mgcl 2 , 64 mm n - lauroyl sarcosinate , and an endonuclease ( benzonase ®) ( 350 units / ml ). following processing with the extracting solution , the extracting solution was replaced with sterile ultrapure water ( 325 mls at a pump rate of 275 mls / min ) being recirculated over a time period of 18 hours and through a bed of hydrophobic adsorbent resin ( xad - 16 ®) and anion exchange resin ( amberlite 4100 ). following washing in this final processing step , the tendons were removed from the processing vessel and transferred into storage solution of 0 . 05 % chlorine dioxide and 90 % glycerol in sterile ultrapure water and packaged in a volume of this solution sufficient to cover the tissue and stored at − 80 ° c . fluorometry using pico green ( molecular probes ) was used to determine the percent reduction in dna . the average percent reduction was 99 . 89 %+ 1 - 0 . 2 %. in addition , h & amp ; e staining and masson &# 39 ; s trichrome stain were employed to look for residual nuclei and residual cell remnants , respectively . there were no nuclear remnants seen on the h & amp ; e slides , small amounts of cell membranes and a minimal amount of desirable cytoplasmic proteins visualized in the tendon . gracilis tendon tissue procured from a sheep was processed according to the method described in example 8 . at the time of implant , the tissue was removed from the − 80 ° c . freezers and placed in an alloflow ® chamber to thaw , dilute and rehydrate the graft . the graft was surgically implanted as anterior cruciate ligament repair in adult female sheep and remained in viva for 20 weeks . the surgery was a femoral tunnel with cross pin fixation for 10 animals and a tibial tunnel with staple fixation for 10 animals . at explant the tendon was examined and was unremarkable with respect to inflammatory changes such as fibrosis ; however , the origin and insertion had calcified and incorporated into the patella . the tendon was sectioned into thirds , to examine the origin , insertion and middle of tendon . the h & amp ; e staining demonstrated recellularization of the tendon . the area of origin and insertion portions of the tendon also demonstrated osteoblasts , and areas of lamellae with osteocytes in the lacunae . alizarin red s staining demonstrated calcification localized to the insertion and origin pin sites within the tendons . the tunel assay demonstrated all portions of the graft were free from apoptosis . in situ hybridization for type i collagen demonstrated collagen production in the tendon indicating the recipient cells that had infiltrated the tendon were making autologous collagen and turning over the devitalized donor matrix . these data are representative of tissue explanted from all 20 sheep implanted . while the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof , it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications and this application is intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention following , in general , the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth as follows in the scope of the appended claims . any references including patents cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety . | 0Human Necessities
|
fig1 to 5 show exemplifying embodiments of the disclosed technologies . an elevator installation a is installed in a building ( g ) with several floors s 1 - s 3 . at least one car 4 moves passengers between floors s 1 - s 3 of the building g in upward and downward direction . fig1 to 3 show three floors s 1 - s 3 and a car 4 in a shaft s 4 . the car 4 is moved by at least one car drive ( not illustrated ). with knowledge of the disclosed technologies the expert can , however , also realize an elevator installation with several cars for a building with a greater or lesser number of floors . the passengers can enter and leave the car interior of the car 4 by way of at least one door 1 , 2 . according to fig1 and 2 each floor s 1 - s 3 has a floor door 2 and the car 4 has a car door 1 . the floor doors 2 and the car door 1 are opened and / or closed by at least one door drive ( not illustrated ). the disclosed technologies can be realized with couplable doors 1 , 2 and / or non - couplable doors 1 , 2 . for example , at a floor stop when the car 4 stops at a floor s 1 - s 3 a floor door 2 is coupled with the car door 1 and opened and closed together by a door drive . the door drive can be arranged at the car door 1 and / or at the floor door 2 . however , it is also possible to not couple the doors 1 , 2 with one another , so that each door 1 , 2 has an own door drive . with knowledge of the disclosed technologies the expert can obviously also realize an elevator installation a with a car with several car doors , for example with a first car door at a front side of the car and with a second car door at a rear side of the car . correspondingly , two floor doors are also then provided for each floor so that each of the car doors can be coupled with a floor door at the floor stop . at least one acceleration sensor 3 is mounted on a door 1 , 2 of the elevator installation a . the acceleration sensor 3 is , for example , a micromechanical single or multiple sensor , which is arranged on a substrate . the acceleration sensor 3 is , for example , a hall sensor or a piezoelectric sensor or a capacitive sensor . the acceleration sensor 3 measures accelerations and / or vibrations in one , two or three axes at , for example , a resolution of 10 mg , preferably 5 mg . vibrations are measured peak - to - peak . the acceleration sensor 3 measures four , preferably 32 , preferably 128 , accelerations and / or vibrations per second . the acceleration sensor 3 has at least one output , at which measured accelerations or vibrations can be tapped as acceleration signals . the acceleration sensor 3 has dimensions of 50 × 50 × 10 mm 3 , preferably 30 × 30 × 5 mm 3 , preferably 20 × 20 × 2 mm 3 , and weighs 10 grams , preferably 5 grams . with knowledge of the present technologies the expert can use other measurement principles of acceleration sensors . the acceleration sensor 3 is mounted on a car door 1 and / or a floor door 2 of the elevator installation a . in the case of couplable doors 1 , 2 , one acceleration sensor 3 is sufficient in order to detect accelerations and / or vibrations of coupled doors 1 , 2 . in the case of non - couplable doors 1 , 2 , one acceleration sensor 3 is necessary per door 1 , 2 in order to detect accelerations and / or vibrations of the doors 1 , 2 . in order to obtain a redundancy in the measuring of the acceleration signals of a door 1 , 2 , the expert can use more than one acceleration sensor 3 per door 1 , 2 . according to fig1 , one acceleration sensor 3 is mounted on the car door 1 and according to fig2 one acceleration sensor 3 is mounted on each floor door 2 . according to fig3 a first acceleration sensor 3 is mounted on the car door 1 and further acceleration sensors 3 are mounted on each floor door 2 . in all of the exemplifying embodiments the doors 1 , 2 can be coupled and / or non - coupled . the acceleration sensor 3 is mounted on at least one movable door section 10 of the door 1 , 2 . the movable door section 10 is a door panel , a door strip , etc . according to fig4 and 5 the plane of the door movement during opening and / or closing of the door 1 , 2 is illustrated by a double arrow . the acceleration sensor 3 is mounted on the door section by a reversible and / or an irreversible fastening means 30 . the fastening means 30 is , for example , a force - coupling means such as a magnet and / or a material - coupling means such as an adhesive layer and / or a shape - coupling means such as a rivet . the fastening means 30 is , for example , a force - coupling and shape - coupling means such as a screw . the acceleration sensor 3 is mounted between two door sections 10 in the interior of the door 1 , 2 to be imperceptible to a passenger of the elevator installation a . the acceleration sensor 3 communicates acceleration signals to at least one communications module 5 . for that purpose the acceleration sensor 3 is connected by way of at least one communications path 6 with the communications module 5 . the communications path 6 can be realized as a signal cable or radio connection . in fig1 to 5 a radio connection is illustrated by curved multiple lines and a signal cable is illustrated by a dashed line . known radio connections transmit signals or signal sequences as radio waves . known signal cables comprise at least one copper wire and / or at least one glass fiber . usually , the radio connection 6 between the acceleration sensor 3 and the communications module 5 is established with a sender and a receiver . in that case , the acceleration sensor 3 is at least a sender , and the communications module 5 is at least a receiver . in this way , a unidirectional transmission of information between the acceleration sensor 3 and the communications module 5 is realized . the sender is advantageously a passive sender , similar to an rfid , needing no electric source of its own . such a sender is , for example , contactlessly provided with inductive energy . in an alternative embodiment , the communications module 5 is also a sender and the acceleration sensor 3 is also a receiver . thus a bidirectional transmission of information between the acceleration sensor 3 and the communications module 5 is realized , and the acceleration sensor 3 can be queried through the communications module 5 . the communications module 5 therefore has at least one input for reception of communicated acceleration signals . the communications module 5 comprises at least one processor 5 a and at least one computer readable data memory 5 b , which are arranged in and / or at the housing of the communications module 5 as shown in fig5 . the processor 5 a and the computer readable data memory 5 b are arranged on a circuitboard 5 c and connected together by way of at least one signal line 5 d . at least one computer program means is loaded from the computer readable data memory 5 b into the processor 5 a and executed . the computer program means establishes a communication between the communications module 5 and the acceleration sensor 3 and maintains this communication . the communications module 5 is mounted in stationary position at the elevator installation a and / or the communications module 5 is mounted at the car 4 or at the movable door section 10 of the door 1 , 2 to be mobile . according to fig2 and 3 the communications module 5 is mounted in stationary position in the shaft s 4 ( fig2 ), in the floor s 1 and / or the control station z ( fig3 ). according to fig1 , 4 and 5 the communications module 5 is mounted at the car 4 ( fig1 and 4 ) and / or at the movable door section 10 of the door 1 , 2 ( fig5 ) to be mobile . when the communications module 5 is positioned on the car 4 , the communications module 5 is advantageously near the acceleration sensor 3 . accordingly , the communications module 5 is on the car structure in the area of the movable door leaf on which the acceleration sensor 3 is attached . in this way , short radio transmission distances are achieved . the communication between the acceleration sensor 3 and the communications module 5 can be unidirectional or bidirectional . in the case of a unidirectional communication the acceleration sensor 3 , automatically or in response to an electromagnetic field , communicates acceleration signals and in the case of a bidirectional communication the communications module 5 can additionally communicate , by way of at least one output , interrogations to at least one input of the acceleration sensor 3 . when multiple sensors are present , each acceleration sensor 3 is identifiable by a unique address . the communication between the acceleration sensor 3 and the communications module 5 can be carried out in accordance with a known bus protocol such as universal serial bus ( usb ), local operating network ( lon ), modbus , etc . ; it can , however , also be carried out according to a known near field communications standard such as bluetooth ( ieee 802 . 15 . 1 ), zigbee ( ieee 802 . 15 . 4 ) and wifi ( ieee 802 . 11 ). according to fig1 , 3 and 4 a signal cable is realized as communications path 6 between the acceleration sensor and the communications module 5 . the signal cable can be a usb cable which , apart from the communication of the acceleration signals , also provides an electrical power supply of the acceleration sensor 3 . according to fig4 the usb cable is realized with a length compensation between the movable door section 10 of the door 1 , 2 and the stationary communications module 5 in such a manner that compensation is provided by the length compensation for the door movement during opening and / or closing of the door 1 , 2 . according to fig2 and 5 a radio connection is realized as communications path 6 between the acceleration sensor 3 and the communications module 5 . the radio connection can be effected in accordance with bluetooth , zigbee or wifi , or it can be passive . the electrical power supply of the acceleration sensor 3 can be carried out in cable - bound manner , for example by a direct voltage 5 v or 9 v . the electrical power supply of the acceleration sensor 3 and / or of the communications module 5 can , however , also be effected by an energy store such as a battery , an accumulator , a fuel cell , etc . the energy supply is mounted at the movable door section 10 , for example between two door panels 10 . the energy store is , for example , designed for independence of the acceleration sensor 3 and / or of the communications module 5 in terms of energy of a year , preferably two or more years . the electrical power supply is renewed by exchange of the energy store . this exchange can be carried out by a maintenance engineer w . the communications module 5 can bidirectionally communicate in at least one network 8 with at least one user module 7 . for that purpose the computer program means of the communications module 5 establishes a communication between the communications module 5 and the central station z and / or the maintenance engineer w and maintains this communication . the network 8 can be realized by radio network and / or fixed network . in fig1 to 5 a radio network is illustrated by curved multiple lines and a fixed network is illustrated by a dashed line . known radio networks are global system for mobile communication ( gsm ), universal mobile telecommunications systems ( umts ), bluetooth , zigbee or wifi . known fixed networks are the cable - bound ethernet , power line communication ( plc ), etc . plc allows data transmission by way of the electrical power supply of the car 4 or by way of other existing lines of the car 4 . known network protocols for communication are tcp / ip , udp or ipx . in alternative embodiments , the radio connection 6 uses the communications module 5 as well as the user module 7 for a sender and a receiver for bidirectional communication over the radio network 8 . in case the communications module 5 is already equipped for a radio - based , bidirectional communication with the acceleration sensor 3 , the present sender and / or receiver can be used . according to fig2 , 3 and 4 a fixed network is realized between the communications module 5 and the user module 7 as network 8 . the communications module 5 is then , for example , a fixed network modern . according to fig1 , 3 and 5 a radio network is realized between the communications module 5 and the user module 7 as network 8 . the communications module 5 is then , for example , a radio network modem . according to fig3 the communications module 5 is not only a fixed network modem for communication with a central station z , but also a radio network modem for communication with a maintenance engineer w . the acceleration signals communicated by the acceleration sensor 3 to the communications module 5 are communicated by the communications module 5 in the network 8 to at least one user module 7 . the user module 7 can be located in at least one central station z and / or with at least one maintenance engineer w . the central station z is stationary and can be located remotely from the building g or in the building g . according to fig2 the central station z is located remotely from the building g as a remote maintenance station and according to fig3 the central station z is located in the building g as a building central station . the maintenance engineer w is mobile and can be located not only in the remote maintenance center , i . e . in a building central station , but also in accordance with fig1 en route from the remote maintenance center to the building g or according to fig3 in the building g . the user module 7 has at least one corresponding communications module and can bidirectionally communicate in the network 8 with the communications module 5 of the elevator installation a . the user module 7 comprises at least one processor 7 a and at least one computer readable data memory 7 b , which are arranged in and / or at the housing of the user module 7 as shown in fig5 . the processor 7 a and the computer readable data memory 7 b are arranged on a circuitboard 7 c and connected together by way of at least one signal line 7 d . at least one computer program means is loaded from the computer readable data memory 7 b into the processor 7 a and executed . the computer program means establishes a communication between the user module 7 and the communications module 5 and maintains this communication . the computer program means of the communications module 5 and / or of the user module 7 evaluates communicated acceleration signals . the evaluation of the acceleration signals supplies maintenance data such as an “ acceleration of the door ” and / or an “ acceleration of the car ”. the acceleration is detected in directionally dependent manner and differentiated into maintenance data such as an “ opening acceleration or closing acceleration of the door ” and / or an “ upward acceleration and / or downward acceleration of the car ”. a simple integration of the acceleration signals over time supplies maintenance data such as a “ speed of the door ” and / or a “ speed of the car ”. the speed is similarly detected in directionally dependent manner and differentiated into maintenance data such as an “ opening speed or closing speed of the door ” and / or an “ upward speed and / or downward speed of the car ”. a double integration of the acceleration signals over time supplies maintenance data such as a “ travel path of the door ” and / or a “ travel path of the car ”. the travel path is also detected in directionally dependent manner and differentiated into maintenance data such as an “ opening travel path or closing travel path of the door ” and / or an “ upward travel path or downward travel path of the car ”. the computer program means further determines an item of maintenance information “ time instant of the start of acceleration of the door ” and an item of maintenance information “ time instant of the end of deceleration of the door ” in the evaluation . the computer program means determines therefrom at least one item of maintenance information such as a “ number of door movements ”. the computer program means determines from the difference of the time instants as an item of maintenance information a “ time duration of the door movement ”. in addition , the computer program means determines an item of maintenance information “ time instant of the start of deceleration of the car ” and an item of maintenance information “ time instant of the end of acceleration of the car ”. the computer program means determines therefrom an item of maintenance information such as a “ number of car journeys ” and / or a “ number of floor stops of the car ”. in addition , the computer program means determines from the difference of these time instants as item of maintenance information a “ time duration of a car journey ” and / or a “ time duration of a floor stop of the car ”. items of maintenance information such as a “ number of door movements ” and / or a “ number of car journeys ” and / or a “ number of floor stops of the car ” and / or a “ time duration of a car journey ” and / or a “ time duration of a floor stop of the car ” can be summated in freely selectable time windows . this summation can be carried out in floor - specific manner . an item of maintenance information “ time plot of the door movements ” and / or “ time plot of the car journeys ”, and / or “ time plot of the floor stops of the car ” is provided as result of this summation . by a time plot of a state magnitude there is understood the behavior over time of the state magnitude . the “ time plot of the door movements ” and /“ time plot of the car journeys ” and / or the “ time plot of the floors stops of the car ” accordingly indicates the door movements , car journeys and / or floor stops , respectively , coded in terms of time . acceleration signals of a triple - axis acceleration sensor supply , as items of maintenance information and / or “ horizontal vibrations of the door ” and / or “ vertical vibrations of the door ” and / or “ horizontal vibrations of the car ” or vertical vibrations of the car ”. an alarm report and / or a serviceability report is generated by the processor in dependence on items of maintenance information . for that purpose the computer program means compares at least one item of maintenance information with at least one reference value . the reference value is loaded by way of the signal line from the computer readable data memory into the processor . in the case of a negative comparison result at least one alarm report is generated and in the case of a positive comparison result at least one serviceability report is generated . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ acceleration of the door ” with a reference value in the form of a reference acceleration of the door . a normal door acceleration is present when the “ acceleration of the door ” is less than 0 . 3 m / sec 2 . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ acceleration of the car ” with a reference value in the form of a reference acceleration of the car . a normal car acceleration is present when the “ acceleration of the car ” is less than 2 . 0 m / sec 2 . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ speed of the door ” with a reference value in the form of a reference speed of the door . a normal door speed is present when the “ speed of the door ” is less than 1 . 0 m / sec . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ speed of the car ” with a reference value in the form of a reference speed of the car . a normal car speed is present when the “ speed of the car ” is less than 10 m / sec , preferably less than 17 m / sec . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ travel path of the door ” with a reference value in the form of a reference travel path of the door . a normal door movement is present , i . e . the door is completely opened and / or closed , when the “ travel path of the door ” is at least 99 % of the reference travel path of the door . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ travel path of the car ” with a reference value in the form of a reference travel path of the car . a normal car travel is present , i . e . the car is located completely at the floor stop so that the thresholds of car door and floor door are substantially flush , when the “ travel path of the car ” is at least 99 % of the reference travel path of the car . the thresholds of car door and floor door are typically flush when the height difference between the car floor and the floor level is less than 15 mm , preferably less than 10 mm , so that a passenger does not trip when entering and / or leaving the car . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ time duration of the door movement ” with a reference value in the form of a reference time duration of the door movement . a normal door movement is present when the “ time duration of the door movement ” is between 3 . 5 and 3 . 0 sec . a slow door movement is present when the “ time duration of the door movement ” is more than 3 . 5 sec . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ time duration of the car travel ” with a reference value in the form of a reference time duration of the car travel . a normal car travel is present when the “ time duration of the car travel ” is less than 2 min . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ time duration of a floor stop of the car ” with a reference value in the form of a reference time duration of a floor stop of the car . a normal floor stop is present when the “ time duration of a floor stop of the car ” is less than 60 sec . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ number of door movements ” with a reference value in the form of a reference number of door movements . a preventative maintenance of the door is recommended whenever the “ number of door movements ” attains a resettable value of 20 , 000 . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ number of car journeys ” with a reference value in the form of a reference number of the car journeys . a preventative maintenance of the door is recommended every time the “ number of car journeys ” attains a resettable value of 10 , 000 . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ number of floor stops ” with a reference value in the form of a reference number of floor stops . a preventative maintenance of the door is recommended every time the “ number of floor stops ” attains a resettable value of 10 , 000 . the computer program means determines the degree of correspondence of the detected vibrations with reference values in the form of reference vibrations . the degree of correspondence can be measured in mg and quantified . for example , horizontal vibrations are still acceptable if they lie in the region of greater than or equal to 13 to 16 mg ; horizontal vibrations are low when they lie in the range of greater than or equal to 10 to 13 mg and horizontal vibrations are very small when they lie below 10 mg . correspondingly , vertical vibrations are still acceptable when they lie in the region of greater than or equal to 15 to 18 mg ; vertical vibrations are low when they lie in the region of greater than or equal to 10 to 15 mg and vertical vibrations are very small when they lie below 10 mg . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ time plot of the door movements ” with a reference value in the form a reference time plot of the door movements . a preventative maintenance of the door is recommended as soon as the “ time plot of door movements ” deviates from the reference time plot of the door movements . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ time plot of the car journeys ” with a reference value in the form of a reference time plot of the car journeys . a preventative maintenance of the door is recommended as soon as the “ time plot of the car journeys ” deviates from the reference time plot of the car journeys . the computer program means determines a degree of correspondence of the item of maintenance information “ time plot of the floor stops of the car ” with a reference value in the form of a reference time plot of the floor stops of the car . a preventative maintenance of the door is recommended as soon as the “ time plot of the floor stops of the car ” deviates from the reference time plot of the floor stops of the car . an alarm report is generated if an “ acceleration of the door ” and / or an “ acceleration of the car ” and / or a “ speed of the door ” and / or a “ speed of the car ” and / or a “ travel path of the door ” and / or a “ travel path of the car ” and / or a “ time duration of the door movement ” and / or a “ time duration of the car journey ” and / or a “ time duration of a floor stop of the car ” and / or a “ number of door movements ” and / or a “ number of car journeys ” and / or a “ number of floor stops of the car ” and / or “ horizontal vibrations of the door ” and / or “ vertical vibrations of the door ” and / or “ horizontal vibrations of the car ” and / or “ vertical vibrations of the car ” exceeds a reference value . an alarm report is generated if a “ time plot of the door movement ” and / or a “ time plot of the car journeys ” and / or a “ time plot of the floor stops of the car ” deviates from a reference value . a serviceability report is generated if an “ acceleration of the door ” and / or an “ acceleration of the car ” and / or a “ speed of the door ” and / or a “ speed of the car ” and / or a “ travel path of the door ” and / or a “ travel path of the car ” and / or a “ time duration of the door movement ” and / or a “ time duration of the car journey ” and / or a “ time duration of a floor stop of the car ” and / or a “ number door movements ” and / or a “ number of car journeys ” and / or a “ number of floor stops of the car ” and / or “ horizontal vibrations of the door ” and / or “ vertical vibrations of the door ” and / or “ horizontal vibrations of the car ” and / or “ vertical vibrations of the car ” falls below a reference value . the communications module 5 communicates an alarm report to the user module 7 of the central station z and / or to the user module 7 of the maintenance engineer w . the communications module 5 communicates the alarm report together with detected acceleration signals and / or with at least one item of maintenance information . the central station z investigates the detected acceleration signals and / or item of maintenance information , communicated with the alarm report and if a disturbance of the elevator installation a , which is linked with the alarm report , cannot be eliminated in another mode and manner summons at least one maintenance engineer w who undertakes appropriate maintenance of the elevator installation a in the building g . the maintenance engineer w can investigate the item of maintenance information “ time plot of the door movement ”, which was transmitted by the communications module 5 , either in the central station z or also on the way to the elevator installation a and thus determine the quality of the door movement specifically to floor without , as previously usual , he or she having to go on site to each floor s 1 - s 3 to check the correct opening and closing of the doors 1 , 2 . this saves time and cost . the central station z and / or the maintenance engineer w can derive from the item of maintenance information “ time plot of the car journeys ” a favorable point in time for a maintenance visit where , in particular , little traffic is anticipated and a possible switching - off of a car 4 of the elevator installation a causes little disturbance . an existing elevator installation of at least one door 1 , 2 and at least one car 4 can be modernized in simple manner in that at least one acceleration sensor 3 is mounted on the door 1 , 2 ; at least one communications module 5 is mounted in stationary position at the elevator installation a or at the car 4 to be mobile ; and the acceleration sensor 3 is connected with the communications module 5 by way of at least one communications path 6 . having illustrated and described the principles of the disclosed technologies , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles . in view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the disclosed technologies can be applied , it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only examples of the technologies and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention . rather , the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims and their equivalents . i therefore claim as my invention all that comes within the scope and spirit of these claims . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
please refer to fig4 a - 4c , which are 3d flowcharts of the first preferred embodiment of the invention . the process includes the following steps . at least one led chip ( not shown in the drawings ) is disposed in the reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c of the reflective substrate 9 . the reflective substrate 9 is made of metal materials such as cu , fe or a cu — fe alloy , and an injection or stamping technique is used to make the reflective substrate 9 form the reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c , the reflective surface 20 , a plurality of supporting bars 23 a , 23 b and the opening 23 . the opening 23 is encircled by an edge of the reflective surface 20 , an edge of the reflective substrate 9 and the supporting bars 23 a , 23 b . the acute angle is created at the connection portion between the reflective surface 20 and the reflective substrate 9 . accordingly , the reflective surface 20 and the reflective substrate 9 are integrated in one piece . the plurality of bars 23 a , 23 b , the reflective surface 20 and the reflective substrate 9 constitute a triangular shape . the reflective surface 20 and the opening 23 are formed at the front of the reflective substrate 9 . next , the reflective surface 20 is bent backward and close to the substrate to become a shield for covering the reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c . an injection molding or injection gel molding process is then processed to form a transparent body or gel injection shell 15 , which covers the whole reflective substrate 9 , and the led chip , and further to form a single lens in front of the opening . the wire bonding of the led chip connects to four electric bars for electric connection 19 to the outside . half of the four electric bars 27 are pointed in a direction opposite that of the other half . please refer to fig5 a - 5d , which are 3d flowcharts of the second preferred embodiment of the invention . the process includes the following steps . at least one led chip ( not shown in the drawings ) is disposed in the reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c of the reflective substrate 9 . the reflective substrate 9 is made of metal materials such as cu , fe or a cu — fe alloy , and an injection or stamping technique is used to make the reflective substrate 9 form the reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c , the reflective surface 20 and the opening 23 . the reflective surface 20 and the opening 23 are formed at the front of the reflective substrate 9 . next , the reflective surface 20 is bended backward and close to the substrate to become a shield for covering the reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c . an injection molding or injection gel molding process is then proceeded to form a transparent body or gel injection shell 15 , which covers the whole reflective substrate 9 and the led chip , and further to form a single lens in front of the opening . the wire bonding of the led chip connects to four electric bars for electric connection 19 to the outside . the four electric bars 27 are pointed in the same direction . please refer to fig6 a - 6c , which are 3d flowcharts of the third preferred embodiment of the invention . the process includes the following steps . at least one led chip ( not shown in the drawings ) is disposed in the reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c of the reflective substrate 9 . the reflective substrate 9 is made of metal materials such as cu , fe or a cu — fe alloy , and an injection or stamping technique is used to make the reflective substrate 9 form the reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c , the reflective surface 20 and the joints 25 that combine the reflective surface 20 and the substrate 9 . the reflective surface 20 and the surface of the substrate 9 together form a shield for covering the reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c . an injection molding or injection gel molding process is then performed to form a transparent body or gel injection shell 15 , which covers the entire reflective substrate 9 and the led chip , and further to form a single lens in front of the opening . the wire bonding of the led chip connects to four electric bars for electric connection 19 to the outside . the four electric bars 27 are pointed in the same direction . in addition , although four electric bars are used as an example in the above embodiments , practically , they are not a limitation of the numbers of electric bars that can be used . for example , please refer to fig7 and 8 . according to the second preferred embodiment , the led package also can have two electric bars 27 or six electric bars 27 . similarly , although the second preferred embodiment is used as an example in the previous paragraph , two electric bars and six electric bars also can apply to the first preferred embodiment and the third preferred embodiment . according to the description above , it can be seen that there are two characterized technical steps in the invention . one is forming the reflective surface of the led chip by directly bending the substrate . the other is using gel injection or injection molding processes to form a transparent body or gel injection shell for covering the substrate , and further to form a single lens in front of the opening . therefore the process of making the led package is simpler , more convenient and less expensive . the process described above is accomplished by the design of the structure . in other words , it is the modification of structure that makes the process simpler and less expensive . following are detail descriptions that accompany the drawings for the characterized structure of the invention . please refer to fig9 , which shows the side view of the second preferred embodiment of the invention . the led package includes : a reflective substrate 9 with a reflective cup 18 ; an led chip 17 ; and a transparent body or gel injection shell 15 . the reflective substrate 9 can be composed of metal or non - metal materials , which are conductive or non - conductive materials with good reflectivity , good ductility and good heat conductivity . the reflective substrate 9 comprises an opening and at least one reflective cup 18 , and extends a reflective surface 20 that can be bended and is light reflective . because the reflective substrate 9 is made of ductile metal , it can be bent backward to form a shield with the opening 23 and the surface of the substrate 9 for accommodating the reflective cups 18 of the led chips . the purpose of the opening 23 is to emit light that is reflected , so the design of the opening 23 depends on the angle of the reflective light . the opening 23 and the reflective cup 18 can be formed by stamping or injection molding . in addition , the reflective substrate 9 can electrically connect to the wire bonding of the led chip 17 or form an electric pattern thereon for electrically connecting the led chip 17 . one or more led chips 17 can be disposed in the reflective cup 18 of the reflective substrate 9 , the chips can comprises the p - n junction forms on a semiconductor substrate composed of algaas , algainp , gap or gan . et , al . the selection of the semiconductor depends on the desire wavelength of emitted light . except for the examples disclosed above , any appropriate led chip recognized by a person skilled in the art can also be used . in other words , the invention is not limited by the led chip described above . the transparent body or gel injection shell 15 can be formed to cover the entire reflective substrate 9 , including the reflective cups and the upper and lower surfaces of reflective substrate 9 . the transparent body or gel injection shell 15 can be made of transparent epoxy , silica gel or the equivalent . because the transparent body or the gel injection shell 15 is pervious to light and is used to form a lens in front of the opening , the material and curvature can be modified according to the desired amount of light in the led package . for example , fig1 shows a light simulation diagram of the structure . according to the invention , the bending radian of the reflective substrate depends on the positions of the led chip and parallel light desired . that is , the parameters of the radian for bending the reflective substrate and the parameters of placing the led chip are designed and modified according to the desired parallel light . please refer to the fig1 , which shows a side view of another preferred embodiment of the led package according to the invention . the led package comprises three groups of led chips ( one or more than one ) 17 a , 17 b and 17 c . that is , there are three led chips 17 a , 17 b and 17 c in reflective cups 18 a , 18 b and 18 c in a shield , which is composed of the bending reflective surface 20 of the reflective substrate and the reflective substrate &# 39 ; s surface . the three led chip groups 17 a , 17 b and 17 c , for example , can emit red , blue and green light separately and produce good tinges of white light by using the bending reflective surface 20 to reflect and mix the lights in the structure . although this preferred embodiment uses three led chips or chip groups in a package as an example , practically , the number of led chips can be increased or reduced as needed . please refer to the fig1 , which shows a side view of another preferred embodiment of the led package according to the invention . the led package in this example is used in the dvd read head application . the led package includes led chips 17 and a receiver 21 . that is , there is an led chips 17 and a receiver 21 in the reflective cups 18 a and 18 b . the light produced by the led chips 17 can be reflected by the bending surface 20 of the reflective substrate , which results in parallel light . furthermore , the incident parallel light can be reflected by the bending surface 20 of the reflective substrate , which is received by the receiver 21 . please refer to the fig1 , which shows a simulation diagram of light distribution of the led package according to the invention . according to the simulation drawing , the light produced according to the invention is distributed below 0 degrees . therefore , there is no need for a light shield , which is necessary in conventional headlight or tail - light techniques for limiting the light distribution region . thus the cost of additional light shielding is not needed and a better or equal performance can be achieved more efficiently . from the description above , an led package can be easily obtained by the process of directly bending the substrate to form a reflective surface , and the process of conventional gel injection . therefore , it has the advantages of a simple process and reduced cost . in addition , because the reflective surface makes the led chip able to emit parallel light , the additional light shield is unnecessary . the problem of the reflective element falling off can be solved by directly bending the substrate to form the reflective surface , therefore improving the strength of the structure . moreover , when this structure is used to accommodate several leds for mixing lights , a good light mixing performance can be obtained . thus , the invention can apply to headlight , taillight , backlight or dvd read head industries . although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the disclosed embodiments , as well as alternative embodiments , will be apparent to persons skilled in the art . it is , therefore , intended that the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within the scope of the invention . | 7Electricity
|
one aspect of the invention provides a method and system , which may be utilized to detect digital qam , vsb and analog tv signals in a faster and more efficient manner than conventional systems . qam may include a quaternary phase shift keying . the system and method may be deployed in , for example , cable tv set - top boxes , cable television modems , and television set receivers , which may be coupled to a cable tv or off - the - air terrestrial network . aspects of the invention may utilize actual power measurements or estimated power measurements of the rf carriers found in a tv channel to determine whether a digital qam signal , a digital vsb signal , or an analog signal is present in a tv channel . in this regard , it is not necessary for a receiver to demodulate , lock , synchronize , decode or validate any video or audio information or digital bit stream in order to detect digital qam , digital vsb and analog tv signals . therefore , the process of detecting digital qam , digital vsb and analog tv signals is shortened and simplified . in one embodiment of the invention , the existing hardware components may be used to adjust the power and demodulate digital qam or vsb signals in a tv set or cable receiver . however , new software may be utilized to control the conventional software to provide detection of digital qam , vsb and analog tv signals in accordance with the various aspects of the invention . notwithstanding , implementation cost may remain low since additional hardware may not be required for implementation . fig1 is a diagram of the rf spectrum 100 of an analog tv signal , which may be utilized in connection with detecting digital quadrature amplitude modulation ( qam ), digital vestigial sideband ( vsb ) modulation , or analog television signals in a television channel , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention referring to fig1 , there is shown video carrier f v , center frequency f c and audio carrier f a . the video carrier may be located at frequency f v and the audio carrier may be located at frequency f a . the video carrier f v and audio carrier f a are distinguishable as the left and right peaks , respectively , even though they may be modulated with picture , sound and / or other information . in a ntsc broadcast system , for example , the entire analog tv signal of fig1 may occupy 6 mhz of bandwidth ( bw ). the video carrier ( f v ) may be − 1 . 75 mhz to the left of the center frequency ( f c ) of the channel , and the audio carrier ( f a ) may be + 2 . 75 mhz to the right of the center of the channel . in a pal broadcast system , for example , the entire analog tv signal may occupy 8 mhz of bandwidth . in this case , the video carrier may be − 2 . 75 mhz to the left of the center of the channel , and the audio carrier may be + 2 . 75 mhz to the right of the center of the channel . although the ntsc signal occupies a 6 mhz of bandwidth and the pal signal occupies a bandwidth of 8 mhz , the invention is not limited in this regard . accordingly , the invention may be applicable to other signals bearing different bandwidth configurations , which may , for example , be utilized in other countries and / or in the future . fig2 a is a diagram of the rf spectrum 200 of a digital qam signal , which may be utilized in connection with detecting digital quadrature amplitude modulation ( qam ), digital vestigial sideband ( vsb ) modulation , and analog television signals , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the single carrier is in the center ( fc ) of the channel but it is suppressed . in the ntsc system , the entire signal occupies 6 mhz of bandwidth ( bw ), and in the pal system , 8 mhz . fig2 b is a diagram of the rf spectrum 250 of a digital vsb signal , which may be utilized in connection with detecting digital quadrature amplitude modulation ( qam ), digital vestigial sideband ( vsb ) modulation , and analog television signals , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the main carrier is in the center ( fc ) of the channel but it is suppressed . the pilot tone may be located at frequency f p , near the edge of the spectrum . in the ntsc system , the entire signal occupies 6 mhz of bandwidth ( bw ), and in the pal system , 8 mhz . fig3 is a block diagram 300 of a digital qam or digital vsb receiver 302 , which may be utilized in connection with detecting digital quadrature amplitude modulation ( qam ), digital vestigial sideband ( vsb ) modulation , and analog television signals , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . referring to fig3 , there is shown a tuner block 304 , an automatic gain control ( agc ) block 306 , a down - conversion / carrier lock block 308 , a demodulation / timing block 310 , a filtering / equalization block 312 , an error correction / bit stream synchronization block 314 and a processor 316 . the tuner block 304 output signal is provided as an input to the agc block and the error correction / bit stream synchronization block generates output video , audio and / or data signals for processing . the tuner block 304 may comprise suitable logic , circuitry and / or code that may be adapted to pass signals in a desired frequency range and reject signals which are out of the desired frequency range . accordingly , the tuner block 304 may comprise one or more passband filters for passing signals in the desired range and rejecting signals outside of the desired range . the tuner may be connected directly to , for example , a cable television wall outlet via , for example , a coaxial cable , or an off - the - air television antenna . the automatic gain control block 308 may comprise suitable logic , circuitry and / or code that may be adapted to adjust the signal power coming from the output of the tuner block 304 . the automatic gain control block 308 may be adapted to determine the power level or gain of the received signal in an rf channel . the down - conversion / carrier lock block 308 , may comprise suitable logic , circuitry and / or code that may be adapted to down - convert and lock to the carrier of the signal received from the automatic gain control block 308 . the demodulation / timing block 310 , may comprise suitable logic , circuitry and / or code that may be adapted to demodulate and lock to the timing of the signal that may be received from the down - conversion / carrier lock block 308 . the filtering / equalization block 312 , may comprise suitable logic , circuitry and / or code that may be adapted to filter and equalize the demodulated signal in order to mitigate amplitude and phase distortion which may occur during transmission over the air or cable distribution plant . the filtering / equalization block 312 may comprise a feed forward equalizer ( ffe ) and / or decision feedback equalizer ( dfe ) block , for example . the error correction / bit stream synchronization block 314 , may comprise suitable logic , circuitry and / or code that may be adapted to detect and correct any errors may occur in a received bit stream . the error correction / bit stream synchronization block 314 , may comprise , for example , a forward error correction ( fec ) block . the processor 316 may be a microprocessor or controller that may be adapted to control the tuner block 304 , automatic gain control ( agc ) block 306 , down - conversion / carrier lock block 308 , demodulation / timing block 310 , filtering / equalization block 312 , and / or error correction / bit stream synchronization block 314 . in this regard , software may be utilized by the processor to handle or control the receiver 302 . in operation , after the tuner block 304 tunes to a particular television channel , and the automatic gain control ( agc ) block 306 may adjust a signal power coming from an output of the tuner block 304 . after gain adjustment , the down - conversion / carrier lock block 308 of the receiver 302 locks on to the carrier in order to down - convert the signal to baseband and for proper signal demodulation . the filtering / equalization block 310 may be utilized to compensate for distortions and interference that may occur in the channel . the error correction / bit stream synchronization block 314 of receiver 302 may correct any bit errors where possible , and / or may synchronize the data in order to produce a valid bit stream comprising video , audio and / or data for processing . in an embodiment of the invention , the processor 316 , the automatic gain control block 306 and / or the filtering / equalization block 312 , for example , of the receiver 302 of fig3 , may be adapted to detect whether a channel contains a digital component such as the digital qam signal of fig2 a or the digital vsb signal of fig2 b , or an analog component such as the analog tv signal of fig1 , or no signal at all . after the receiver 302 tunes to a frequency for the channel , the automatic gain control 306 may determine whether there is a signal present in the channel . a power gain applied by the automatic gain control block 306 may be representative of whether there is a signal present in the channel . if the automatic gain control block 306 indicates that it is providing or operating at its maximum level of power gain , then this may indicate that there is no signal in the channel . if the automatic gain control block 306 indicates that it may be providing gain between , but not including , its minimum and maximum levels , then this may indicate that there is a signal present in the channel . accordingly , the type of signal , whether analog or digital component signal may be determined . the filtering / equalization block 312 , for example , may be utilized to determine whether the channel contains a digital qam , vsb or analog tv signal . in this regard , the filtering / equalization block 312 may be utilized to measure the relative power present at the center frequency f c in a digital qam signal and pilot frequency f p in a digital vsb signal , or at video carrier f v and audio carrier f a in an analog tv signal . if the channel has significant power at f , then it contains a digital qam or digital vsb signal , since an analog tv signal does not contain significant power at f c . if the channel has significant power at f p , then it contains a digital vsb signal . if the channel does not have significant power at f c , then the channel it contains an analog tv signal . for further optional verification of the presence of an analog tv signal in the channel , in case there is any other type of signal in the channel , the power at the video carrier f v and optionally at the audio carrier f a may also be determined . if there is significant power at the video carrier f v and optionally at the audio carrier f a , but not at the center frequency f c , then the channel contains an analog tv signal . depending on the implementation of the filtering / equalization block 312 of the qam or vsb receiver 312 , power at a particular frequency , for example , f c , f p , f v or f a , may be determined by measurement using at least one of a plurality of devices and / or methodologies . for example , a notch filter comprising automatic amplitude control may be utilized to measure the power at f c , f p , f v or f a . in one embodiment of the invention , software may be utilized to program a device such as a filter to reject a signal interferer at f c , f p , f v and / or f a , with a narrow bandwidth of a few kilohertz ( khz ). the amplitude of the notch filter may be directly related to the power of the signal that the filter may be rejecting . if the amplitude of the notch filter is relatively large at f c , f p , f v and / or f a , then there may be a signal carrier at f c , f p , f v or f a respectively . in another embodiment of the invention , the power at a certain frequency may be determined by , for example , a spectrum analyzer . in this regard , the spectrum analyzer may compute a fast fourier transform ( fft ) of the signal and measure the power of the signal at a plurality of discrete frequencies within at least a portion of the signal bandwidth . in this regard , software may be utilized to determine or acquire the power measurements at f c , f p , f v and / or f a to determine whether the channel contains a digital qam , vsb or analog tv signal . fig4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps that may be utilized for detecting digital quadrature amplitude modulation ( qam ) signal , digital vestigial sideband ( vsb ) modulation signal , and analog signal in a cable television channel or other television channel , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the exemplary steps illustrated in the algorithm may be implemented in software , hardware , or any combination thereof . referring to fig4 , the exemplary steps may begin with start step 402 . subsequently , in step 404 , the receiver may tune to a channel . in step 404 , it may be determined whether an agc is operating at a maximum power gain . if it is determined that the agc is operating at the maximum power gain , then in step 416 , no signal is present in the channel . in this case , the exemplary steps may end at step 414 . in step 406 , if it is determined that the agc is not operating at the maximum power gain , then in step 408 , a signal present in the channel . subsequently , in step 410 , it may be determined whether a relative power at the center frequency f c is greater than a threshold power for f c ( f cthold power ). in step 410 , if it is determined that the relative power at the center frequency f c is greater than or equal to a threshold power for f c ( f cthold power ), then a digital component such as a qam or vsb signal is present in the channel . subsequently , in step 426 , it may be determined whether a relative power at the pilot frequency f p is greater than a threshold power for f p ( f pthold power ). in step 426 , if it is determined that the relative power at the pilot frequency f p is greater than or equal to a threshold power for f p ( f pthold power ), then a digital vsb component is present in the channel . on the other hand , in step 426 , if it is determined that the relative power at the pilot frequency f p is less than a threshold power for f p ( f pthold power ), then a digital qam component is present in the channel . subsequent to steps 428 and 430 , the exemplary steps may end at step 414 . in instances where a tv service provider may opt to provide only one of qam , vsb or other signal in a digital system , step 426 may be skipped or modified . in step 410 , if it is determined that the relative power at the center frequency f c is not greater than or equal to a threshold power for f c ( f cthold power ), then an analog component signal is present in the channel . subsequent to step 412 , the exemplary step may end at step 414 . in accordance with an aspect of the invention the exemplary steps 420 , 422 , 424 and 426 may be optional verification steps . in this regard , the exemplary steps 420 , 422 , 424 and 426 may be utilized to verify there is indeed an analog component signal present in the channel . step 420 may be executed subsequently to executing step 412 . in step 420 , it may be determined whether power at the video carrier f v is greater than a threshold power ( f vthold power ) and power at the center frequency f c is less than the threshold power f cthold . if so , then in step 422 , an analog component has been verified for the channel . in a similar manner , step 424 may be executed subsequent to executing step 412 . in step 424 , it may be determined whether power at the audio carrier f a is greater than a threshold power ( f athold power ) and power at the center frequency f c is less than the threshold power f cthold . if so , then in step 426 , an analog component has been verified for the channel . accordingly , the present invention may be realized in hardware , software , or a combination of hardware and software . the present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system , or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems . any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited . a typical combination of hardware and software may be a general - purpose computer system with a computer program that , when being loaded and executed , controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein . the present invention may also be embedded in a computer program product , which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein , and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods . computer program in the present context means any expression , in any language , code or notation , of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following : a ) conversion to another language , code or notation ; b ) reproduction in a different material form . while the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope . therefore , it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed , but that the present invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . | 7Electricity
|
referring now to fig1 an exemplary snowplow moldboard 10 is formed from an cylindrically arcuate plate of rigid material , such as steel or aluminum . it is reinforced structurally by a top member 11 to prevent warping , and a plurality of web members 15 to prevent bending , and to provide a surface to which attachment of the plow to a frame ( not shown ) is made . end web members 14 are positioned near the side edge portions 13 of moldboard 10 . the bottom edge 17 of the moldboard 10 is fitted with a blade 18 , typically a replaceable length of metal or plastic that is worn by the application of the snowplow to the road . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , a combination of top member 11 , web members 15 , and end web members 14 are fitted with holes 16 for the removable attachment of electrical connections ( not shown ). the holes 16 are preferably applied by drilling or reaming , but may be applied by any well known and commercially available process . top member 11 , end web member 14 , and side edge portion 13 combine to form a top end portion 12 in the exemplary moldboard 10 which is the preferred location of a lighting appliance . the lighting fixture and associated hardware and electrical connection are well protected from damage and the elements in this location . the top end portion 12 also represents the extreme edge of the hazard to passing motorists . fig2 more closely shows an exemplary top end portion 12 of moldboard 10 . a moldboard lighting appliance 40 comprises a moldboard lighting bracket 41 and flange 42 which are made of two pieces of ordinary steel welded by any commonly available process , and contains an aperture for a light fixture 43 . an exemplary light fixture 43 is manufactured by the trucklite company of jamestown , n . y . it comprises a circular pliant fitting 44 that holds a circular lens 45 , in a circular aperture of standard size . a housing 46 protects the hardware of the light . it is readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that light fixture 43 can be of any commercially available type , and need not be circular in aspect . in the preferred embodiment , the lighting appliance 40 is spot welded to the margins of top end portion 12 of moldboard 10 , but may be attached my any other well known and commercially available means . lighting bracket 41 and flange 42 need not be made of steel but may be formed of any damage - and weather - resistant material . fig3 and fig4 portray fully assembled lighting fixtures attached to the preferred locations of a snowplow adapted for use on a public works vehicle . snowplow frame 20 generally comprises canting means 22 for adjusting the angle of attack of the plow when plowing , for the purpose of pushing the snow in the desired direction , and raising means 24 for raising and lowering the moldboard 10 and blade 18 with respect to the road surface . in fig3 a warning light fixture 43 is shown attached to top end portion 12 of moldboard 10 . fig4 further portrays a second light fixture 43 is mounted at the top of the raising means 24 of snowplow frame 20 . referring now to fig5 an exemplary snowplow frame 20 has canting means 22 which forms a transverse angle , and also comprises raising means 24 . in some exemplary snowplow frames 20 , canting means 22 and raising means 24 are hydraulically powered and utilize a control system that can be operated by the driver from the driver position of the vehicle . it would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that the lighting apparatus of the present invention may also incorporate activation means that may be operated from the driver position . however , in the preferred embodiment , activation is in the same manner that the headlights of the vehicle , or existing running or warning lights , are activated . snowplow frame 20 has fasteners ( not shown ) for receiving the above described electrical connections ( not shown ). in the present embodiment , fasteners are threaded eye bolts connected to the snowplow frame 20 by threaded nuts , but may be applied by any well known and commercially available process . further regarding fig5 a snowplow lighting apparatus 30 comprises a plurality of lighting fixtures 43 which are each connected to a plurality of first electrical connections 32 of the type described herein . these first electrical connections 32 are connected by way of terminations 35 to a supply connection 36 . supply connection 36 is also an electrical connection of the type described herein . second termination 38 of supply connection 36 is connected to the power system of the snowplow vehicle . in the preferred embodiment , first terminations 35 are of a resilient plastic clip type , but may be of any well known durable and weather - resistant type . second termination 38 is of a metal type commonly found to supply electrical power to a towed trailer , but may also be of any durable and weather - resistant type . the electrical connections 32 , 33 , and 36 are sized to be routed in protected areas of moldboard 10 past points where attachments can be made through and adjacent to apertures 16 . the electrical supply apparatus 30 is in segments to permit the portions of the snowplow apparatus to be disassembled for repair and maintenance . in the present embodiment , the electrical connections are formed from well known and commercially available 14 - gauge electrical wire , shrouded by a wire loom conduit to protect the electrical circuit from damage . it is readily apprehended by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that any well known and commercially available means of supplying electrical power to the light appliances , and means for protecting the electrical connections from damage and wear , may be used . having now fully set forth the preferred embodiment and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention , various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept . it is to be understood , therefore , that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth in the appended claims . | 4Fixed Constructions
|
the detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention and does not represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed and / or utilized . the description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments . this invention provides a unique routing and forwarding solution for a mesh wsn . it is powerful , efficient , flexible and reliable . in particular , it supports both fixed and mobile mesh wsn . the mechanisms created in this invention are highly dynamic and time sensitive which makes it a good fit for mobile conditions and an appropriate solution for a mobile wsn . existing wsn protocols limit the mobility of a wsn to the coordinator only . in contrast , this solution extends the mobility to any full function device ( ffd ) nodes in a wsn . this invention uses a number of hybrid approaches to coordinate different mechanisms intelligently so that the services are maximized while the resource consumption is minimized . this invention provides a unique hybrid approach with four flavors , i . e . a hybrid between broadcast and unicast forwarding ; a hybrid between address centric and data centric features , a hybrid of control data and user data in a single packet ; and a hybrid of event driven and query driven mode . this invention utilizes a combination of broadcast and unicast forwarding . to generate a broadcast packet , one option is to encode user data and routing advertisement in a single packet so that the unicast best routes are created quietly while the broadcast packet reaches the destinations . the unicast routes are destined for the initiator of the broadcast . the initiator could be a coordinator or other node in the network . in a conventional network , the separation of the control packets and data packets is essential , because the high speed forwarding becomes impossible otherwise . wireless sensor networks , however , are low bandwidth , low speed networks . data packets are extremely small , sometimes smaller than a control packet . furthermore , the speed of the data forwarding is not an issue . therefore , the combination of a data packet and control packet becomes feasible . the routing advertisement usually consumes significant amounts of system resource and electric energy . in general , it takes a full cycle of a broadcast to propagate a routing advertisement over an ad hoc network . this problem is compounded in that it happens periodically . the overhead is considerable . fig1 shows an embodiment of a wsn . the wsn consists of a plurality of network nodes including routers , shown as circles ; end devices shown as stars ; and a sink node shown as a triangle . these nodes are in communication with each other . the sink node allows communication directly to a central computer , or out to the internet . the network nodes are impacted by environment events which are sensed by the nodes . this invention eliminates the regular routing advertisement . the propagation happens in a need base only and routing data is piggybacked by broadcast packets . in summary , this invention provides a way to enjoy the advantage of the unicast best routes without the huge overheads it takes . this solution further creates the concept of smart metrics that are encoded by conventional and real time information . the smart metric is a leverage that controls the forwarding process intelligently and dynamically . it can shape real time traffic and optimize the forwarding process . the unicast routes created during the broadcast represent the real time best paths rather than the traditional shortest paths . this invention uses unique , flexible smart metrics that control the forwarding process intelligently and dynamically . a number of flavors may be encoded into the smart metrics , for example : the number of hops , link quality and electric power reserved . in one smart metric embodiment , to simplify the logics , the link quality can be measured with m levels . the m is the highest quality . likewise , the reserved electric power is measured with n levels . n is the highest level . both m and n values are configurable . if an ordered set of nodes [ n1 , n2 . . . nl ] defines path p , the number of the nodes is l , the direct link [ ni , ni + 1 ] is a sub path of p , then the cost of path p is : where lql {[ di , di + 1 ]} is the level of link quality between node di and di + 1 ; pr { di } is the reserved power level of node di ; k1 , k2 and k3 are the coefficients that are used to adjust the contributing level of different flavors . the k1 , k2 and k3 values are configurable , and might be changed from application to application . in this embodiment , the formula shows that the cost is lower if the number of hops is less , and if link quality and power reserving level are higher . the link quality and power reserving level are changed dynamically , which in turn affects the smart metric dynamically . this solution could be viewed as an address centric protocol to some extent . indeed , this hybrid approach covers the features of address centric as well as data centric protocols . e . g . it allows a loose data aggregation during the data forwarding . the data aggregation is a feature provided by data centric protocols . it reduces the number of packets traveling through a wsn . this solution allows the aggregation to be in an arbitrary manner . hence the forwarding processes become extremely flexible . this invention supports a unicast best path in a unique way so that the large overhead of prior art route advertisement is avoided . in addition , the smart metric provides opportunities to optimize the route dynamically with real time information . this invention supports mobile wsn that allows the coordinator and other ffd nodes to move in any direction . note that the mobility is usually limited to the coordinator only in the wsn routing protocols of the prior art . the broadcast mechanisms in this invention are distinct from existing approaches . examples of the differences may include : a loose aggregation of the user data reduces the number of packets flowing over the wsn without sacrificing any functionality . this aggregation is arbitrary so the flexibility of the process is maximized . a broadcast flooding is considerably expensive . in this invention , the broadcast is triggered by an event or query only . furthermore , a broadcast packet can piggyback routing advertisements . a regular routing advertisement takes a full cycle of a broadcast in an ad hoc network and it happens constantly . a route discovery mechanism takes two way processes , i . e . a broadcast forwarding in one direction and a unicast forwarding in reverse direction . in the present invention , the broadcasting is optimized . the forwarding loops are completely eliminated and the same packet will not be repeatedly broadcasted by each node . during the broadcasting , multiple copies can be forwarded over a wsn . this is an overhead . in this invention , some overhead is unavoidable . however , broadcast overhead is used to increase the reliability of the transportation . unlike most of the routing protocols , this invention excludes the constant route advertisements and route discovery processes . this approach dramatically reduces the consumption of electric power and cpu resources . in a typical wireless sensor network , the transmission of a packet consumes several times of electric power that a cpu consumes at same time . the constant route advertisements and maintenances are the most expensive software processes within a wsn device . the route discovery is a considerable overhead as well . this invention uses a hybrid approach of broadcast and unicast forwarding and a hybrid approach of routing advertisement and data forwarding in one packet . the broadcast packet plays two roles : the data delivery and routing advertisement . in particular , the broadcast session is driven by the events and queries . the unicast session is usually for the sensor nodes to forward their responses to the querist . in this invention , the unicast routes are usually not maintained before sending a query message or an unsolicited event since conventional router advertisements and discovery mechanisms are excluded . instead , this invention broadcasts query messages or unsolicited events over the wireless sensor network until the messages reach the desired destinations . it is uncommon to broadcast the user data in conventional network , nevertheless a query or event message is as small as a typical control packet in a wireless sensor network . the total cost to broadcast a query or event message is similar to a single run of route advertisement . the cost is less than a router discovery process considering the discovery process is a two way process with the broadcast in one direction and unicast in reverse direction . it should be noted that the broadcast for conventional distance vector route advertisement is processed at a regular basis . alternatively , the broadcast performed with this invention is at a need basis . the route discovery process is also at a need basis , but it does not contribute to data transmission . it is an overhead when the process could be excluded . in general , applications that conduct infrequent queries and unsolicited event messages take the most of the advantages of this invention in terms of power and resource saving . in this invention , a broadcast packet includes routing section and an application section . the routing section has all the flavors of routing advertisement in a typical distance vector routing protocol . the application section accommodates various user data , such as a query message or an event report message . while receiving a broadcast packet , the routing module of a node processes the routing section , this is similar to a distance vector routing protocol . the application layer processes the application section based on application details . the broadcast packet is transferred from a node to its neighbor just like a conventional broadcasting . a unicast route toward the initiator of the broadcast is created during the broadcasting . the route is refined during propagation . the best next hop is selected and installed in the forwarding table . the selection of the path is determined by a smart metric that is decided by , for example , number of hops , the link quality , and power level etc . a timer or a time stamp is generated and bounded to the new route . the route will be aged out when the timer expires . if the unicast route entry for the initiator is already there , the route will be updated . the timer is refreshed as well . in fig2 , the star a is the initiator of the query ; the balls represent the routers within a wireless sensor network ; the node h is the targeted device of the query ; the straight arrows show the directions of the broadcast ; the curved arrows show the direction of the best unicast path that is created during the broadcast . the node h is expected to use the newly created unicast path to send its response messages to querist a . each node has a node id in a wsn . because a network address is unique within a wsn , it is used as a node id . a specific sequence number is generated and associated with each message in the node that initiates the message . the combination of a node id and sequence number uniquely identifies a broadcast or unicast packet . this pair is stored in the routing entry , and is used to identify and prevent the broadcast loop or repeated forwarding . upon receiving a broadcast packet , the node does an acceptance and loop check by looking at the pair . if the packet does not pass acceptance and loop check , it is discarded quietly without any further actions . otherwise , the node remembers the pair and the process continues . in the prior art , there are a number of traditional ways to prevent broadcast loop . the simplest way is to keep track the number of hops a packet has traveled . the packet is discarded if it reaches a threshold . another way is to add the address of every node traveled to the packet . the packet is discarded if the current node is in the traveled list . the first way is essentially a damage control , the loop might happen , but is the extent of the loop is under control . the second approach stops the loop completely , but the overhead is considerable because the size of a packet is usually limited in a wsn . the loop detection mechanism in this invention does not have disadvantages from either of the traditional approaches . if an originator &# 39 ; s id and the sequence number matches with existing pair and the cost to arrive current node is larger , the incoming packet is either from a worse path or from a loop . see fig1 and further discussion below . fig1 shows the procedures of the acceptance and loop check , and how an incoming broadcast packet is processed . if the id of the packet &# 39 ; s originator is not in the routing entry , a new entry and its timer ( or time stamp ) is created . the sequence number is stored . if the current node is the target node , the packet is sent to the application module for further processing . otherwise , broadcast continues . if the originator &# 39 ; s id is already in the routing entry , but the sequence number is smaller than stored number , this packet is too old , and will be discarded . if the sequence number is greater than the stored number , the packet will be processed by routing module for routing update . if the current node is the targeted node , the packet is sent to the application module for further processing , otherwise , the broadcast continues . if the sequence number exists , but the cost to arrive at the current node is bigger based on the routing section of the packet , it is from a loop or a worse path , the packet is discarded . if the cost is smaller , the packet will be processed by the routing module for routing update . if the current node is the targeted node , the packet is sent to the application module for further processing , otherwise , the broadcast continues . a coordinator or destination node can receive multiple copies of a same packet from a single broadcasting cycle . this is due to the fact of flooding . flooding is a waste to some extent . in this invention , the multiple copies will be used for reliability purpose that increases the successful rate in terms of packet delivery . if the coordinator or initiator fails to receive the responses from a recipient within a predefined time period , the initiator resends the query messages to the recipient . for an event driven message , the packet will transferred to the coordinator or destination via a unicast route if such a route exists . otherwise , the broadcast is performed and a unicast best route toward the initiator can be optionally created as it is described previously . the event message is propagated from a node to its adjacent node until reaching the coordinator or destination node . in fig2 , although the node h is the target node of the query , every node that traveled by the broadcast query message takes this opportunity to generate the best routing entry for initiator a . as a result , a multipoint to point unicast tree rooted at the initiator is created . one embodiment of this process is shown in fig3 . the star is the initiator of the querist ; the balls are the nodes in the wireless sensor network ; the node h is the targeted node of the query ; the straight arrows show the directions of the unicast path , they form a multipoint to point tree . while delivering the query message to the destination , the broadcast is really a route advertisement for initiator a , because the broadcast messages are the hybrid packets that carry both routing information and user data . as it is described previously , the new routing entry will be aged out and removed eventually . if the unicast route is for the coordinator , it might be treated differently . for example the time interval for aging out might be longer . in that case , an unsolicited event has a better chance to use a unicast path to deliver event message to the coordinator . this is an optimization . however , this is not recommended in a mobile wsn . a unicast route might become stale quickly in a dynamic mobile environment . the event message could be sent to nowhere with a stale route . this invention supports a mobile wsn where every node is allowed to move in any direction . with this solution , the regular routing advertisement and maintenance is excluded . the task of keeping track of the mobile routes is eliminated . on the other hand , a broadcast packet should always catch a mobile node somewhere as long as the node is located within the wsn . this allows a mobile node to catch the fresh route with less delay . therefore , a response message always uses a newly created or updated unicast route . in fig4 , node a is an arbitrary node in a wsn . it was originally located in top left corner . if node a is near that spot when a broadcast packet arrives , node b advertises the broadcast packet to it and receives the response message from it . if node a moves to the lower left corner when broadcast packet arrives , node c will advertise the broadcast packet to it and will receive the response message from it . this invention introduces a new concept called a data vehicle , and may also be referred to as a moving container . a data vehicle is a new method to do packet aggregation over a wireless sensor network . when a wsn node is ready to send a packet to the coordinator , it can create a data vehicle and load the message onto the vehicle . this message is the first rider , called the original message . the data vehicle might go out of the air via unicast routes or broadcast forwarding , but the unicast forwarding is the first choice as long as the unicast route is available . during the propagation , the messages from the relay nodes are allowed to get on the vehicle and be forwarded to the destination along with the rest of the messages on the vehicle . as a result , the coordinator is able to receive a list of messages from a single packet . such aggregation processes may vary from application to application and can be constrained by the specific limitations of the wsn such as a packet size or maximum transmission unit ( mtu ). the aggregation is beneficial because it greatly reduces the number of active packets in a wireless sensor network and reduces the sending and receiving operations that consume significant amounts of electric power . it should be noted that to transmit a packet consumes several times of electrics of a cpu consumes at same amount of time . therefore , the fewer packets sent , the better . this aggregation is in a loose manner . it is an option , not mandatory . a message can choose to take a ride from data vehicle , or go out of air by itself . this is similar to a real world bus , one might choose to get on a bus if it arrives at a good timing and the destination matches . you might not wait a bus if it takes too long . on the other hand , since the packet length is limited in a wsn , a message might not have a chance to get on a particular data vehicle . this is also similar to a real world bus that is full , which can not take more passengers . there are two types of data vehicles in this invention : a query specific data vehicle and a wild card data vehicle . the former is used to collect response messages after the coordinator issues a query to multiple nodes or all the nodes . this data vehicle is marked as vehicle_q that follows a unicast path . the latter is used to collect any response messages and unsolicited event reports for the coordinator . this data vehicle is marked as vehicle_w that might be forwarded via broadcast or unicast , but unicast is the first choice . for a wild card data vehicle , each unsolicited event message on the vehicle may be reviewed and processed by each node that is traveled to by the vehicle . the acceptance check and loop check will be performed on each message of the data vehicle . this is the same as if an unsolicited event message arrives on a random node . as a result , the message might be removed from the vehicle and be discarded . at extreme case , if the vehicle becomes empty then the vehicle is discarded as a whole . for a query driven broadcast , the coordinator or a specific node initiates a query message that is broadcasted to the wsn . during the propagation , a unicast route toward the initiator is created . the responses from targeted nodes are forwarded to the initiator via the unicast routes . if the query is sent to multiple nodes , an aggregation process is optionally performed for the responses . in this invention , the response messages are picked up by the query specific data vehicle when the packet is on its way toward the querist . to do that , the targeted node refrains from replying to the query right away . instead , the node creates a response message and an instance of a query specific data vehicle . this message gets on the vehicle as an original message . a timer or time stamp is created for the vehicle . when the timer fires , the vehicle goes out of the air and starts to collect response messages from other nodes on its way toward the coordinator . fig5 shows the processes that are taken when a node receives a query message from the coordinator . as it is described previously , a typical query message arrives on a node via broadcast . an acceptance and loop check process is taken by looking at its source address and the sequence number of the message . if it does not pass the check , then the message is discarded . otherwise , the routing module will process the query message by looking at routing section of the message . a routing entry for the coordinator might be created . if the current node is not the recipient , this message is sent via a unicast if that is applicable . otherwise , it will be sent via broadcast or a multicast . the unicast is applicable if the destination of the message is a single node and a unicast route entry is available in current node . if the current node is one of the recipients then the query message is forwarded to the application layer for further processing . if the current node is the only recipient , a response message will be sent immediately via the unicast route that is created by the broadcast . if the query message is destined for a number of nodes , then a response message and a query specific data vehicle are created . this vehicle is called vehicle_q2 here . a timer or a time stamp is also generated for vehicle_q2 . the query message is then sent out via broadcast or multicast . fig6 shows the processes that are taken when a query data vehicle arrives on local node . say it is vehicle_q1 . note that vehicle_q1 follows a unicast path that was newly created . if the corresponding vehicle_q2 for the same query ( see fig5 ) does not exist , then vehicle_q1 is sent immediately . the vehicle_q2 is not there for one of the two reasons : either the current node is not the recipient of the original query message , or the current node is the recipient , but the response message is already sent . if the corresponding vehicle_q2 does present , then the current node is one of the recipients and vehicle_q2 &# 39 ; s timer has not expired yet . in that case , if the total length of both vehicles great than local mtu value , the vehicle_q1 is sent immediately . the vehicle_q2 will wait for timer expiration or next incoming vehicle . if the sum is less than mtu value , then the messages on the vehicle_q2 will be moved to vehicle_q1 . the vehicle_q2 &# 39 ; s timer will be canceled , and vehicle_q2 will be discarded . the vehicle_q1 is then sent via unicast path . fig7 shows the processes that are taken when vehicle_q2 &# 39 ; s timer fires . the vehicle_q2 will be sent via unicast path that is generated when the original query message was processed . for a wild card process , the messages on the data vehicle could be response messages or unsolicited event messages . in both cases , the destination of the messages is usually the coordinator . for each unsolicited event message on the vehicle , a unicast best route toward the initiator of the event message can be optionally created during the broadcast of the vehicle . if the option is enabled , each event message on the vehicle is processed by a routing module . the unicast routes toward event senders might be installed in the routing table . this is the same as receiving the unsolicited event message individually . fig8 shows the processes that are taken when a message is ready to be sent out . the message could be a response message or an unsolicited event message . if a wild card data vehicle for the destination of the message is not available , an instance of such a vehicle is created . the vehicle is called vehicle_w2 . the message gets on the vehicle as an original message , and a timer or a time stamp is created for the vehicle . if a wild card data vehicle for the same destination is already there , the message gets on the vehicle immediately . if the total length of the vehicle plus the maximum length of a response message or event message exceeds mtu value , the timer is canceled and the vehicle departs immediately since the room left on the vehicle might not enough for the next message . fig9 shows the processes that are taken when a wild card data vehicle arrives on current node . let &# 39 ; s call it vehicle_w1 . each event message on vehicle_w1 will be reviewed for an acceptance and loop check . as a result , the messages might be discarded . if all the messages are to be discarded , the vehicle will be discarded as well . the remaining event messages will be processed by routing module . the unicast routes toward event senders might be optionally installed in the routing table . if a vehicle_w2 for the same destination of vehicle_w1 does not exist , vehicle_w1 is sent immediately . if such a vehicle_w2 presents and the total length of both vehicles is great than local mtu value , the vehicle_w1 is sent . the vehicle_w2 will wait for timer expiration or another incoming vehicle , whichever comes first . if the total length of both vehicles is less than mtu value , then vehicle_w2 &# 39 ; s messages are moved to vehicle_w1 . the vehicle_w2 is discarded and its timer is canceled . the vehicle_w1 are sent afterwards . fig1 shows the processes that are taken when vehicle_w2 &# 39 ; s timer fires . the vehicle_w2 will be sent via unicast path if it exists , otherwise it is broadcasted . while several variations of the present invention have been illustrated by way of example in preferred or particular embodiments , it is apparent that further embodiments could be developed within the spirit and scope of the present invention , or the inventive concept thereof . however , it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are within the spirit and scope of the present invention , and are inclusive , but not limited to the following appended claims as set forth . | 7Electricity
|
with general reference to the figures , the present invention specifies an efficient architecture for a public - key cryptographic module 10 that provides acceleration or full implementation of various elliptic curve cryptography ( ecc ) and hyperelliptic curve cryptography ( hecc ) protocols , defined over a finite field z p with a sufficiently large prime number p . this architecture is also very well suited for other arithmetic computations over finite fields z p of a different nature , and can also be generalized for polynomial and arithmetic computations over other finite fields . one aspect of the present invention is a built - in controller 12 that is under the direction of a binary file in the module &# 39 ; s internal memory 14 . the binary file is executed during runtime under either internal or external control . the binary program consists of separate blocks or subprograms that can be called from an external device 16 such as a control module or a microprocessor . an arithmetic logic unit 18 is provided , with an internal memory that can be individually adjusted for the various cryptography modules to be implemented . alternately , the software part is completely hardwired . the architecture of the present invention can be used to implement various cryptosystem and cryptographic protocols such as : a . ecc / hecc cryptosystems over the finite field gf ( 2 n ), or more generally g ( p n ), where p is a small prime number such as three or seven , and n is a sufficiently large integer ( dimensionality ). b . rsa cryptosystems over z n , where n = pq , for two sufficiently large prime numbers p and q . c . dh protocol over z p and other algebraic groups with difficult discrete logarithm computations . d . ecc / hecc pairing - based cryptography over z p ( e . g . multiparty key exchange protocols , identity - based encryption / decryption , and so on ). each of these different cryptographic implementations typically requires a specialized arithmetic unit that is optimized for the given implementation , and which would not function well for any other implementation . the features of the present invention are described below in regard to an ecc - based cryptography implementation over z p . one embodiment of the present invention includes ( 1 ) a built - in microcontroller 12 , ( 2 ) an auxiliary memory for storing data , ( 3 ) internal registers , ( 4 ) a scalable general arithmetic logic unit 18 ( alu ) for modular arithmetic computation over z p for any p & lt ; 2 n , where n is a preset limit size for the binary presentation of integers , e . g . n = 256 , ( 5 ) microprogram code for ecc / hecc , where the code can be downloaded into read - only memory 14 or hardwired for extra security , and ( 6 ) a library of subprograms in an assembly - like microprogramming language . for example , in the most practical case of ecc , an architecture according to the present invention provides the following functions : elliptic curve key pair generation , elliptic curve public key validation , elliptic curve digital signature algorithm ( the ecdsa standard ), signature scheme setup , signing operation ( siggen ), verifying operation ( sigver ), elliptic curve diffie - hellman ( ecdh ), elliptic curve integrated encryption system ( ecies ), ecc - based one - way function , and modular multiplication operation ( prime modulo ). one embodiment of an architecture according to the present invention is presented in fig1 . the ecc engine can support any elliptic curve of prime modulus p that does not exceed some preset limit , such as p & lt ; 2 256 . in this 256 - bit example , six basic 256 - bit ecc parameters describe the elliptic curve , and the ecc engine takes in up to six task - specific inputs , comprising six additional 256 - bit words . thus , the ecc engine is programmable and is controlled by up to twelve 256 - bit registers . these parameters are as follows : p is the main prime number ( p & lt ; 2 256 ) to define the elliptical curve over z p . the parameters a and b are 256 - bit coefficients defining the elliptic curve y 2 = x 3 + ax + b ( mod p ). p x and p y are 256 - bit coordinates of base point p =( p x , p y ) on the elliptic curve . the parameter n is another big prime number ( where n & lt ; 2 256 ): order of point p , i . e . minimal integer number satisfying np = 0 . typically , n is very close to p . the values of p , a , b , p x , p y , n are defined by various standards . “ seed ” is a 256 - bit parameter that is used for embedded randomization and built - in side - channel attack countermeasures . up to six extra 256 - bit parameters are task specific input arguments . the data path of one embodiment is constructed with an arithmetic logic unit 18 , a microprogramming control engine 12 , an open core protocol ( ocp ) interface control module , a command register for external control , a memory arbiter to switch access to the internal memory , and internal parallel memory banks consisting of nine 1 - port read / write memory banks containing 64 32 - bit words each , for storing parameter , input / output and auxiliary ( internal ) registers . when the go field of the command register is set at a high value , along with a specified ecc task , an internal controller 12 reads from the memory all of the elliptical curve parameter registers and the task specific input registers , and sends the data to the elliptical curve datapath , which executes the ecc microprogram according to the precompiled , internally - stored ( hardwired or downloaded ) microcode . one embodiment of an arithmetic logic unit 18 is depicted in fig2 . in the practical case of arithmetic conducted in z p , the block 20 of computing ab + c by modulo p can be implemented , for example , based on the method proposed by m . grinchuk in multiplier for modular exponentiation , as described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 185 , 039 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . the entire computation is executed under the control sequence or command flow ( via control signals ) issued by a controller 12 , which in turn executes a precompiled microprogram . the flags signals provide the feedback for executing conditional statements in the microprogram . the arithmetic unit 18 is well - suited to the incorporation of the built - in side - channel and other physical / chemical attacks countermeasures . as mentioned above , the architecture includes a specialized , tiny , built - in microcontroller 12 that executes the precompiled microprogram , which is written in a special command language that is specially designed and adjusted for the particular arithmetic unit 18 , to match it precisely for the specific tasks / protocols that need to be implemented . this is depicted in fig3 . the lower - level functions in the hierarchical library of subprograms in the microprogram are hardware encoded in the arithmetic unit 18 . however , these functions can be modified in software . higher - level functions are implemented as software subprograms that call the lower - level functions , and generally do not require special hardware support in the arithmetic unit . thus , the top - level functions are programmed in a special command language . in this manner , when a new protocol is implemented , or an old protocol is edited , a new top - level subprogram is written — or an existing one is edited — recompiled , and downloaded into the module to support the new top - level protocols . this provides flexibility to the present architecture that is not found in other implementations . universal embedded processors or microcontrollers have disadvantages in comparison to the proposed microcontroller 12 . for example , the proposed microcontroller 12 can be implemented in a very small area , with an internally - stored microcode of only one to two kilobytes . in addition , one can directly optimize the overall run time , as a microprogram can be written such that the arithmetic block is running and making useful computations without unwanted interactions and delays . thus , the overall runtime is determined by the speed of arithmetic block and the structure of the microprogram library , and can be adjusted for the desire speed and area versus performance tradeoff . in the present architecture , this enables one to develop parameterized compilers generating netlists with preset area / performance characteristics . 1 send ( cmd_ 1 ); set_if ( port_c ); 2 send ( cmd_ 2 ); jump_if_ 0 (“ l 0 ”); 3 send ( cmd_d ); return ; label (“ l 0 ”); 4 send ( cmd_ 3 ); call (“ f 1 ”); 5 send ( cmd_b ); stop ; 6 send ( cmd_ 4 ); set_if ( port_d ); label (“ l 1 ”); 7 send ( cmd_ 5 ); 8 send ( cmd_ 6 ); jump_if_ 1 (“ l 1 ”); 9 send ( cmd_ 7 ); set_if ( port_b ); 10 send ( cmd_ 8 ); jump_if_ 0 (“ l 2 ”); 11 send ( cmd_d ); return ; label (“ l 2 ”); 12 send ( cmd_ 9 ); set_if ( port_e ); 13 send ( cmd_a ); return_if_ 0 ; 14 send ( cmd_d ); return ; the program is a set of function and subfunctions . functions can be accessible externally while subbfunctions cannot . command lines are optionally numerated . function and subfunction names are optionally numerated by inserting an index into the name . a sample program for the rom 14 is given below : module ecc_prog ( addr , data ); input [ 7 : 0 ] addr ; output [ 0 : 11 ] data ; wire n 3 , n 4 , n 5 , n 6 , n 7 , n 8 , n 9 , n 10 , n 11 , n 12 , n 13 , n 14 , n 15 , n 16 , n 17 , n 18 , n 19 , n 20 , n 21 , n 22 , n 23 , n 24 , n 25 , n 26 , n 28 , n 29 , n 30 , n 31 , n 32 ; nr 4 m 1 p u 41 (. a ( addr [ 5 ]), . b ( addr [ 4 ]), . c ( addr [ 7 ]), . d ( addr [ 6 ]), . z ( n 32 )); and 4 m 1 p u 42 (. a ( n 24 ), . b ( n 6 ), . c ( n 13 ), . d ( n 7 ), . z ( n 21 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 43 (. a ( n 19 ), . b ( n 9 ), . z ( n 5 )); nd 4 dnm 1 p u 44 (. d ( n 5 ), . a ( n 24 ), . b ( n 17 ), . c ( n 11 ), . z ( data [ 2 ])); nd 2 m 1 p u 45 (. a ( n 24 ), . b ( n 6 ), . z ( n 16 )); nd 4 m 1 p u 46 (. a ( n 17 ), . b ( n 11 ), . c ( n 7 ), . d ( n 8 ), . z ( data [ 10 ])); nd 4 m 1 p u 47 (. a ( n 10 ), . b ( n 8 ), . c ( n 14 ), . d ( n 15 ), . z ( data [ 5 ])); nr 2 m 1 p u 48 (. a ( n 5 ), . b ( n 16 ), . z ( n 15 )); nd 4 m 1 p u 49 (. a ( n 13 ), . b ( n 12 ), . c ( n 17 ), . d ( n 18 ), . z ( data [ 4 ])); and 3 m 1 p u 50 (. a ( n 10 ), . b ( n 19 ), . c ( n 6 ), . z ( n 18 )); nd 4 m 1 p u 51 (. a ( n 6 ), . b ( n 7 ), . c ( n 8 ), . d ( n 9 ), . z ( data [ 8 ])); nd 3 m 1 p u 52 (. a ( n 10 ), . b ( n 11 ), . c ( n 12 ), . z ( data [ 7 ])); nd 3 m 1 p u 53 (. a ( n 12 ), . b ( n 11 ), . c ( n 13 ), . z ( data [ 6 ])); nd 2 m 1 p u 54 (. a ( n 21 ), . b ( n 10 ), . z ( data [ 11 ])); nd 2 m 1 p u 55 (. a ( n 21 ), . b ( n 14 ), . z ( data [ 3 ])); nr 2 bnm 1 p u 56 (. b ( n 30 ), . a ( n 31 ), . z ( n 23 )); aoi 22 cdnm 1 p u 47 (. a ( n 25 ), . b ( n 20 ), . c ( n 29 ), . d ( n 22 ), . z ( n 24 )); nr 2 m 1 p u 58 (. a ( n 4 ), . b ( n 28 ), . z ( n 29 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 59 (. a ( n 28 ), . b ( n 20 ), . z ( n 11 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 60 (. a ( n 23 ), . b ( n 3 ), . z ( n 10 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 61 (. a ( n 4 ), . b ( n 26 ), . z ( n 8 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 62 (. a ( n 20 ), . b ( n 23 ), . z ( n 7 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 63 (. a ( n 26 ), . b ( n 25 ), . z ( n 17 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 64 (. a ( n 20 ), . b ( n 4 ), . z ( n 12 )); and 2 m 1 p u 65 (. a ( n 30 ), . b ( n 31 ), . z ( n 4 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 66 (. a ( n 28 ), . b ( n 3 ), . z ( n 13 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 67 (. a ( n 28 ), . b ( n 26 ), . z ( n 6 )); nd 2 anm 1 p u 68 (. a ( n 22 ), . b ( n 23 ), . z ( n 14 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 69 (. a ( n 26 ), . b ( n 23 ), . z ( n 19 )); nd 2 m 1 p u 70 (. a ( n 25 ), . b ( n 3 ), . z ( n 9 )); ao 21 m 1 p u 71 (. a ( n 3 ), . b ( n 4 ), . c ( n 5 ), . z ( data [ 9 ])); nr 2 bnm 1 p u 72 (. b ( addr [ 1 ]), . a ( addr [ 0 ]), . z ( n 20 )); nr 2 bnm 1 p u 73 (. b ( addr [ 0 ]), . a ( addr [ 1 ]), . z ( n 26 )); nr 2 m 1 p u 74 (. a ( addr [ 1 ]), . b ( addr [ 0 ]), . z ( n 3 )); and 3 m 1 p u 75 (. a ( n 31 ), . b ( n 32 ), . c ( addr [ 3 ]), . z ( n 28 )); and 3 m 1 p u 76 (. a ( addr [ 2 ]), . b ( n 32 ), . c ( addr [ 3 ]), . z ( n 25 )); nr 2 bnm 1 p u 77 (. b ( n 32 ), . a ( addr [ 3 ]), . z ( n 30 )); n 1 m 1 p u 78 (. a ( addr [ 2 ]), . z ( n 31 ) ); nd 2 m 1 p u 79 (. a ( addr [ 1 ]), . b ( addr [ 0 ]), . z ( n 22 )); endmodule this programming can be synthesized from the program rom , label rom , and function rom , as depicted in fig3 . in one embodiment , the program rom has a 256 line limit , the label rom has a 16 line limit , and the function rom has a 16 line limit . the embodiments of the invention as described herein have the following characteristics : 1 . an efficient and flexible architecture and implementation method for a public - key cryptographic module that provides acceleration of computation for cryptographic primitives , or provides full hard - wired implementation of cryptographic schemes / protocols based on elliptic curve cryptography ( ecc ) or hyperelliptic curve cryptography ( hecc ) defined over finite field z p with large enough prime number p . 2 . the architecture is well suited for other arithmetic computations over z p of a different nature , and can also be generalized for polynomial / arithmetic computations over other finite fields . 3 . a specialized very tiny built - in controller with a small size program that is precompiled into a binary file and then downloaded into module &# 39 ; s internal memory and then executed during runtime under internal and external control . this program consists of separate blocks of subprograms that can be called from external control module or external microprocessor . 4 . a compact and simple command language specially designed for running and execution of the arithmetical computations and manipulating with data , e . g . reading / storing data from / to memory , moving data from one internal register to another and so on . 5 . low ( ground ) level of the functions / operations from the hierarchical library of the subprograms are hardware supported in the arithmetic logic unit during the arithmetic logic unit development / implementation stage . all higher level operations appear to be subprograms calling lower level functions / subfunctions and generally do not require special hardware support in the arithmetic logic unit . 6 . allows small ( one to two kilobyte ) size microprogram for entirely hard - wired implementation for ecc / hecc based cryptographic primitives / protocols . 7 . microprogram can be downloaded into internal memory or hard - wired for extra security . expandable library of subprograms in an assembler - style , specially - developed microprogramming language . 8 . a highly optimized specialized arithmetical block arithmetic logic unit ( with auxiliary internal memory ) that can be effectively adjusted for particular cryptographic applications required to perform modular polynomial / arithmetic computations . the proposed architecture is well suited to the incorporation of the built - in side channel and other physical / chemical attacks countermeasures . the architectures proposed herein are different from what is currently available in the following ways : 1 . no tiny fully hard - wired controller . 2 . 1 - 2 kb binary table for entire fully hardwired eccdsa protocol . 3 . embedded processors and microcontrollers ( mips , tensilica , arm , and the like ) based solutions slow down the process of computation and have a much larger program size . 4 . hierarchical flexible set of functions where low ( ground ) level of the functions / operations from the hierarchical library of the ecc / hecc subprograms are hardware supported in the arithmetic logic unit during the arithmetic logic unit development / implementation stage , whereas all higher level operations or protocols appear to be subprograms calling lower level functions / subfunctions and generally do not require special hardware support in the arithmetic logic unit . this speeds up implementation and provides good testability , flexibility , edit opportunity , add , change , or deletion of protocols . there are no such fully hardware solutions that supports all of this . 5 . built - in tiny random generator to support side channel and other countermeasures . 6 . proposed implementation and hardware is friendly for validation and certification . 7 . scalability — in particular support any elliptic curve for any prime number not exceeded preset limit . 8 . actually allow to build compiler generating ecc / hecc netlists for particular requirements regarding speed area timing . 9 . flexibility — by changing microcode / compiler binary table , one can reconfigure hardware for different tasks . 10 . testability — the presented architecture provides opportunity to test and debug hardware starting from the “ toy ” elliptic curves , which allow , for example , to make an exhaustive search and test of all possible cases when doing ecc / hecc operations . the foregoing description of preferred embodiments for this invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiments are chosen and described in an effort to provide the best illustrations of the principles of the invention and its practical application , and to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . all such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly , legally , and equitably entitled . | 7Electricity
|
as a preliminary matter , it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art (“ ordinary artisan ”) that the present invention has broad utility and application . furthermore , any embodiment discussed and identified as being “ preferred ” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention . other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention . as should be understood , any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above - disclosed aspects of the invention and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above - disclosed features . moreover , many embodiments , such as adaptations , variations , modifications , and equivalent arrangements , will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention . accordingly , while the present invention is described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments , it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present invention , and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention . the detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended , nor is to be construed , to limit the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention , which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof . it is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself . thus , for example , any sequence ( s ) and / or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive . accordingly , it should be understood that , although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order , the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order , absent an indication otherwise . indeed , the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention . accordingly , it is intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention is to be defined by the appended claims rather than the description set forth herein . additionally , it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which the ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein . to the extent that the meaning of a term used herein — as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term — differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term , it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail . regarding applicability of 35 u . s . c . § 112 , ¶ 6 , no claim element is intended to be read in accordance with this statutory provision unless the explicit phrase “ means for ” or “ step for ” is actually used in such claim element , whereupon this statutory provision is intended to apply in the interpretation of such claim element . furthermore , it is important to note that , as used herein , “ a ” and “ an ” each generally denotes “ at least one ,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise . thus , reference to “ a picnic basket having an apple ” describes “ a picnic basket having at least one apple ” as well as “ a picnic basket having apples .” in contrast , reference to “ a picnic basket having a single apple ” describes “ a picnic basket having only one apple .” when used herein to join a list of items , “ or ” denotes “ at least one of the items ,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list . thus , reference to “ a picnic basket having cheese or crackers ” describes “ a picnic basket having cheese without crackers ”, “ a picnic basket having crackers without cheese ”, and “ a picnic basket having both cheese and crackers .” finally , when used herein to join a list of items , “ and ” denotes “ all of the items of the list .” thus , reference to “ a picnic basket having cheese and crackers ” describes “ a picnic basket having cheese , wherein the picnic basket further has crackers ,” as well as describes “ a picnic basket having crackers , wherein the picnic basket further has cheese .” referring now to the drawings , one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention are next described . the following description of one or more preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its implementations , or uses . turning now to the drawings , fig1 a is a schematic plan view of a topside of a preferred embodiment of a stair drop paint barrier protector 10 when in a fully unfolded or extended configuration , in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention . similarly , fig1 b is a schematic plan view of a backside of the stair drop paint barrier protector 10 when in the fully unfolded or extended configuration . as shown in fig1 a and 1 b , the stair drop paint barrier protector 10 ( hereinafter referred to generally as a “ drop cloth ”) includes a series of panels 12 each connected to or otherwise attached to a length of material or sheet 14 . each panel 12 is shown in fig1 a and 1 b as being sewn to the sheet 14 with double stitched hems , but alternatively one or more of the panels 12 may be adhered to the sheet 14 instead . more particularly , the drop cloth 10 includes a series of eleven panels 12 that are at least semirigid and that have a thickness of about 5 mm . preferably , each panel 12 is relatively “ hard ” and preferably comprises an eva material . additionally , each panel 12 preferably is 6 . 25 inches in length and approximately 18 inches in width , and the widthwise edges of adjacent panels 12 preferably are spaced from one another by about 3 . 25 inches . the sheet 14 and panels 12 are sewn together in a manner that creates fabric hinges or gaps 18 between the structural panels so as to allow the drop cloth 10 to fold in the areas between the panels 12 . outer edges of the two end panels 14 preferably extend along and in proximity to the opposite transverse end edges 16 of the sheet 14 , whereby rigid transverse ends of the drop cloth are created . the sheet 12 itself preferably is 101 . 25 inches in length and about 18 inches in width . a small extent of the lengthwise edge portions of the sheet 12 are folded back over themselves and over the opposite transverse end edges of each panel 12 , whereat each panel 12 is sewn to the lengthwise edge portions of the sheet 12 . each panel 12 further preferably is sewn along its lengthwise edge portions to the sheet 12 . the sheet 12 preferably comprises a combination of a nonwoven material ( 90 grams ) and pe film ( 30 grams ). a nonwoven fabric preferably is used because of the absorbency and wickability characteristics , which are believed to be better than those of a canvas . the sheet 14 preferably comprises a nonwoven fabric material that defines the topside of the drop cloth 10 having a thermo bonded poly undercoat providing a leak - proof barrier . the sheet 14 thereby preferably provides a leak - proof barrier for paint , water , and other liquids that may be used and against spills and drips of which protection is sought . each panel 12 preferably is of the same length , width and thickness as the other panels 12 . each panel 12 also preferably has a similar structural integrity and rigidity to that of each other of the panel 12 . being attached or adhered to the sheet 14 , each panel 12 is covered thereby predominantly on a top side thereof . the bottom side of each panel 14 predominantly is exposed and preferably provides resistance to sliding or slipping on hardwood floors , staircases , and tile surfaces . the material of the panel 14 also preferably is a non - marking material so that the hardwood floors , staircases , and tile surfaces are not marred by use of the drop cloth 10 . furthermore , the rigidity is sufficient that the joining of the panels with the sheet results in a fixed and continuous assembly having a generally fixed , straight edge for abutting against a floor board in a linear and snug manner for protecting the hardwood floor , staircase , and tile surface against paint drips and spills . it is believed that use of the straight edge provided thereby eliminates the need to use painters or masking tape to affix the drop cloth to the floor board or to the wall that the drop abuts . the drop cloth can simply be repositioned with one &# 39 ; s foot by kicking and sliding it into position . each panel also preferably is rectangular . however , it is contemplated that panels could be arranged in other patterns , as well . exemplary patterns that might be used are shown attached to a sheet in fig2 , which is a photograph of a perspective view of a backside of a demo stair drop paint barrier protector when in a fully unfolded configuration and positioned on a floor . it will be appreciated that a variety of different patterns of panels are shown , and that any one pattern of which ( or any combination of which ) could be used in a series with a sheet for making a stair drop paint barrier protector . an elastic loop or similar strap or handle preferably is included , by which the multiple panels are bound together in a folder configuration when the drop cloth is not in use . such a handle may be sewn to the sheet , an end panel , or both . an exemplary such handle is shown , for example , in fig6 . with further consideration to preferred drop cloths , the width preferably is no less than 12 inches but preferably is around 18 to 19 inches . the length preferably is between around 8 feet to around 12 feet . ideally , the preferred number of like panels and their spacing to one another optimizes the fit of the panels and fabric hinges to standard sizes for stair step , ‘ stair bull - nose ’, and step riser as determined by the building codes of each local or regional area . with regard to the drop cloth 10 , it is believed that the first 6 . 25 inch panel 12 will come to rest on a step , the 3 . 25 inch fabric will extend over the stair bull nose , and the adjoining 6 . 25 inch panel extend vertically adjacent a step riser when the drop cloth 10 is used on a common staircase . preferably , the width is not greater than 19 inches in order to allow coverage of only about half of the staircase ( or less ) when used , thereby providing for free access up and down the stairs on an uncovered side of the staircase . moreover , the drop cloth 10 can be easily repositioned on the staircase to cover the other side of the staircase as a result of the rigidity provided by the panels , thereby allowing free access up and down the staircase on the previously covered area . it further will be appreciated that the drop cloth 10 can be reconfigured such that some , but not all , of the panels 12 are arranged in a stacked pattern or configuration , whereby the overall length of the drop cloth 10 is adjustable . as a result , the drop cloth 10 can be used not only on stairs , but conveniently in tight spaces , such as that found in closets , by fitting the drop cloth to the surface area requiring protection by adjusting ( shortening ) the total length by folding panels onto one another until the desired coverage is achieved . additionally , the drop cloth 10 can be similarly used for covering counter tops , cabinets , and vanity surfaces . fig2 is a photograph of a perspective view of a backside of a prototype stair drop paint barrier protector 50 when in a fully unfolded configuration on top of flooring , and is representative of the schematic illustrations of fig1 a and 1 b . fig3 is a photograph of a perspective view of a top side of a prototype stair drop paint barrier protector 100 when in a fully folded configuration . the prototype 100 is shown on top of a carpeted floor and is retained in the fully folded configuration by an elastic loop or handle 102 that extends around a periphery thereof . the opposite side of the prototype 100 is shown in fig4 . fig5 is a photograph of the perspective view of the top side of the prototype 100 when it is no longer retained by the handle 102 extending therearound . similar to fig4 , the opposite side of the prototype 100 in the unrestrained condition is shown in fig6 . fig7 is a photograph of a perspective view a top side of the prototype 100 when in the fully unfolded configuration . fig8 is a photograph of a perspective view of a backside of the prototype 100 when in the fully unfolded configuration . the panels 112 are shown in this view , as the panels 112 are exposed on the backside of the sheet 114 . fig9 is a photograph of a close - up of an area of the prototype 100 shown in fig8 . in fig9 , the overlap 120 of the edge portions of the sheet 114 is perhaps best seen whereat the panels 112 are attached . a fabric hinge 118 that extends between adjacent panels 112 is also illustrated . fig1 is a another photograph of a close - up of the area shown in fig9 . fig1 is a photograph of a close - up of an edge of a panel 112 and a hinge 118 on the backside of the sheet 114 . as shown here , the panel 112 is also secured to the sheet 114 along its transverse edge . fig1 is a photograph of a perspective view of a top side of another prototype stair drop paint barrier protector 200 when in a fully unfolded configuration and positioned over stairs of a staircase . fig1 is a photograph of a perspective view of the top side of another prototype 300 when in a fully unfolded configuration and positioned on a hardwood floor , and fig1 is a photograph of a perspective view of a backside of the prototype 300 when in the fully unfolded configuration on the hardwood floor . fig1 is a photograph of a close - up of an area of the prototype 300 . as before , the panels 312 are exposed on the backside of the sheet 314 , and the panels 112 are attached to the sheet 314 at the overlap of the edge portions 320 of the sheet 314 . fabric hinges 318 also extend between adjacent panels 312 . fig1 is a photograph of a perspective view of the top side of a fourth prototype stair drop paint barrier protector 400 when in a fully unfolded configuration and positioned over stairs of a staircase . the prototype 400 is shown in use during the painting of molding that extends along the stairs . fig1 is a photograph of a perspective view of the top side of a fifth prototype stair drop paint barrier protector 500 when in a fully unfolded configuration and positioned on a hardwood floor . fig1 is a photograph of a perspective view of the backside of the prototype 500 when in a fully unfolded configuration and positioned on the hardwood floor , and fig1 is a photograph of a close - up view of an area of the prototype 500 shown in fig1 . fig2 is a photograph of a perspective view of the prototype 500 illustrating its flexibility . indeed , the drop cloth is flexible and bends back to shape after rolling or bending . in the prototype 500 , the panels 512 are formed from a foam material rather than an eva material , but are bounded by rectangular eva strips 522 that are secured ( by sewing ) on opposite sides of , and in abutment with , each of the panels 512 . additional paint barrier protectors are disclosed in the appendix attached hereto and incorporated by reference herein . many of these additional embodiments include this basic design of the aforementioned embodiments , which combines a series of structural panels and fabric in various sized drop cloths for specific uses . indeed , one of these embodiments uses a structural panel material in a manner replicating the sole of a shoe and where the fabric is attached to the panel creating a sock like upper that uses an elastic band or a drawstring top . in this design , the shoe and sock like product are placed on the feet of extension and step ladders to prevent the floors from being scratched . the elastic banding or drawstring keeps the material snugly in place around the ladder feet until removed by the user . the additionally disclosed embodiments include drop cloths comprising specialized patterns that speed the setup and use in the painting of door jams , columns , and in bathrooms around toilets . these drop cloths are desirably made of the same nonwoven material and panel material as described above and may be of thicker material stock . in one of the additional embodiments , a unique pattern is designed so that one or two drop cloths may be used in tandem for multiple special applications , such as on door jams or columns . the design pattern on one side of the drop cloth is sewn to create a notch in the approximate center of a u - shape cutout , which is ideal for fitting snugly up against door jamb trim . on the opposite side of the material is an l - shape cutout that can be combined with a partner template to custom fit the patterned drop cloth around varying sizes of columns with ease . in another embodiment , two material shapes are sewn together as one in a sized specified so as to fit over the tank of a toilet and the seat of the toilet for protecting the toilet from being dripped on when painting in bathrooms . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that drop cloths of the present invention provide improved protection and safety over conventional drop cloths commonly used today . furthermore , based on the foregoing description , it will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application . many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those specifically described herein , as well as many variations , modifications , and equivalent arrangements , will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing descriptions thereof , without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention . accordingly , while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to one or more preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for the purpose of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention . the foregoing disclosure is not intended to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise exclude any such other embodiments , adaptations , variations , modifications or equivalent arrangements , the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof . for example , the eva material provides rigidity , non - slip gripping , is light in weight , and is therefore preferred in the embodiment described with reference to the drawings herein . however , it is contemplated that , while not preferred , a range of other materials with similar characteristics to that of eva may be used to create the structural panels used in accordance with embodiments of the invention . such other materials include rubber , foam , or paper board . additionally , the fabric material in the embodiment described with reference to the drawings herein preferably is a non - woven , engineered fabric and is adhered to the structural panels by stitching . however , it is contemplated that the material can be a cloth material , such as a canvas , and that the panels can be adhered to the material by adhesive glue , or both glue and stitching . furthermore , in the embodiment described with reference to the drawings herein , the fabric is sewn onto predominantly one side ( i . e ., the top side ) of the structural panels in a manner that creates a fabric hinge or gap between the structural panels so as to allow the panels to fold onto one another like a book cover . it is additionally contemplated that fabric may also be wrapped and sewn to the underside edge of the structural panels . the engineered fabric is desired for its strength , durability , and balance of drip absorption and repellency . the panels at opposite end desirably have handles attached at each end for portability when folded . one or more embodiments of the invention also could include pockets or straps sewn onto the drop cloth for the carrying of common paint tools or other utensils . in yet another variation of embodiments of the present invention , panels of a drop cloth , rather than being sewn to the sheet of fabric , are inserted and sewn or glued between two sheets . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
fig1 shows an embodiment of a lighting system . this light fixture is considered a hybrid lighting system and is of a standard size . fig2 is another embodiment demonstrating a flexible version of the hybrid lighting system 100 . this is called the hybrid flexible lighting system . fig6 and fig7 are further embodiments that show mini versions of hybrid lighting system 100 and hybrid flexible lighting system 200 . fig6 is called a mini lighting system and fig7 is called a mini flexible lighting system . the various lighting system 100 200 600 700 demonstrate different lighting system styles with varying degrees of variation , but also have some general commonalities . for example , the casing of the lighting system is generally comprised of a lower box and upper box . in fig1 , the upper boxes are 130 and 140 , with a lower box of 150 . in fig2 , the upper boxes are 230 and 280 , with a lower box of 270 . the flexible lighting system 200 700 have flexible raceway hoses 260 760 and is comprised of multiple casings . the casings may be arranged to allow for other than a straight - line lamp to accommodate the specific requirements for architectural conditions in which they are being used . in these embodiments , the power supply generally sits in the middle of the lighting system , and is covered by a power supply access panel . this power supply access panel can be seen in 135 in fig1 and in 240 in fig2 . lamp clips 120 220 hold the lamp in place . fig3 shows an exploded view of the hybrid lighting system 100 . this exploded view reveals the internal components and provides a better perspective of the functional components . the lighting system in all of the present embodiments accommodate a cathode lamp 110 with its electrodes 320 connected through a bend back 310 on both ends . the electrodes 320 are terminated with an electrode cap 330 . a casing cover end segment 170 240 may be slid open so that the electrode 320 may be inserted into the lighting system . the sliding casing cover end segment has a thumb / pull screw 160 250 , that may be used to fasten the segment in the closed position , and may also serve as a knob in order to slide the segment manually open . the upper box 140 230 incorporates two opposing horizontal tracks for the casing cover end segment 170 240 to slide along . there is a track 340 attached to the lower box 150 that provides a linear path for the u chamber 360 to move along . the electrode cover 350 has one end fitted within the u chamber 360 . there is a u chamber end plate 370 that extends beyond the upper ( top ) portion of the u chamber 360 , such that it is in the path of the push back screw 180 attached to the casing cover end segment 170 . the u chamber end plate 370 and u chamber 360 are known as electrode cover adapters , since they attach to the electrode cover for various functional purposes . as the casing cover end segment 170 slides into the open position , the push back screw 180 travels towards the u chamber end plate 370 . as the casing cover end segment 170 continues sliding open , the push back screw 180 will come in contact with the u chamber end plate 370 , pushes the u chamber end plate 370 . this force causes the attached u chamber 360 and electrode cover 350 to slide inward along the track 340 , putting the u chamber 360 and electrode cover 350 in their retracted position . while in this retracted position , the cold cathode lamp 110 with the lamp electrode 320 facing down towards the lamp light system can be inserted through the opening left by the retracted casing cover end segment 170 . fig4 shows a cold cathode lamp 110 with its electrode 320 inserted through the opening . the electrode 320 and / or electrode cap 330 make contact with the retracted electrode cover 350 putting the cold cathode lamp 110 into proper alignment for the casing cover end segment 170 , electrode cover 350 and u chamber 360 assembly to be returned to a closed positioned . the track spring 380 is stretched when the casing cover end segment 170 is in its open position , and the track spring &# 39 ; s 380 retraction force causes the u chamber 360 and its attached u chamber end plate 370 to move in the outward direction , thus closing the casing cover end segment 170 through the push back screw 180 . the track spring 380 also allows for the electrode cover 350 to push towards the electrode cap 330 of the lamp 110 to make contact . also , track spring 380 allows for the electrode cover 350 to stop at varying retracted positions to accommodate varying locations of the lamp &# 39 ; s 110 electrode cap 330 . this important aspect prevents the electrode cover 350 and / or spring contact 390 from applying too much pressure against the electrode cap 330 of the lamp 110 . also , the electrode cover 350 and electrode cover adapter 360 are loosely held by the track , thus allowing the electrode cover to have some play or wiggle room . this wiggle room is important in accommodating variations in the angle of the electrode protrusion of the lamp . fig5 displays the lighting system in its closed position . when in this closed position , the spring contact 390 makes an electrical contact with the lamp electrode cap 330 . after engaging both electrodes 320 of the lamp 110 , the electrical circuit is complete , allowing the lamp to be energized . as discussed earlier , fig6 and fig7 display mini versions of the lighting system . the general principles discussed above , of having a casing cover end segment with an internal assembly for the insertion of a cold cathode lamp , applies for these embodiments . there are slight differences in these embodiments to accommodate the smaller size of these fixtures . an exploded view of an end of the mini flexible fixture 700 end is shown in fig8 . the casing cover end segment 730 slides on the horizontal tracks within the upper box 740 . the casing cover end segment 730 has a thumb / pull screw 770 used to fasten the door in the closed position and to use as a knob for manually sliding the casing cover end segment 730 . the lower box 790 has an incorporated track in its sidewall , and provides a linear path for the sliding electrode cover mount 850 to move along . in this embodiment , the electrode cover mount 850 is considered an electrode cover adapter , since it attaches to the electrode cover to provide various functional purposes . the sliding electrode cover mount 850 is shaped such that it is in the path of the push back screw 780 . as the casing cover end segment 730 is slid into the open position , the push back screw 780 travels towards the sliding electrode cover mount 850 and will eventually make contact with the sliding electrode cover mount 850 . as the casing cover end segment 730 continues moving towards the open position , the necessary force is applied by the push back screw 780 against the sliding electrode cover mount 850 to cause the sliding electrode cover mount 850 to slide inward along the track incorporated in the lower box 790 . an electrode cover 840 fitted to the sliding electrode cover mount 850 moves inward as well , and will now be in the retracted position . the sliding electrode cover mount 850 is loosely secured to the sidewall of the lower box 790 with a screw projecting through a linear slot track 860 . this attachment allows the sliding electrode cover mount 850 assembly to slide back and forth along the track 860 . the screw is also the attachment point for the track spring 870 that provides retraction for the assembly to go from the open position to the closed position . the track spring 870 also allows for the electrode cover 840 to push towards the electrode cap 820 of the lamp 710 to make contact . also , track spring 870 allows for the electrode cover 840 to stop at varying retracted positions to accommodate varying locations of the lamp &# 39 ; s 710 electrode cap 820 . this important aspect prevents the electrode cover 840 and / or spring contact 830 from applying too much pressure against the electrode cap 820 of the lamp 710 . fig9 shows the casing cover end segment 730 in the open position . the cold cathode lamp 710 , with its lamp electrode 810 in a downward facing attitude can be inserted through the opening left by the retracted casing cover end segment 730 . the lamp electrode and / or lamp electrode cap 820 will make contact with the retracted electrode cover 840 , putting the cold cathode lamp 710 into proper alignment for the casing cover end segment 730 , sliding electrode cover mount 850 assembly and electrode cover 840 to be returned to the closed position . the track spring 870 retracts , returning the casing cover end segment 730 , sliding electrode cover mount 850 assembly and electrode cover 840 to the closed position . fig1 shows the casing cover end segment 730 in the closed position . when in this closed position , the spring contact 830 makes an electrical contact with the lamp electrode cap 820 . after engaging both electrodes of the lamp 710 in the above manner , the electrical circuit is complete allowing the lamp to be energized . fig1 shows another embodiment of a hybrid lighting system . these can be produced with relatively short boxes ore relatively long raceways of any length between approximately 3 ′ to 8 ′. fig1 shows an exploded view of this hybrid lighting system . as seen from fig1 and fig1 , the top portion of the casing is comprised of the upper box 1170 , detachable casing cover segment 1140 , and casing cover end segment 1130 . the casing cover end segments 1130 can be slid open and closed , and requires that the detachable casing cover segment 1140 be removed for it to be slid open . the casing cover end segment 1130 slides along the tracks at the upper edge of the sidewalls ( also referred to as legs ) of the bottom section 1160 . these same legs , which act as tracks for the casing cover end segment 1130 , also act as a protrusion for the detachable casing cover segment 1140 to be snapped on . fig1 a , 13 b , 13 c , and 13 d demonstrate the removal of the lamp 1110 . in fig1 a , the lamp clip 1120 is moved away from the detachable casing cover segment 1140 . in fig1 b , the detachable casing cover segment 1140 is removed . in fig1 c , the casing cover end segment 1130 may be slid inward and into the open position . in fig1 d , the lamp 1110 is removed with the casing cover end segment 1130 in the open position . referring back to the exploded view in fig1 , it is shown that the electrode cover assembly is comprised of the electrode cover 1230 , spring contact 1240 , u chamber 1220 , and u chamber end plate 1250 . the u chamber 1220 and u chamber end plate 1250 are considered electrode cover adapters . the u chamber 1220 has its two end points facing in the upward direction , and fit into the track underneath the casing cover end segment 1130 . there are two tracks under the casing cover end segment 1130 that are both “ l ” shaped and facing towards one another . the u chamber 1220 slides along these tracks . the u chamber &# 39 ; s 1220 two end points have a groove shaped profile as a means to fit and slide along these tracks . note , fig1 also shows similar tracks 1270 under the upper box ( or casing cover ) 1170 , which does not necessarily have to be there , but are there to simplify the manufacturing process . there is a spring 1260 that is attached via a screw to the casing cover end segment at one end , and fixedly attached to the u chamber 1220 at the other end . fig1 shows a bottom perspective view of the lighting system of this embodiment . here , the casing cover end segment 1130 is closed , and the detachable casing cover segment 1150 is attached . fig1 shows the same bottom perspective view , but with the detachable casing cover segment 1150 detached and the casing cover end segment 1130 in the open position . as shown , opening the casing cover end segment 1130 causes the electrode cover 1230 to slide inward since the electrode cover 1230 is indirectly connected to the casing cover end segment 1130 through the spring 1260 . the main purpose of the spring 1260 is for when the lamp 1110 is inserted and the casing cover end segment 1130 is in the closed position . the spring 1260 allows for the electrode cover 1230 to stop at varying retracted positions to accommodate varying locations of the lamp &# 39 ; s 1110 electrode cap 1280 . this compensates for varying lengths of the lamp electrode 1290 and electrode cap 1280 with generally greater tolerance than many commercial products . this important aspect prevents the electrode cover 1230 and / or spring contact 1240 from applying too much pressure against the electrode cap 1280 of the lamp 1110 . this in turn eliminates the transmission force that could damage , crack , or break the electrode and lamp . there is a post 1210 attached to the underside of the casing cover end segment 1130 and is centered between the opposing “ l ” shaped tracks of the casing cover end segment 1130 . this post 1210 acts as a stop to prevent the u chamber 1220 from sliding out of the track and becoming disengaged . in fig1 , it can be seen how a cathode lamp 1110 is inserted into this lighting system . while the casing cover end segment 1130 is in the open position , and the electrode cover 1230 is retracted , the lamp 1110 may be inserted by having its electrode portion inserted into the opening exposed by the casing cover end segment 1130 . the lamp &# 39 ; s 1110 electrode will make contact with the retracted electrode cover 1230 , putting the cathode lamp into proper alignment for the electrode cover 1230 , u chamber 1220 , and casing cover end segment 1130 to be returned to the closed position . the spring 1260 gently pulls the u chamber 1220 and electrode cover 1230 causing it to slide along the track and keep it in constant contact with the lamp electrode . in this closed position the spring contact 1240 makes an electrical contact with the lamp electrode cap 1280 . with both of the casing cover end segments 1130 closed , the detachable casing cover segments 1140 may be snapped back into the lower box 1160 . after engaging both electrodes of the lamp 1110 in the above manner , the electrical circuit is complete allowing the lamp to be energized . fig1 shows another embodiment of a hybrid flexible lighting system . fig1 is a partial view of the hybrid flexible lighting system of fig1 . it operates similarly to the lighting system of fig1 . the lamp clip 1620 can be moved to allow the detachable casing cover segment 1630 to be snapped off from the lower box 1650 . the casing cover end segment 1640 can be slid open , which interacts with an electrode cover assembly very much like that of fig1 . the apparent difference here is that the casing is sectionalized , and can be comprised of a plurality of casings . the center casing contains the power supply . the casings may be arranged to allow for other than a straight - line lamp to accommodate the specific requirements for architectural conditions in which they are being used . hybrid flexible electrical conduit and trade fittings may be used to electrically connect these casings through provided knockouts . all casing are furnished with removable upper covers , making all the internal elements within said casing fully accessible for easy installation , electrical connection and servicing by the electrical trade or other qualified to install lighting products . it is shown here that the outer end casings can have the same electrode cover assembly functionality of fig1 can be applied here . the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner . it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation . while there have been described herein , what are considered to be preferred and exemplary embodiments of the present invention , other modifications of the invention shall be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein and , it is , therefore , desired to be secured in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 5Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting
|
a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying experiments . in a series of experiments , the bactericidal effect of the anolyte solution was tested on animals . the results are reflected in the tables below . the basic electrolytic cells used to generate the electrolytically activated solutions utilized in this invention are modular units with the operational specifications for the reactors being optimised for each specific application . the cell includes a cylindrical metal vessel typically about 210 mm long and 16 mm in diameter , having a central rod anode ( positive electrode ) located within a concentric ceramic tube membrane . the outer tubular wall of the cell reactor acts as the cathode ( negative electrode ). provision is made for inlet and outlet ports for the passage of the fluid through it . effectively , the ceramic membrane divides the cell into two compartments , the anode compartment and the cathode compartment . water enters the cell and exits from these compartments as two streams , namely the anolyte and the catholyte , respectively . if so desired , some or all of the catholyte may be returned to the anode compartment so as to vary the properties of the anolyte being produced . similarly , some or all of the anolyte may be returned to the cathode compartment so as to vary the properties of the catholyte being produced . a number of other hydraulic system configurations also exist , all of which are designed to achieve specific objectives . the design of the cell is such as to ensure a very high uniform electric field through which each micro volume of water must pass . in so doing the molecules of water in the anolyte and catholyte acquire special properties which cannot be reproduced by other ( more conventional chemical ) means . this electrolytic treatment results in the creation of anolyte and catholyte solutions whose ph , oxidation - reduction potentials ( orp ) and other physico - chemical properties lie outside of the range that can be achieved by conventional chemical means . in this invention the ph , orp and concentration values of chlorine , chlorides and other dissolved salts have been determined , unless otherwise stated , as per standard methods of examination of water and effluents . the anolyte solution was added to the drinking water of the weaner piglets over a period of 14 days and the results were measured in terms of average weight after the 14 day period . the average weight of the administered groups were compared with the average weight of the non - administered groups . the administered groups showed relative weight gain relative to the non - administered groups . day old broilers were administered with anolyte solution ( 10 % diluted ) by addition to drinking water for 7 days . ( group c3 — 12 , 000 chicklets ). no antibiotic medication was administered during that time . untreated control groups ( c1 , c2 , c4 and c5 = total 48 , 000 chicklets ) received normal drinking water during that time . the untreated groups were routinely medicated with tylosin for 3 consecutive days . bacterial analyses of the drinking water of all groups were regularly conducted during the first 7 days . other measurements included daily mortalities and morbidities throughout and ph and orp determinations of the drinking water during the first 7 days . medication of drinking water with anolyte solution supplied to day - old chicklets for the first period resulted in a significant reduction in mortalities throughout the growth and finishing period . mortalities increased in all the groups from the 4th week onwards mainly due to respiratory disease . it is envisaged that these could be reduced by fogging the environment with anolyte solution to eliminate airborne respiratory pathogens by means of respiratory intake . it has been found that the efficacy of the use of the anolyte solution in the treatment of live animals depends upon the concentration of the anions in the anolyte solution , as measured by the oxidation - reduction potential ( orp ) or redox potential of the anolyte solution , the flow rate through the reactor , the exposure time , i . e . the contact time between the contaminated animal and the anolyte solution and the temperature during application . by measuring the redox potential of the anolyte solution during the treatment , for example , of a weaner piglet , the available free radical concentration can be monitored . anolyte solution has been found to be more effective at lower than at higher temperatures . the applicant has found that growth rates in broiler chickens were significantly enhanced when the water source was treated with anolyte when compared to an untreated control group . the trial consisted of one control group and six treatment groups , each with three replicates of 50 chickens . all replicates were randomly assigned a trial enclosure within the same house , and all chickens were hatched on the same day from the same parent flock . weight recordings were conducted every second week on the total group and on alternate weeks on individual chickens . all mortalities were recorded . feed and water were supplied ad libitum and feed intake per replicate accurately recorded . the following treatments were applied : chickens were slaughtered at 42 days , at which time final live weights and food intake over the period recorded . production parameters ( as measured by mortality reduction , final slaughter mass , kilogram meat produced per m 2 floor space and feed conversion rates ) in the following example were significantly enhanced . in this trial the above parameters obtained on the same site in 2 previous cycles ( i . e . 110 and 111 ) were compared to the experimental one ( i . e . 112 ) where broiler chickens were again treated with anolyte . the site consisted of 6 broiler houses each stocked with 2700 broilers . it is evident from the above results that when the anionic solution was dosed into the drinking water at an inclusion rate of 15 %, fewer chickens died , the live mass was significantly higher whilst converting food more efficiently . in this trial approximately 5 kg live mass per square meter floor space , equating to 7 . 35 tonnes per house or 44 . 1 tonnes per site additional meat , was produced . no antibiotic water medication was employed in cycle 112 whilst in both preceding cycles fosbac ( fosamycin 20 % and tylosin 5 %) was used . in this trial the effect of the addition of anolyte on the productivity of weaners was studied . the trial was carried out over two rounds with a total of 16 replicates per round and 400 pigs per group . microbial examinations of drinking water showed the total number of bacteria to be reduced from 3 , 500 , 000 / ml to zero and of coliforms from & gt ; 160 / ml to zero when either 25 % or 10 % anolyte was added . mortalities and clinical cases showed no difference between treatment and control groups . it will be appreciated that many variations in detail are possible without departing from the scope and / or spirit of the invention as set out in the claims hereinafter . thus , the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and attain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherent therein . while presently preferred embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure , numerous changes and modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . such changes and modifications are encompassed within the spirit of this invention as defined by the claims . | 0Human Necessities
|
referring to the accompanying drawings , embodiments of the present invention are described below . fig1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a variable resistor circuit 180 according to a first embodiment of the present invention . the variable resistor circuit 180 corresponds to the resistors 303 to 305 and the trimming circuit 351 of the related art . the variable resistor circuit 180 according to the first embodiment includes resistors 101 to 101 n together forming a resistor circuit , a resistor 113 as a reference resistor , inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 , nmos transistors 102 to 102 n + 1 and 114 , selector switches 116 to 120 , an amplifier 110 , constant current circuits 111 and 112 , and a register circuit 115 . the amplifier 110 has a non - inverting input terminal connected to the constant current circuit 111 and a drain of the nmos transistor 114 , an inverting input terminal connected to the constant current circuit 112 and one terminal of the resistor 113 , and an output connected to a gate of the nmos transistor 114 . the resistor 113 has another terminal connected to a vss terminal 153 . the nmos transistor 114 has a source connected to the vss terminal 153 . the n resistors 101 to 101 n are connected in series , and one end of the n series - connected resistors 101 to 101 n is connected to an output terminal 151 and another end thereof is connected to a drain of the nmos transistor 102 n + 1 . the nmos transistor 102 n + 1 has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 n + 1 and a source connected to an output terminal 154 . the nmos transistor 102 n has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 n , a drain connected to a connection point between one terminal of the resistor 101 n and one terminal of the resistor 101 n − 1 , and a source connected to the output terminal 154 . the nmos transistor 102 n − 1 has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 n − 1 , a drain connected to another terminal of the resistor 101 n − 1 , and a source connected to the output terminal 154 . the nmos transistor 102 a has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 a , a drain connected to a connection point between the resistors 101 and 101 a , and a source connected to the output terminal 154 . the nmos transistor 102 has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 , a drain connected to the output terminal 151 , and a source connected to the output terminal 154 . the register circuit 115 receives respective output signals of the selector switches 116 to 120 . the register circuit 115 has an output terminal 130 connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 , an output terminal 130 a connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 a , an output terminal 130 n − 1 connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 n − 1 , an output terminal 130 n connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 n , and an output terminal 130 n + 1 connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 n + 1 . the inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 each have a power supply terminal connected to the output of the amplifier 110 . the output terminal 154 is connected to the vss terminal 153 . next , an operation of the variable resistor circuit 180 according to the first embodiment as configured above is described . each of the selector switches 116 to 120 is switched in response to an external signal corresponding to a desired resistance , and outputs the switched signal to the register circuit 115 . based on the input signals , the register circuit 115 determines respective signals of the output terminals 130 to 130 n + 1 . when hi is output from the output terminal 130 of the register circuit 115 , the output of the inverter 103 is lo , and the nmos transistor 102 is turned off . when lo is output from the output terminal 130 of the register circuit 115 , the output of the inverter 103 is hi , and the nmos transistor 102 is turned on . the other output terminals and nmos transistors have the same relationships . for example , when lo is output from the output terminal 130 and hi is output from all the other output terminals , only the nmos transistor 102 is turned on , and hence a resistance between the output terminals 151 and 154 is an on - state resistance of the nmos transistor 102 . as another example , when lo is output from the output terminal 130 a and hi is output from all the other output terminals , only the nmos transistor 102 a is turned on , and hence the resistance between the output terminals 151 and 154 is a series resistance of the resistance of the resistor 101 and an on - state resistance of the nmos transistor 102 a . as another example , when lo is output from the output terminal 130 n and hi is output from all the other output terminals , only the nmos transistor 102 n is turned on , and hence the resistance between the output terminals 151 and 154 is a series resistance of the resistances from the resistors 101 to 101 n − 1 and an on - state resistance of the nmos transistor 102 n . as another example , when lo is output from the output terminal 130 n + 1 and hi is output from all the other output terminals , only the nmos transistor 102 n + 1 is turned on , and hence the resistance between the output terminals 151 and 154 is a series resistance of the resistances from the resistors 101 to 101 n and an on - state resistance of the nmos transistor 102 n + 1 . the constant current circuits 111 and 112 each supply a current i , which is substantially the same as a current i that flows between the output terminals 151 and 154 when a circuit or an external device is connected between the output terminals 151 and 154 . the resistors 101 to 101 n and the resistor 113 have the same resistance r . the nmos transistors 102 to 102 n + 1 and the nmos transistor 114 have the same size . a voltage at the inverting input terminal of the amplifier 110 is a voltage i × r , which is determined by the current i of the constant current circuit 112 and the resistance r of the resistor 113 . a voltage at the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 110 is also the voltage i × r because the nmos transistor 114 is controlled by the output of the amplifier 110 so as to obtain the same voltage as the voltage at the inverting input terminal . in other words , the nmos transistor 114 operates in the non - saturation region so that an on - state resistance thereof is controlled to the same resistance r as that of the resistor 113 . because the power supply terminals of the inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 are connected to the output of the amplifier 110 , the inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 each output the voltage i × r as hi . the nmos transistors 102 to 102 n + 1 have the same size as that of the nmos transistor 114 , and hence when the inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 output hi , the nmos transistors 102 to 102 n + 1 operate in the non - saturation region so that the on - state resistances thereof are controlled to the resistance r . therefore , for example , when the output terminal 130 of the register circuit 115 is lo , the resistance between the output terminals 151 and 154 is the resistance r of the on - state resistance of the nmos transistor 102 . as another example , when the output terminals 130 and 130 a of the register circuit 115 are lo , the resistance between the output terminals 151 and 154 is a series resistance 2 r of the resistance of the resistor 101 and the on - state resistance of the nmos transistor 102 a . as described above , in the variable resistor circuit 180 according to this embodiment , the on - state resistances of the nmos transistors , which are trimming switches , are also used as the resistance r . therefore , unlike the conventional variable resistor circuit , the resistance can be controlled with accuracy without causing an error by the on - state resistances of the nmos transistors . further , the on - state resistances of the nmos transistors are controlled by the currents of the constant current circuits and the resistor , and hence power supply voltage dependence and temperature dependence can be reduced . besides , the layout area can also be reduced because it is not necessary to reduce the on - state resistances . fig2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a variable resistor circuit 280 according to a second embodiment of the present invention . the variable resistor circuit 280 corresponds to the resistors 303 to 305 and the trimming circuit 351 of the related art . the variable resistor circuit 280 according to the second embodiment includes resistors 101 to 101 n together forming a resistor circuit , a resistor 113 as a reference resistor , inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 , pmos transistors 201 to 201 n + 1 and 204 , selector switches 116 to 120 , an amplifier 110 , constant current circuits 111 and 112 , and a register circuit 115 . the amplifier 110 has a non - inverting input terminal connected to the constant current circuit 111 and a drain of the pmos transistor 204 , an inverting input terminal connected to the constant current circuit 112 and one terminal of the resistor 113 , and an output connected to a gate of the pmos transistor 204 . the resistor 113 has another terminal connected to a vdd terminal 152 . the pmos transistor 204 has a source connected to the vdd terminal 152 . the n resistors 101 to 101 n are connected in series , and one end of the n series - connected resistors 101 to 101 n is connected to an output terminal 251 and another end thereof is connected to a drain of the pmos transistor 201 n + 1 . the pmos transistor 201 n + 1 has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 n + 1 and a source connected to an output terminal 252 . the pmos transistor 201 n has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 n , a drain connected to a connection point between one terminal of the resistor 101 n and one terminal of the resistor 101 n − 1 , and a source connected to the output terminal 252 . the pmos transistor 201 n − 1 has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 n − 1 , a drain connected to another terminal of the resistor 101 n − 1 , and a source connected to the output terminal 252 . the pmos transistor 201 a has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 a , a drain connected to a connection point between the resistors 101 and 101 a , and a source connected to the output terminal 252 . the pmos transistor 201 has a gate connected to an output of the inverter 103 , a drain connected to the output terminal 251 , and a source connected to the output terminal 252 . the register circuit 115 receives respective output signals of the selector switches 116 to 120 . the register circuit 115 has an output terminal 130 connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 , an output terminal 130 a connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 a , an output terminal 130 n − 1 connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 n − 1 , an output terminal 130 n connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 n , and an output terminal 130 n + 1 connected to an input terminal of the inverter 103 n + 1 . the inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 each have a vss terminal connected to the output of the amplifier 110 . the output terminal 252 is connected to the vdd terminal 152 . in other words , the variable resistor circuit 280 according to the second embodiment operates with reference to the vdd terminal 152 . next , an operation of the variable resistor circuit 280 according to the second embodiment as configured above is described . the selector switches 116 to 120 are each switched in response to an external signal corresponding to a desired resistance , and outputs the switched signal to the register circuit 115 . based on the input signals , the register circuit 115 determines respective signals of the output terminals 130 to 130 n + 1 . when hi is output from the output terminal 130 of the register circuit 115 , the output of the inverter 103 is lo , and the pmos transistor 201 is turned on . when lo is output from the output terminal 130 of the register circuit 115 , the output of the inverter 103 is hi , and the pmos transistor 201 is turned off . the other output terminals and pmos transistors have the same relationships . for example , when hi is output from the output terminal 130 and lo is output from all the other output terminals , only the pmos transistor 201 is turned on , and hence a resistance between the output terminals 252 and 251 is an on - state resistance of the pmos transistor 201 . as another example , when hi is output from the output terminal 130 a and lo is output from all the other output terminals , only the pmos transistor 201 a is turned on , and hence the resistance between the output terminals 252 and 251 is a series resistance of the resistance of the resistor 101 and an on - state resistance of the pmos transistor 201 a . as another example , when hi is output from the output terminal 130 n and lo is output from all the other output terminals , only the pmos transistor 201 n is turned on , and hence the resistance between the output terminals 252 and 251 is a series resistance of the resistances from the resistors 101 to 101 n − 1 and an on - state resistance of the pmos transistor 201 n . as another example , when hi is output from the output terminal 130 n + 1 and lo is output from all the other output terminals , only the pmos transistor 201 n + 1 is turned on , and hence the resistance between the output terminals 252 and 251 is a series resistance of the resistances from the resistors 101 to 101 n and an on - state resistance of the pmos transistor 201 n + 1 . the constant current circuits 111 and 112 each supply a current i , which is substantially the same as a current i that flows between the output terminals 252 and 251 when a circuit or an external device is connected between the output terminals 252 and 251 . the resistors 101 to 101 n and the resistor 113 have the same resistance r . the pmos transistors 201 to 201 n + 1 and the pmos transistor 204 have the same size . a voltage at the inverting input terminal of the amplifier 110 is a voltage − i × r with reference to the vdd terminal , which is determined by the current i of the constant current circuit 112 and the resistance r of the resistor 113 . a voltage at the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 110 is also the voltage − i × r because the pmos transistor 204 is controlled by the output of the amplifier 110 so as to obtain the same voltage as the voltage at the inverting input terminal . in other words , the pmos transistor 204 operates in the non - saturation region so that an on - state resistance thereof is controlled to the same resistance r as that of the resistor 113 . because the vss terminals of the inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 are connected to the output of the amplifier 110 , the inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 each output the voltage − i × r as lo . the pmos transistors 201 to 201 n + 1 have the same size as that of the pmos transistor 204 , and hence when the inverters 103 to 103 n + 1 output lo , the pmos transistors 201 to 201 n + 1 operate in the non - saturation region so that the on - state resistances thereof are controlled to the resistance r . therefore , for example , when the output terminal 130 of the register circuit 115 is hi , the resistance between the output terminals 252 and 251 is the resistance r of the on - state resistance of the pmos transistor 201 . as another example , when the output terminals 130 and 130 a of the register circuit 115 are hi , the resistance between the output terminals 252 and 251 is a series resistance 2 r of the resistance of the resistor 101 and the on - state resistance of the pmos transistor 201 a . as described above , in the variable resistor circuit 280 according to this embodiment , the on - state resistances of the pmos transistors , which are trimming switches , are also used as the resistance r . therefore , unlike the conventional variable resistor circuit , the resistance can be controlled with accuracy without causing an error by the on - state resistances of the pmos transistors . further , the on - state resistances of the pmos transistors are controlled by the currents of the constant current circuits and the resistor , and hence power supply voltage dependence and temperature dependence can be reduced . besides , the layout area can also be reduced because it is not necessary to reduce the on - state resistances . note that , in the description above , the on - state resistances of the mos transistors as the trimming switches are used as the same resistance as those of the resistors forming the resistor circuit . however , the present invention is not limited thereto , and the on - state resistances may be a resistance twice or half the resistances of the resistors forming the resistor circuit . fig4 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor integrated circuit including the variable resistor circuit 180 according to the first embodiment of the present invention . the semiconductor integrated circuit of fig4 includes an amplifier 301 , a resistor 302 , and the variable resistor circuit 180 , thereby constituting a constant voltage circuit . the amplifier 301 has a non - inverting input terminal connected to a vref terminal . the resistor 302 has one terminal connected to an output of the amplifier 301 and a vr terminal , and another terminal connected to an inverting input terminal of the amplifier 301 and the output terminal 151 of the variable resistor circuit 180 . the output terminal 154 of the variable resistor circuit 180 is connected to the vss terminal 153 . as described above , when the variable resistor circuit of the present invention is used as a constant voltage circuit , an output voltage with high trimming accuracy can be obtained , the power supply voltage dependence and the temperature dependence can be reduced , and the layout area can be reduced . further , even when the variable resistor circuit 280 is used to constitute a constant voltage circuit as illustrated in fig5 , an accurate output voltage can be obtained as well . note that , the constant voltage circuit has been described as an example of the semiconductor integrated circuit including the variable resistor circuit , but the same effects can be obtained as long as the variable resistor circuit according to the present invention is used for a semiconductor integrated circuit including a resistor circuit . | 6Physics
|
the invention is an extrudate comprising titania . suitable titanias can be rutile , anatase , brookite , or a mixture . titania may be produced by the chloride process , the sulfate process , the hydrothermal process , or the flame hydrolysis of titanium tetrachloride . examples of suitable titanias include tiona ® dt - 51 , dt - 52 , dt - 51d , dt - 40 , and dt - 20 of millennium inorganic chemicals . the extrudate comprises a carboxyalkyl cellulose . cellulose is an organic compound with the formula ( c 6 h 10 o 5 ) n , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of β - 1 , 4 - linkages , as shown in scheme i , where n = 50 to 20 , 000 . cellulose is the structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants . cellulose can be converted into many derivatives . a carboxyalkyl cellulose is a cellulose derivative with carboxyalkyl groups bound to some of the hydroxyl groups of the glucopyranose monomers that make up the cellulose backbone , as shown in scheme ii , where r ═ h , carboxylalkyl , and m = 50 to 20 , 000 . it is often used as its sodium salt , sodium carboxyalkyl cellulose . the functional properties of carboxyalkyl celluloses depend on the degree of substitution of the cellulose structure ( i . e ., how many of the hydroxyl groups have taken part in the substitution reaction ), as well as the chain length of the cellulose backbone and the degree of clustering of the substituents . the average number of substituted hydroxyl groups per glucose unit in cellulose derivatives is referred to as the degree of substitution ( ds ). complete substitution would provide a ds of 3 . preferably , a carboxymethyl celluloses is used . preferred carboxymethyl celluloses have a degree of substitution of 0 . 5 to 0 . 9 ( d . b . braun and m . r . rosen , rheology modifiers handbook practical use and applications ( 2000 ) william andrew publishing , pp . 109 - 131 ). carboxymethyl celluloses are known as extrusion aids ( u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 884 , 138 and 6 , 709 , 570 ; u . s . pat . appl . pub . no . 2008 / 0146721 ). the extrudate also comprises a hydroxyalkyl cellulose . a hydroxyalkyl cellulose is a derivative of cellulose in which some of the hydroxyl groups in the repeating glucose units are hydroxyalkylated . some of the hydroxyl groups in a hydroxyalkyl cellulose may also be alkylated . a typical structure of a hydroxyalkyl cellulose is shown in scheme ii , where r ═ h , alkyl , hydroxyalkyl , and m = 50 to 20 , 000 . preferably , the hydroxyalkyl group is selected from the group consisting of 2 - hydroxyethyl , 2 - hydroxypropyl , and mixtures thereof . more preferably the hydroxyalkyl cellulose is alkylated . most preferably , the hydroxyalkyl cellulose is selected from the group consisting of methyl 2 - hydroxyethyl cellulose , methyl 2 - hydroxypropyl cellulose , and mixtures thereof . preferably , the degree of methyl substitution is from 1 to 2 , more preferably from 1 . 5 to 1 . 8 ; and the 2 - hydroxyethyl or 2 - hydroxypropyl molar substitution is from 0 . 1 to 0 . 3 . methocel ™ k4m cellulose derivative , a product of the dow chemical company having a methyl substitution of 1 . 4 and a hydroxypropyl molar substitution of 0 . 21 , is preferably used . hydroxyalkyl celluloses are known as extrusion aids ( u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 884 , 138 , 6 , 316 , 383 , and 6 , 709 , 570 ). the extrudate may comprise an inorganic oxide other than titania , e . g ., silicas , aluminas , zirconias , magnesias , silica - aluminas , silica - magnesias , zeolites , clays , and the like , and mixtures thereof . suitable silicas include , e . g ., silica gel , precipitated silica , and fumed silica . the weight ratio of other inorganic oxides to the titania is preferably less than 50 : 50 , more preferably less than 20 : 80 , most preferably less than 10 : 90 . the weight ratio of the carboxyalkyl cellulose to the titania is preferably from 0 . 2 : 100 to 5 : 100 , more preferably from 0 . 5 : 100 to 4 : 100 , most preferably from 1 : 100 to 3 : 100 . the weight ratio of the hydroxyalkyl cellulose to the titania is preferably from 0 . 1 : 100 to 2 . 5 : 100 , more preferably from 0 . 2 : 100 to 2 : 100 , most preferably from 0 . 5 : 100 to 1 : 100 . the weight ratio of the carboxyalkyl cellulose to the hydroxyalkyl cellulose is preferably from 5 : 1 to 1 : 2 , more preferably from 3 : 1 to 1 : 1 . to produce the extrudate , the titania , the carboxyalkyl cellulose , and the hydroxyalkyl cellulose are made into a well - mixed dough . if necessary , a solvent may be used . suitable solvents include water , alcohols , ethers , esters , amides , aromatic compounds , halogenated compounds , and the like , and mixtures thereof . preferred solvents are water , alcohols , and their mixtures . suitable alcohols include methanol , ethanol , isopropanol , tert - butanol , and benzyl alcohol . a titania sol may be used as the source of the titania . a titania sol is a colloidal suspension of titania particles in a liquid . a titania sol can be prepared by hydrolyzing a titania precursor . suitable titania precursors include titanium salts , titanium halides , titanium alkoxides , titanium oxyhalides , and the like . the extrudate of the invention is made by extrusion , a process in which a dough is pushed through a die or an orifice to create long objects of a fixed cross - section . extrusion is commonly used to process plastics or food , and to form adsorbents , catalysts , or catalyst carriers . any conventional extruder may be used . a suitable screw - type extruder is described in “ particle size enlargement ,” handbook of powder technology , vol . 1 ( 1980 ) pp . 112 - 22 . the carboxyalkyl cellulose and the hydroxyalkyl cellulose are used as extrusion aids . an extrusion aid helps the mixing , mulling , and extruding operation and may improve the mechanical and / or physical properties of the extrudate such as crushing strength , surface area , pore size , or pore volume . the extrudate comprising titania , the carboxyalkyl cellulose and the hydroxyalkyl cellulose has a smooth outer surface . they do not tend to stick to each other while being formed , dried , and calcined , which is suitable for large scale production . in addition the combination of the carboxyalkyl cellulose and the hydroxyalkyl cellulose minimizes “ feathering .” the term “ feathering ” means that an extrudate , instead of having a smooth outer surface , exhibits cracks in its surface where small flakes or “ feathers ” of the extrudate are separated from the surface . “ feathering ” not only causes loss of valuable material but also tends to impair the physical strength of an extrudate . the extrudate may comprise other extrusion aids , including , e . g ., alkyl amines , carboxylic acids , alkyl ammonium compounds , amino alcohols , starch , polyacrylates , polymethacrylates , poly ( vinyl alcohols , poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ) s , poly ( amino acid ) s , polyethers , poly ( tetrahydrofuran ) s , metal carboxylates , and the like , and mixtures thereof . preferred poly ( alkylene oxide ) s are poly ( ethylene oxide ) s , poly ( propylene oxide ) s , or copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide . organic extrusion aids are usually removed by calcination . the extrudate is generally dried after it is formed . the drying operation generally removes most of the solvents ( e . g ., greater than 90 %) from the extrudate . the drying operation may be performed at 30 to 200 ° c . at atmospheric pressure or under vacuum . the drying may occur in air or an inert atmosphere . sometimes , it is preferable to raise the drying temperature slowly so the extrudate will not be cracked or weakened . the invention includes a calcined extrudate . preferably , the calcination is carried out in an oxygen - containing gas to burn off the organic materials ( e . g ., residual solvent and extrusion aids ) contained in the extrudate . the calcination may be carried out at 400 to 1000 ° c ., more preferably from 450 to 800 ° c ., most preferably from 650 to 750 ° c . sometimes , it is beneficial to initially calcine the extrudate in an inert gas ( e . g ., nitrogen , helium ) to thermally decompose the organic compounds contained in the extrudate , and then burn off the organic materials in an oxygen - containing gas . generally , a calcined extrudate after the calcination contains less than 0 . 5 wt % carbon . preferably , it contains less than 0 . 1 wt % carbon . the invention additionally includes a process for producing an extrudate comprising ( a ) mixing titania , a carboxyalkyl cellulose , and a hydroxyalkyl cellulose to form a dough ; ( b ) extruding the dough to produce the extrudate . the process is described in detail in the previous sections . d - t51 titania ( 2500 g ), a high - purity walocel ™ c sodium carboxymethyl cellulose ( the dow chemical company , 52 . 5 g ), poly ( ethylene oxide ) ( mw = 100 , 000 , 35 g ), and a 2 - hydroxypropyl cellulose ( methocel ™ k4m , 25 g ) are mixed in an eirich mixer for 5 min . water ( 1005 g ), an aqueous ammonium hydroxide ( 14 . 8 m , 100 g ), and benzyl alcohol ( 17 . 5 g ) are added into the mixer . they are mixed for 5 min at the “ low ” speed setting , then for 10 min at the “ high ” speed setting . the dough produced is placed in the hopper of a bonnot 2 - inch extruder ( the bonnot company ) equipped with a die face of 25 holes with a diameter of ⅛ inch . the extrusion is performed at a rate of approximately 0 . 25 kg / min . the extrudates produced have smooth outer surface and there is minimal sticking each other occurring . almost no feathering is observed . the extrudates are piled 1 inch deep on a collection tray and dried in air at 80 ° c . for 12 h , then calcined in air . the calcination temperature is raised from room temperature to 500 ° c . at a rate of 2 ° c ./ min , held at 500 ° c . for 2 h , raised from 500 ° c . to 700 ° c . at a rate of 10 ° c ./ min , held at 700 ° c . for 3 h , then lowered to room temperature . some physical properties of the calcined titania extrudate are listed in table 1 . the crush strength of the calcined titania extrudate is measured with a chatillon crush strength analyzer ( model dpp 50 ). the force necessary for failure in 25 measurements is averaged to give the reported value . bulk density is measured by placing 40 g of the calcined extrudates in a 100 - ml graduated cylinder ( 1 ″ nominal outer diameter ). the graduated cylinder is tapped until the apparent volume no longer changes , and then this value is divided into the mass to calculate the bulk density . voidage is determined by adding the pellets to 50 ml water in a second graduated cylinder and then tapping until all voids are filled . the resulting water level is subtracted from the total volume of the water and the pellets taken separately to determine the void volume occupied by water . total pore volume is determined by pouring the mixture through a sieve basket , shaking to remove excess water and then weighing the wet extrudates . the increase in mass over the initial 40 g of extrudates divided by the density of water is taken as the measure of the pore volume . the procedure of example 1 is repeated with the formulation shown in table 1 . the extrudates are droopy as they exit the die face of the extruder and tend to stick to each other as they lay on the collection tray . the procedure of example 1 is repeated with the formulation shown in table 1 . the extrudates are droopy as they exit the die face of the extruder and tend to stick to each other as they lay on the collection tray . the procedure of example 1 is repeated , except that the formulation is as follows : dt - 51 ( 2000 g ), tamol ™ 1124 dispersant ( a hydrophilic polyelectrolyte copolymer from the dow chemical company , 32 . 6 g ), methocel ™ k4m ( 54 . 6 g ), lactic acid ( 6 g ), water ( 950 g ), aqueous ammonium hydroxide ( 14 . 8 m , 70 g ). the procedure of example 4 is repeated , except that alumina ( disperal ® p2 , available from sasol , 20 g ) is used . the extrudates are droopy as they exit the die face of the extruder and tend to stick to each other as they lay on a metal tray . the calcined extrudate contains 1 wt % alumina and 99 wt % titania . the procedure of example 1 is repeated , except that the formulation is as follows : dt51 ( 300 g ), tamol ™ 1124 dispersant ( 5 g ), walocel ™ c cellulose ( 6 g ), methocel ™ k4m cellulose ( 6 g ), lactic acid ( 4 . 5 g ), water ( 155 g ), and aqueous ammonium hydroxide ( 14 . 8 m , 11 g ). the extrudates have smooth outer surface . minimal feathering is observed . almost no extrudate is observed to stick to others . the procedure of example 6 is repeated , except that the formulation is shown in table 3 . the extrudates slump upon exiting the die . they stick to each other on the collection tray . the procedure of example 6 is repeated , except that the formulation is shown in table 3 . the extrudates do not tend to stick to each other after laying the on the collection tray . however , they appear to be feathering . nahco 3 powder ( 27 g ) is slowly added to an aqueous solution containing na 2 pdcl 4 . 3h 2 o ( 31 . 4 g ), naaucl 4 . 2h 2 o ( 11 . 3 g ), and water ( 235 . 4 g ). the mixture is stirred at room temperature for 10 min . the solution is sprayed with a pipette on calcined titania extrudates prepared in example 1 ( 1000 g ) while they are being tumbled in a rotating flask . once the impregnation is finished , the rotating flask is heated to about 100 ° c . with a heat gun . the impregnated extrudates are tumbled for another 30 min at 100 ° c ., then placed in an oven at 80 ° c . for 2 h before they are cooled to room temperature . the dried extrudates are washed with warm water ( 50 - 80 ° c .) until no chloride can be detected by mixing the wash filtrate solution with a 1 wt % silver nitrate solution to observe precipitation . after washing is finished , the catalyst is dried at 80 to 100 ° c . to remove water . then they are heated at 230 ° c . for 3 h in air , and at 230 ° c . for 30 min under a nitrogen flow . the temperature is raised to 500 ° c . under a flow of 10 mol % hydrogen in nitrogen gas , and held for 3 h before it is cooled to room temperature . the extrudates are washed with an aqueous solution containing 10 wt % potassium acetate and 1 wt % potassium hydroxide ( 10 l ). the washed extrudates are dried under nitrogen at 125 ° c . for 2 h . a palladium - gold catalyst is obtained . it contains 0 . 93 wt % pd , 0 . 54 wt % au , and 1 . 5 wt % k . the palladium - gold catalyst prepared in example 9 is tested for vinyl acetate production in a fixed - bed reactor ( stainless steel , 1 inch o . d .). the reactor is charged with a mixture of the catalyst ( 10 g ) and an inert alpha alumina cylindrical pellets ( ⅛ ″ in diameter , surface area 4 m 2 / g , pore volume 0 . 25 ml / g , 25 g ). the feed contains 46 . 1 mol % helium , 33 . 9 mol % ethylene , 11 . 48 mol % acetic acid , 4 . 2 mol % oxygen , and 4 . 2 mol % nitrogen . the reactor pressure is 80 psig and the space velocity relative to the volume of the catalyst is 3050 h − 1 at standard temperature and pressure . the reactor is cooled using a fluidized sand bath , the temperature of which is set at 130 ° c . the product stream is analyzed by gas chromatography ( gc ). oxygen conversion , oxygen selectivity , oxygen yield to vinyl acetate , and ethylene selectivity to vinyl acetate between 75 to 100 h on stream are calculated from the gc results and listed in table 4 . oxygen conversion is calculated by dividing the amount of oxygen consumed by the total amount of oxygen fed to the reactor . oxygen selectivity to vinyl acetate is the amount of oxygen consumed in making vinyl acetate divided by the total amount of oxygen consumed . oxygen yield to vinyl acetate is the product of oxygen conversion multiplied by oxygen selectivity . ethylene selectivity to vinyl acetate is the amount of ethylene consumed in making vinyl acetate divided by the total amount of ethylene consumed . catalyst productivity is the grams of vinyl acetate produced per liter of the catalyst per hour . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
the cross - cutting device includes a cutting roller 1 which has a relatively small diameter and is mounted in roller bearings 2 on both ends . the roller 1 carries a knife holder 3 with the knife blade 4 . in order to obtain minimal cutting forces and the most uniform support for the roller , the knife holder 3 preferably has a slight pitch as shown . drive for the cutting roller 1 is effected at one end 5 thereof to enable a periodically variable number of revolutions . the drive arrangement required for this purpose is of known type and is therefore not illustrated . supporting plates or rollers 7 are driven with the same number of revolutions as the cutting roller 1 by gears 6 mounted on shafts 8 . the shafts 8 are disposed parallel to cutting roller 1 . the supporting rollers 7 are arranged stationary on their respective shafts at a distance from one another and somewhat staggered relative to each other . the supporting rollers 7 , which are arranged in pairs , support the cutting roller 1 . each roller 7 has a recess 15 on the circumference thereof to permit the passage of the knife blade 4 and the holder 3 therethrough . in cutting operation of the device , a web of material to be cut is passed between the rollers 7 and roller 1 . the cutting forces which tend to bend the cutting roller 1 are absorbed by the supporting rollers 7 and transferred to the traverses 10 by way of bearings 9 and thereby into the main carrier 11 to prevent undesirable bending of the cutting roller . the shafts 8 are rotatably supported in bearings 9 . the device of the invention is adapted for operation with two such knife blades 4 which are operable against each other to produce a scissors cut . in the drawings , however , an embodiment to effect a punch cut is illustrated . in this case , the knife 4 cuts against a roller 12 which rotates at the same speed as the web ( not shown ). the roller 12 is covered with any material 13 suitable for protecting the roller during punch cut operation . if it is desired to have the cutting roller 1 function as a tool , the supporting gears 6 can assume support of the device and bracing of the cutting roller . in this case it is possible to reduce the weight of the cutting roller even more with the result that the same has a still reduced mass moment of inertia . the invention is of special advantage if the cutting roller 1 carries a knife 4 which is disposed generally slanted to the surface lines of the knife carrier 3 in the longitudinal direction thereof . in such case , the supporting rollers 3 with their recesses for the passage of the knife 4 are arranged staggered relative to one another . with such structure an even more uniform support of the knife carrier over the entire length of the carrier is achieved . a practical embodiment of the invention could be designed and dimensioned as next set forth : 1 . cylindrical knife carrier 1 , of steel st 50 ; diameter : 130 mm length : 2800 mm . 2 . main carrier 11 , welded structure of steel st 37 ; thickness : 10 mm length : 2550 mm . 3 . traverses 10 of the carrier 11 , of steel st 37 ; thickness : 30 mm length : 350 mm width : 210 mm . 4 . supporting rollers 7 , of steel st 50 ; diameter : 147 mm thickness : 20 mm . the mass moment of inertia thus obtained for the knife carrier is ca . 1 kgm 2 , whereas the mass moment of inertia of known knife carriers amounts to approximately . . . 10 kgm 2 . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
referring now to fig1 depicted is a calendar 10 used in conjunction with the food age organization system 11 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . it should be understood that , although a single month is depicted on the calendar 10 , it has been done solely for demonstration purposes and the appropriate month / year combination is to be used , depending upon the date of use . the calendar 10 is designed to be secured to a conventional refrigerator door ( not shown ) and is constructed having either a ferromagnetic backing material ( not shown ) or of a non - magnetic material of a weight and thickness such that conventional refrigerator - type magnets can secure it in place on the refrigerator surface . the calendar 10 also includes a pair of hook apertures 12 that provide an alternative securing means . the calendar 10 includes a plurality of large date squares 13 that correspond to the days of the month / year . referring now to fig2 depicted is a magnetic marker 15 for use in conjunction with the food age organization system 11 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . the magnetic marker 15 is generally disc - like in shape , although other shapes are suitable , and consists of a ferromagnetic base 16 and a colored surface 17 . the colored surface 17 is achieved via painting , enamel coating , lamination , adhesive stickers , or other like conventional means , incorporating a variety of distinguishable colors . in an alternate embodiment , the magnetic markers 15 include a textured surface ( not shown ) that allows users with limited vision to distinguish them between one another . the magnetic markers 15 serve several functions in the use of the food age organization system 11 that will be discussed in further detail herein below . referring now to fig3 and 3 a , depicted is a conventional food storage container 20 . the food storage container 20 consists of a food receptacle 21 and a lid 22 . the lid 22 is adapted so as to allow for its use in conjunction with the food age organization system 11 . an anchoring plate 23 is affixed to the lid 22 using any conventional adhesive means . the anchoring plate 23 is of either a ferrous or ferromagnetic construction that allows for removably attaching a magnetic marker 15 thereto . referring now to fig4 depicted are a variety of food - specific magnetic markers 25 for use in conjunction with the food age organization system 11 . secured to an anchoring plate 23 affixed to a food storage container 20 , the food - specific magnetic markers 25 are used to convey a food type identification of the contents thereof . these food types include , but are not limited to a meat marker 26 , a poultry marker 27 , a fish marker 28 and a vegetable marker 29 . similar in construction to the magnetic markers 15 described herein above , the food - specific magnetic markers 25 consists of a ferromagnetic base ( not shown ) and a colored surface ( not depicted in the figure ). the colored surface is achieved via painting , enamel coating , lamination , adhesive stickers , or other like conventional means , incorporating a variety of distinguishable colors . in an alternate embodiment , the food - specific magnetic markers 25 include a textured surface ( not shown ) that allows users with limited vision to distinguish them between one another . furthermore , the shape of the food - specific magnetic markers 25 is such that the associated food type is ascertainable by feel rather than sight . configured as such , the food - specific magnetic markers 25 can replace the magnetic markers 15 secured to the anchoring plate 23 on the lid 22 , thus providing food type identification indicia on the food storage container 20 . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention and as shown in the figures , especially fig5 the food age organization system is used in the following manner . the calendar 11 is affixed to the door of a conventional refrigerator ( not shown ). when the user places a food storage container 20 inside the refrigerator , a magnetic marker 15 is placed on the lid 22 , magnetically affixed to the anchoring plate 23 . the user also places a magnetic marker 15 on the calendar 10 in the date square 13 corresponding to the present day of the month . the magnetic marker 15 placed on the food storage container 20 and the magnetic marker on the calendar 10 should be of the same color and / or texture . thus , the user can determine the date upon which any particular food storage container 20 was placed in the refrigerator by correlating the color of the magnetic marker 15 on the lid 22 with the matching color on the calendar 10 . accordingly , care should be taken so that the same color / texture is used on only one day so as to avoid confusion in ascertaining the date upon which the food was placed in the refrigerator . in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention , the food - specific magnetic markers 25 are used in place of the magnetic markers 15 on the lid 22 only , allowing the user to ascertain not only the date upon which the food was placed in the refrigerator , but also the type of food in any particular food storage container 20 . as described herein above , the shape of the food - specific magnetic markers 25 indicate a variety of food types . the colored and / or textured surfaces of the food - specific magnetic markers 25 allows the user to correlate the date upon which the food storage container 20 was placed in the refrigerator using the magnetic markers 15 in conjunction with the calendar 10 . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown , illustrated , and described , it will be apparent to those skilled in this field that various modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention . it is for this reason that the scope of the invention is set forth in and is to be limited only by the following claims . | 6Physics
|
the patents discussed herein - above disclose several suitable synthesis methods for preparing core and shell particles . these methods disclosed can be used to prepare core and shell particles which can be modified to produce the lcaps of the present invention . these patents , u . s . pat , nos . 4 , 920 , 160 , 4 , 594 , 363 , 4 , 469825 , 4 , 468 , 498 and 4 , 427 , 836 are all herein incorporated by reference . the core - shell polymers useful in the present invention are preferably prepared by a multistage , sequential , emulsion polymerization process such as described in u . s . patent no . 4 , 427 , 836 . while the core may be made in a single stage or step of the sequential polymerization and the shell may be the product of a single sequential stage or step following the core stage , the making of the core component may involve a plurality of steps in sequence followed by the making of the shell which may involve a series of sequential steps as well . thus , the first stage of emulsion polymerization in the process of the present invention may be the preparation of a seed polymer containing small dispersed polymer particles insoluble in the aqueous emulsion polymerization medium . this seed polymer may or may not contain any acid component but provides particles which form the nuclei on which the core polymer of acid monomer , with or without nonionic comonomer ( s ), is formed . as is common to aqueous emulsion polymers , a water - soluble free radical initiator is used , such as hydrogen peroxide , tert - butyl peroxide , or an alkali metal ( sodium , potassium or lithium ) or ammonium persulfate or a mixture of such an initiator with a reducing agent , such as a sulfite , ( more specifically an alkali metal metabisulfite , hydrosulfite , or hyposulfite , or sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate ) to form a redox system . the amount of initiator may be from 0 . 01 to about 2 % by weight of the monomer charged and in a redox system , a corresponding range ( 0 . 01 to about 2 %) of reducing agent may be used . the temperature of the aqueous emulsion polymerization is preferably in the range of about 10 ° c . to 100 ° c . higher temperatures can be used under appropriate reaction conditions . in the case of the persulfate systems , the temperature is preferably in the range of 60 ° c . to 90 ° c . in the redox system , the temperature is preferably in the range of 30 ° c . to 70 ° c ., preferably 30 ° c . to 60 ° c ., more preferably in the range of 40 ° c . to 60 ° c . any suitable nonionic or anionic emulsifier may be used , either alone or together . examples of the nonionic type of emulsifier include tert - octylphenoxyethylpoly ( 39 )- ethoxyethanol , and nonylphenoxyethylpoly ( 40 )- ethoxyethanol . examples of anionic emulsifiers include sodium lauryl sulfate , sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate , and tert - octylphenoxyethoxypoly ( 39 )- ethoxyethyl sulfate . the proportion of emulsifier may be zero , in the situation wherein a persulfate initiator is used , to about 0 . 3 weight percent based on the weight of monomer charged to the first stage of polymerization . the molecular weight of the polymer formed in a given stage may range from 100 , 000 or lower if a chain transfer agent is used , to several million . the acid - containing core polymer , whether obtained by a single stage process or a process involving several stages , has an average size of about 0 . 02 to about 1 . 0 ., preferably 0 . 1 to 0 . 5 , more preferably 0 . 2 to 0 . 5 micron diameter in unswollen condition . if the core is obtained from a seed polymer , the seed polymer may have an average size in the range of 0 . 02 to 0 . 2 micron diameter . the core component is the product of aqueous emulsion polymerization of one or more monoethylenically unsaturated monomers containing a group of the formula -- hc ═ c & lt ;, wherein at least about 5 mole percent or more of said monomers contain a carboxylic acid group or an anhydride group . examples of suitable monoethylenically unsaturated monomers include styrene , vinyltoluene , ethylene , vinyl acetate , vinyl chloride , vinylidene chloride , acrylonitrile , acrylamide , methacrylamide , and various ( c 1 - c 20 ) alkyl or ( c 3 - c 20 ) alkenyl esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid , such as methyl methacrylate , methyl acrylate , ethyl acrylate , ethyl methacrylate , butyl acrylate , butyl methacrylate , 2 - ethylhexyl acrylate , 2 - ethylhexyl methacrylate , benzyl acrylate , benzyl methacrylate , lauryl acrylate , lauryl methacrylate , palmityl acrylate , palmityl methacrylate , stearyl acrylate , stearyl methacrylate and the like . examples of suitable monomers containing a carboxylic acid group or an anhydride group include acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , itaconic acid , aconitic acid , maleic acid , maleic anhydride , fumaric acid , crotonic acid , acryloxypropionic acid methacryloxypropionic acid , acryloxyacetic acid , methacrylic anhydride , methacryloxyacetic acid , monomethyl acid maleate , monomethyl acid itaconate , monomethyl fumarate and the like . although the core component can be prepared from monomers wherein at least 5 mole percent of said monomers contain a carboxylic acid group or an anhydride group , it is preferred that at least 10 mole percent of said core monomers have a carboxylic acid group or an anhydride group , more preferably at least about 30 mole percent of said core monomers have a carboxylic acid group or an anhydride group . the preferred core monomers having a carboxylic acid group or an anhydride group are acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , acryloxypropionic acid methacryloxypropionic acid , acryloxyacetic acid , methacryloxacetic acid , monomethyl acid maleate , monomethyl acid itaconate , crotonic acid , aconitic acid , maleic acid , maleic anhydride , fumaric acid and monomethyl fumarate . the most preferred acid - containing core monomer is methacrylic acid . after the acid core is obtained , a subsequent stage or stages of emulsion polymerization is effected to form a shell polymer on the acid core polymer particles . this may be performed in the same reaction vessel in which the formation of the core was accomplished or the reaction medium containing the dispersed core particles may be transferred to another reaction container . it is generally unnecessary to add emulsifier unless a polymodal product is desired , but in certain monomer / emulsifier systems for forming the shell , the tendency to produce gum or coagulum in the reaction medium may be reduced or prevented by the addition of about 0 . 05 to about 0 . 5 % by weight , based on shell monomer weight , of emulsifier without detriment to the deposition of the shell polymer formed on the previously - formed core particles . the monomers used to form the shell polymer on the acid core particles may be any of the monoethylenically unsaturated comonomers mentioned hereinbefore for the making of the core . the monomers used and the relative proportions thereof in any copolymers formed should be such that the shell thereby formed is permeable to organic or inorganic bases . in spite of their hydrophobicity , the extremely non - polar or low - polar monomers ( namely , styrene , alpha - methyl styrene , vinyltoluene , ethylene , vinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride ) are useful alone or in admixture with more highly polar monomers , such as vinyl acetate . monomeric mixtures for making the shell preferably contain less than about 10 mole percent , more preferably less than about 5 mole percent of monomers having a carboxylic acid group or an anhydride group . however , the equivalents of acid in the shell polymer should not exceed one - third the equivalents thereof in the core polymer . the content of acid monomers serves either or both of two functions ; namely , stabilization of the final sequential polymer dispersion and assuring permeability of the shell to a base swellant . the shell has a glass transition temperature from about - 40 ° c . to about 100 ° c . the amount of polymer forming the shell component is generally such as to provide an overall size of the core - shell polymer of about 0 . 07 to about 4 . 5 microns , preferably about 0 . 1 to about 3 . 5 microns , and more preferably about 0 . 2 to about 2 . 0 microns in unswollen condition before any neutralization to raise the ph to about 6 or higher . it is preferable to select the amount of polymer such that a thin shell is formed which will explode upon neutralization and form an lcap upon swelling . in the unswollen , unneutralized state , the weight ratio of core polymer to the shell polymer ranges from about 1 : 1 to about 1 : 20 , preferably from about 1 : 1 to about 1 : 10 . once the core - shell polymer particles are formed , they are swollen by subjecting the particles to an organic or inorganic base that permeates the shell and neutralizes the core . this neutralization with base causes the core - shell polymer particles to absorb water from the surrounding medium and swell to such an extent as to cause the core - shell particle to explode , forming an lcap . during this swelling step , it has been found that lcaps can most effectively be formed if the concentration of the particles in the aqueous medium is preferably from about 15 to 35 % by weight . any organic or inorganic base can be used to neutralize and swell the core - shell polymer particles to form lcaps . these bases include , for example , ammonia , amines , sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , lithium hydroxide and the like . the more preferred base is ammonia . if the glass transition temperature ( tg ) of the core or shell is above standard ambient temperature , it may be necessary to heat the core - shell polymers above their tg , or to add a solvent to soften the polymer particles , to effect swelling . the time of exposure to the swelling agent is from about 0 . 5 to 24 hours , depending on the acid content of the core . the greater the acid content , the faster the degree of swelling and therefore the less the time . if the acid content is low , the temperature can be increased to facilitate swelling . the degree of swelling is also dependent on the hardness of the shell . the lcap particles of the present invention are formed using the processes described above , provided the formation conditions are sufficient to allow for the formation of channels upon swelling of the particles . for example , several parameters that can be varied are the thickness of the shell , &# 34 ; softness &# 34 ; of the shell , acid level of the core , permeability of the shell to the swelling agent , and exposure time and temperature of the particles to the swelling agent . the lcaps of this invention are useful to encapsulate aqueous - containing compositions which contain biologically - or chemically - active materials , such as , for example , pesticides , fungicities , and fire retardants . the lcaps containing the encapsulated biologically - or chemically - active material can then be used for controlled release of the encapsulated material . the process of forming an lcap can also be used to release specific compounds from the core of a core - shell particle . for example , core - shell particles can be used as thickeners whereby , prior to lcap formation , a thickener compositions is encapsulated within the core - shell particle . then , when the lcap is formed , the thickener composition is released . in addition , the lcaps are useful for imparting reinforcing properties to acrylic films , as an opacifying agent in coating compositions , and as a supplement or replacement of part or all of the pigmentary material or extenders that would otherwise be used in such coating compositions . when used to reinforce films or when used as an opacifying agent , it is preferable the amount of lcaps be from about 5 to 40 % by dry weight . other uses of lcaps are , for example , in paper coatings and as a method of separation whereby molecules of particular sizes are trapped within lcaps of specific sizes . in paper coatings , lcaps can be used in topcoats for printing grades at an amount of from about 1 to 30 % of the dry weight . when used in thermally insulating basecoats for facsimile paper , the amount of lcap is from about 20 to 90 % of the dry weight . the following specific examples are intended to illustrate specific embodiments of the invention and should not be interpreted as narrowing the broader aspects of the invention . all percentages in the following examples are weight percentages unless otherwise indicated . core - shell polymer was prepared by sequential emulsion polymerization as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 427 , 836 . the composition of the core polymer was 5 % butyl acrylate , 65 % methyl methacrylate and 30 % methacrylic acid . the composition of the shell polymer was 40 % ethyl acrylate , 58 . 5 % methyl methacrylate and 1 . 5 % methacrylic acid . the ratio of core polymer to shell polymer was 1 : 7 . the shell polymer had a glass transition temperature of 55 ° c . the final dispersion of core - shell polymer had a total solids of 48 . 4 %. a sample was titrated with 0 . 5n koh . no core methacrylic acid was detected . therefore , it was concluded the core was well encapsulated by the shell . to determine the amount of core acid expulsed on rupture of the core - shell particle to form lcaps and the accompanying water uptake , a portion of the dispersion was diluted to 10 % solids and neutralized with 1 . 5 equivalents of 28 % aqueous ammonia . this mixture was heated to 40 °, 60 ° and then 95 ° c . while samples were withdrawn periodically and then cooled to room temperature . approximately 30 grams of each of the heated samples were centrifuged on a sorval table top centrifuge at 8 , 000 rpm for 1 . 5 hours , separating the lcaps from the aqueous serum . the supernatant liquid was poured off , the weight noted , and titrated with 0 . 5 n hcl using a radiometer automatic titrator . the core acid ( pka around 6 . 5 ) was calculated by : ## equ1 ## the value 0 . 4 is an approximation of the correction for interstitial water in the plug . this was determined separately on polymer of similar composition and particle size . table 1 summarizes the data . table 1______________________________________effect of time and temperature on the ammonianeutralization of encapsulated high acid cores . sup . 1 meq acid / super - super - % core water uptaketime . sup . 2 temp natant , natant , acid in g h . sub . 2 o / g ( hrs .) ° c . g g supernatant polymer______________________________________ + 0 . 5 40 23 . 68 0 . 0000 0 . 0 0 . 97 + 1 . 0 40 22 . 20 0 . 0000 0 . 0 1 . 47 + 2 . 0 40 21 . 15 0 . 0000 0 . 0 1 . 82 + 4 . 0 40 20 . 80 0 . 0029 4 . 6 1 . 93 + 17 . 0 40 19 . 68 0 . 0070 10 . 7 2 . 3 + 1 . 0 60 18 . 35 0 . 0136 19 . 1 2 . 75 + 2 . 0 60 20 . 02 0 . 0250 38 . 2 2 . 19 + 17 . 0 60 20 . 20 0 . 0400 61 . 2 2 . 13 + 17 . 0 95 20 . 63 0 . 0460 72 . 0 1 . 99______________________________________ . sup . 1 particle from example 1 core ( 1 part ) 5 ba / 65 mma / 30 maa and shel ( 7 parts ) 40 ea / 58 . 5 mma / 1 . 5 maa . all samples were neutralized with 1 . 5 eq . ammonia on core acid at 10 % total solids . . sup . 2 all samples to be titrated were taken from the same vessel . the time indicates the incremental time at which the samples were taken . the data in table 1 show that the core - shell polymer , after reaching a certain degree of swelling (& gt ; 1 . 9 g h 2 o / g of polymer ), starts exploding and releasing core acid into the external aqueous phase ; the more swelling , the more exploding . after around 20 % of the core acid has appeared in the aqueous phase , there appears to be some reduction in swelling which may be due to some relaxation of the stretched shell after the core has been expulsed . an lcap was prepared according to the process of example 1 only having a harder shell ( 25 % ethyl acrylate , 73 . 5 % methyl methacrylate and 1 . 5 % methacrylic acid ); a portion was swollen with excess ammonia at temperatures above 80 ° c . until most of the core acid was expulsed into the serum . this lcap was evaluated as a reinforcing agent for polymer films . films were prepared using no , 5 and 10 % core / shell polymer ( unswollen , no channel ) and 5 and 10 % of the lcap with a polymer having a composition of 98 . 2 ba / 1 . 8 maa . a 30 mil film was formed from each composition and dried for two weeks . the physical properties of these films were measured and the results are shown in table 2 and fig1 . fig1 is a graph showing the elastic modulus versus frequency of the films prepare in example 2 . films d and e containing lcaps are stronger and have less elongation and are thus more reinforced than the controls a , b and c . table 2______________________________________film stress - strain parameters : averagevalues × head = 20 in / min , gap = 0 . 5 in break yield strgth % elong stresssample * ( psi ) × 10 . sup .- 2 ( psi ) ______________________________________a ( comparative ) 27 . 5 4 . 4 9 . 0b ( comparative ) 29 . 2 4 . 0 10 . 0c ( comparative ) 28 . 1 3 . 6 10 . 9d 30 . 6 3 . 4 14 . 0e 34 . 4 2 . 7 24 . 7______________________________________ * a ( 98 . 2 ba / 1 . 8 maa ) + no lcap b ( 98 . 2 ba / 1 . 8 maa ) + 5 % core / shell polymer ( unswollen , no channel ) c ( 98 . 2 ba / 1 . 8 maa ) + 10 % core / shell polymer ( unswollen , no channel ) d ( 98 . 2 ba / 1 . 8 maa ) + 5 % lcap e ( 98 . 2 ba / 1 . 8 maa ) + 10 % lcap a 5 - liter flask equipped with paddle stirrer , thermometer , nitrogen inlet , and reflux condenser was charged with 2000 grams of deionized water . the water was heated to 85 ° c . under nitrogen atmosphere with stirring and 0 . 4 grams of alipal ep - 110 ( ammonium salt of sulfated alkylphenol ethoxylate , 9 moles of ethylene oxide , 30 % solids ) was added to the flask . then 164 grams of a monomer emulsion was added to the flask . the monomer emulsion was prepared from 770 grams of deionized water , 5 . 2 grams of alipal ep - 110 , 780 grams of methyl methacrylate , and 10 . 4 grams of methacrylic acid . this was followed by the addition of 5 . 5 grams of sodium persulfate dissolved in 40 grams of deionized water . the temperature of the reaction mixture was allowed to rise . to the previously prepared monomer emulsion , an additional 20 grams of alipal ep - 110 and 510 grams of methacrylic acid were added . fifteen minutes after the addition of the sodium persulfate solution to the flask , a gradual addition of the remaining monomer emulsion was begun at a rate of 15 grams / minute . the temperature was allowed to rise to 85 ° c ., where it was maintained throughout the monomer addition . fifteen minutes after the monomer addition was completed , the reaction mixture was cooled to 25 ° c . then the product was filtered through a 100 mesh screen . the product had a ph of 2 . 5 , 30 . 0 % total solids and an average particle diameter of 218 nm ( coulter nano - sizer ). to a 5 - liter flask equipped with paddle stirrer , nitrogen inlet , reflux condenser , and thermometer was added 2350 grams of deionized water . the water was heated to 80 ° c . under nitrogen atmosphere and then 1 . 7 grams of sodium persulfate dissolved in 40 grams deionized water , followed by 167 grams of the acrylic seed polymer dispersion of example 3 was added to the flask . a monomer emulsion of 50 grams of deionized water , 2 . 0 grams of alipal ep - 110 , 200 grams of vinyl acetate , 188 grams of methyl methacrylate , 8 . 0 grams of 1 , 3 - butylene glycol dimethacrylate , and 4 . 0 grams of methacrylic acid was then gradually added to the flask over 75 minutes . the temperature was allowed to rise to 80 ° c . where it was maintained throughout the addition of the monomer emulsion . concurrent with the addition of the monomer emulsion , 1 . 3 grams of sodium persulfate dissolved in 60 grams of deionized water was gradually added to the flask at a rate of 0 . 5 grams / minute . ten minutes after the completion of the monomer addition , 45 grams of 28 percent aqueous nh 3 was added to the flask . a second monomer emulsion of 37 . 5 grams of deionized water , 1 . 7 grams of alipal ep - 110 and 300 grams of styrene was gradually added to the flask over 47 minutes . the temperature was allowed to rise to 85 ° c . where it was maintained throughout the monomer addition . after the completion of the monomer addition , 1 . 3 grams of sodium persulfate dissolved in 60 grams of deionized water was added to the flask . the temperature of the reaction mixture was maintained at 85 ° c . for 30 minutes , then cooled to 25 ° c . the product was filtered through a 100 mesh screen . the product had a ph of 9 . 7 , a total solids of 20 . 6 percent , an average particle diameter of 0 . 66 microns ( coulter nano - sizer ), titratable acid of 27 . 5 percent of theoretical ( see following section on polymer characterization part a ), dry bulking value of 0 . 2296 gallon / lb ( see polymer characterization part b ). when viewed by optical microscopy ( see polymer characterization part c ), nearly every particle was seen to contain a single dark spot in the center , indicative of an encapsulated air bubble and when viewed by transmission electron microscopy ( tem ), the polymer particles were seen to have light centers with dark and complete shells . to a 5 - liter flask equipped with paddle stirrer , nitrogen inlet , reflux condenser , and thermometer was added 2350 grams deionized water . the water was heated to 80 ° c . under nitrogen atmosphere and then 1 . 7 grams of sodium persulfate dissolved in 40 grams of deionized water , followed by 267 grams of the acrylic seed polymer dispersion of example 3 was added to the flask . a monomer emulsion of 50 grams of deionized water , 2 . 0 grams of alipal ep - 110 , 200 grams of vinyl acetate , 196 grams of methyl methacrylate , and 4 . 0 grams of methacrylic acid was gradually added to the flask over 75 minutes . the temperature was allowed to rise to 80 ° c . where it was maintained throughout the addition of the monomer emulsion . concurrent with the addition of the monomer emulsion , 1 . 3 grams of sodium persulfate dissolved in 60 grams of deionized water was gradually added to the flask at a rate of 0 . 5 grams / minute . ten minutes after the completion of the monomer addition , 45 grams of 28 percent aqueous nh 3 was added to the flask . a second monomer emulsion of 50 grams of deionized water , 2 . 0 grams of alipal ep - 110 and 400 grams of styrene was gradually added to the flask over 52 minutes . the temperature was allowed to rise to 85 ° c . where it was maintained throughout the remainder of the monomer addition . after the completion of the monomer addition , 1 . 3 grams of sodium persulfate dissolved in 60 grams of deionized water was added to the flask . the temperature of the reaction mixture was maintained at 85 ° c . for 30 minutes , then cooled to 25 ° c . the product was filtered through a 100 mesh screen . the product had a ph of 9 . 8 , a total solids of 22 . 4 percent , an average particle diameter of 0 . 65 microns ( optical microscopy ), a total titratable acid of 86 . 8 percent ( see polymer characterization part a ), and a dry bulking value of 0 . 2465 gallon / lb ( see polymer characterization part b ). when viewed by optical microscopy ( see polymer characterization part c ), few particles had dark centers ; this is due to the ability of the immersion oil to readily fill the microvoids through the channels in the shell . when viewed by transmission electron microscopy ( tem ), the polymer particles were seen to have light centers due to microvoids with channels in the shells , as evidenced by light areas in the shell . the core - shell polymers of examples 4 and 5 were compared in coatings containing a low level of pigmentation : 15 parts ( solids ) core - shell polymer with 85 parts ( solids ) of a film - forming latex with composition 65 % butyl acrylate , 34 % methyl methacrylate and 1 % methacrylic acid ( by weight ). the blends were drawn down on black vinyl charts ( the leneta co ., form p - 121 - 10n ) with a 7 mil dow applicator and the films were allowed to dry in a refrigerator at 1 ° c . the dry films ( 1 . 7 mils thick ) were examined by optical microscopy and kubelka - munk scattering coefficients ( s ) were measured by the method of minton and jacobson ( off . digest , sept . 1963 , pp . 871 - 911 ) as a quantitative measure of microvoid content and opacity of the dried films . the film containing the core - shell particles of example 5 was clear and no microvoids could be seen by microscopy due to binder filling the cores through the channels ; s / mil was 0 . 00 . the film containing the example 4 comparative particles was whitish due to microvoids which could be seen easily with the microscope at 900x and were around 500 nm in diameter ; s / mil was 0 . 10 . thus , the comparative particles ( example 4 ) with no channels through the shells are the better opacifiers in these films with high binder content . in example 7 below , the same two core - shell particles were compared in films with high pigment content ( 62 . 5 % by volume ) and the opacifying performance is reversed : the particle with channels ( example 5 ) surprisingly are the better opacifiers . to 20 grams of polymer dispersion from example 4 or 5 , was added 40 grams of deionized water . next , 10 grams of amberlite ( r ) ir - 120 plus ( h ) - 20 + 40 ion exchange resin was added and mixed vigorously for 20 minutes . the mixture was then filtered through cheese cloth to remove the ion exchange resin and the total solids were determined . 20 grams of the treated dispersion were titrated with 0 . 5 n naoh to a final ph of 11 . 5 . the milliequivalents of acid titratable ( from ph 5 to ph 9 . 5 ) per gram of polymer titrated were determined . next , the milliequivalents were divided by the theoretical total carboxylic acid , and expressed as milliequivalents per gram of polymer ; then multiplied by 100 . the result was the titratable carboxylic acid expressed as percentage of total acid . a portion of the polymer dispersion from example 4 and 5 was diluted to 18 % total solids . similarly , a polymer dispersion prepared in the same method as example 4 and 5 , except for the addition of 28 % aq . nh 3 was treated . 40 g of each diluted dispersion was added to two separate 50 ml centrifuge tubes . the samples were centrifuge at 15 , 000 rpm for 50 minutes ( sorvall superspeed centrifuge equipped with ss - 34 rotor ). the sample was decanted and the clear supernatant weighed . the density of the undiluted polymer dispersion from example 4 and 5 were separately determined . the dry bulking values were determined using equation 1 . d latex = density , in grams / cc , of the undiluted polymer dispersion a sample of polymer dispersion from example 4 and 5 was dried to a powder . the dry powder was immersed in hydrocarbon oil ( n d = 1 . 51 ) and viewed by optical microscopy . if the polymer dispersion consisted of particles containing single microvoids with complete shells , many particles with dark centers were seen ( example 4 ). if the polymer dispersion was made up of particles with microvoids predominately with channels through the shells , few particles with dark centers were seen ; the particles with channels through the shell are faintly visible ( example 5 ). two paints were formulated both of whose pigment volume concentrations were 9 % ti - pure r - 900 ( tio 2 ), 18 . 5 % optiwhite p ( clay ), 10 % veramite ( calcium carbonate ) and 25 % of the polymers of examples 4 and 5 ; the paint volume solids were 33 % in both cases : the ti - pure r - 900 ( 99 . 3 parts by weight ), optiwhite p ( 112 . 4 parts ) and veramite ( 74 . 6 parts ) were dispersed in 112 . 5 parts of water , 23 . 2 parts of ethylene glycol , 4 . 8 parts of 30 % tamol 850 dispersant , 2 parts of colloid 643 defoamer and 2 parts of amp - 95 auxiliary dispersant using a cowles model 1 - vj dissolver at high speed . at slower speed , colotrend b lamp black dispersion was added to give a final dry paint y - reflectance of around 50 %. to half of the above tinted grind was added 109 . 2 parts of ucar 367 latex binder ( vinyl acetate / butyl acrylate copolymer , 55 % solids ), 86 . 6 parts of the hollow core - shell dispersion from example 4 , 3 . 2 parts of texanol coalescent , 1 part of colloid 643 , 0 . 5 part of nuocept 95 preservative , 7 . 5 parts of 32 % acrysol tt - 935 thickener , 1 part of 28 % aqua ammonia , and 96 . 1 parts of water . a second paint was formulated similarly using the other half of the tinted grind only 75 . 2 parts of the polymer dispersion from example 5 was used and the water was increased to 107 . 5 parts . the dry bulking values measured in example 4 and 5 were used to calculate the amount of core - shell dispersion required to give 25 % volume concentration . both paints were allowed to equilibrate for three days and then were drawn down on vinyl charts with a 7 mil bar and allowed to dry for 7 days at 75 ° f . and 50 % relative humidity . the dry films were around 1 . 2 mils thick and completely opaque . reflectance readings were made with a colorgard instrument ( gardner instruments ) and averaged 0 . 458 and 0 . 474 , respectively , for the example 4 and 5 paints . from kubelka - munk theory , s / k = 2r /( 1 - r ) where r is the reflectance of a thick ( opaque ) film and s and k are the scattering and adsorption coefficients of the paint , respectively . since both paints are tinted with the same concentration of lamp black , k can be assumed to be constant and r will vary directly with s . from the above equation , s is 10 % higher in the paint made with example 5 dispersion of this invention than in the paint made with example 4 dispersion of the prior art ; the higher s value means that in thin paint films , the example 5 paint will be more opaque than the example 4 paint at equal thickness . | 2Chemistry; Metallurgy
|
referring to fig1 the portable telescoping observation stand 20 provided by the present invention is illustrated as being attached to a tree 21 . the observation stand 20 includes a base section 22 and a plurality of extension sections 23 - 25 which extend upwardly from the base section 22 , locating a seat 26 adjacent to the lower limbs of the tree 21 . the sections 22 - 25 are secured to the tree 21 by way of straps 27 . referring to fig2 and 3 , sections 22 - 25 have lower ends 22a - 25a , respectively , and upper ends 22b - 25b , respectively . each of the sections 22 - 25 , such as the base section 22 has forward surfaces 28 and 29 provided with a pair of respective slots 30 and 31 aligned one with the other and extending longitudinally of the member 22 near the center portion thereof . each of the sections 22 - 24 , such as section 22 also includes a pair of apertures 32 and 33 in surfaces 28 and 29 , respectively , shown best in fig8 which are located near the upper end 22b of the member 22 and aligned in diametrically opposed relation . as shown in fig6 the apertures 32 and 33 are rectangular in shape . referring to fig2 - 5 , the stand 20 includes a plurality of removable foot hold members 35 , including a foot hold member 35 for each of the sections 22 - 24 and two foot hold members 35 in the top most section 25 . each step member 35 ( fig4 ) has a generally rectangular upper portion 36 defining a step surface , and two downwardly projecting spaced apart mounting portions 37 , 38 defining a slot 39 . the stand 20 further includes a plurality of removable anchor or locking members 40 , including a locking member 40 for each adjacent pair of the sections 22 - 25 . each locking member 40 ( fig5 ) is generally l - shaped with a horizontal shank portion 41 and a downwardly projecting bearing portion 42 . the shank 41 has a plurality of apertures 43 . the sections 22 - 25 , as well as the seat 26 , step members 35 and locking members 40 , are of a rigid , light weight material , such as aluminum , plastic , glass reinforced plastic , or the like . the sections 22 - 25 have a generally triangular cross - section , fig8 and are reduced in cross - sectional areas from the outer base section 22 to the inner or top section 25 . the triangular cross - section defines the forward surfaces 28 and 29 which extend generally normal to one another . the rearward surfaces of the sections , such as surface 44 of base section 22 , are concave to conform generally to the curved surface of the tree to which the stand 20 is attached . the reduced cross - sectional areas permit the sections 22 - 25 to be nested one within the other , defining a collapsed configuration for the stand 20 . the inner sections 25 , 24 , 23 are slidable along the inner surface of respective adjacent sections 24 , 23 and 22 to an extended position ( fig2 and 3 ) in which the upper edge 22b of base section 22 overlies the lower edge 23a of section 23 , the upper edge 23b of section 23 overlies the lower edge 24a of the section 24 , etc . referring to fig1 - 3 , the sections 22 - 25 are maintained in the extended position by the locking members 40 which have their shank portion extending through the aligned apertures 32 and 33 and are locked , in place with a suitable means such as a cotter pin 43 &# 39 ; which is received in one of the apertures 43 of locking member 40 . three apertures 43 are provided because of the reduced width of the upper sections relative to the base section 22 . the locking members 40 also serve as a step or foot hold for the stand 20 supplementing the step members 35 which are received in one of the slots 30 of 31 , such as slot 31 in each of the sections 22 - 24 . an additional foot hold 35 is received in slot 30 of the top most section 25 near the seat 26 , the two foot holds serving as foot rests for the user . the seat 26 is pivotally mounted on the topmost section 25 . the telescoping configuration of the sections 22 - 25 enables the extension sections 23 - 25 to be nested within the base section 22 , as illustrated in fig6 providing a compact package which is easily carried from one location to another . the hollow center of the inner most section 25 defines a storage compartment 50 , the bottom of which is closed by the seat 26 , for the foot hold members 35 and the locking members 40 . in fig6 the stand 20 is shown in its collapsed condition with sections 22 - 25 nested one within the other and being carried , upside down , i . e . with bottom edges 22a - 25a at the top , on the back of a person , and secured thereto by two of the straps 27 which are provided with suitable velcro type fasteners or the like . one of the straps passes through slots 30 , 31 of the nested sections and encircles the shoulder of the person . another strap encircles the waist of the person and the collapsed stand 20 . the seat 26 may be pivoted to extend parallel to section 22 as illustrated . to erect the observation stand 20 , the user removes the locking members 40 and foot holds 35 from the storage compartment 50 by turning the collapsed observation stand 20 right side up to allow the foot holds and locking members to fall to the ground . the sections 23 , 24 and 25 are extended relative to one another and to the base section 22 until edges of adjacent sections overlap with the apertures 32 , 33 at the top edges 22b - 24b of sections 22 , 23 and 24 aligned with the corresponding apertures 32 , 33 in the bottom edges 23a - 25a of sections 23 , 24 and 25 , respectively . to interconnect sections 22 and 23 , the shank 41 of a locking member 40 is threaded through the aligned apertures 32 and 33 of sections 22 and 23 and its end is held in place by cotter pin 43 &# 39 ;. similarly , additional locking members 40 are used to lock together the overlapping ends of sections 23 and 24 and sections 24 and 25 . since in this case the locking members 40 provide foot holds on the forward edge 28 , the right side as viewed in fig2 foot hold members 35 are placed in the slot 31 in the left - hand forward surface 29 of each of the sections 22 - 25 . an additional foot hold member 35 is placed in the slot 30 of the upper most section 25 just beneath the seat 26 to provide foot rests for the user . the straps 27 are then threaded through slots 30 , 31 of each section . the observation stand 20 thus extended with its sections locked together and its securing straps in place , is then positioned parallel to the trunk of the tree 21 to be scaled as shown in fig1 . the base section 22 as well as the next section 23 can be secured to the tree trunk by straps 27 while the user is standing on the ground . the remaining straps 27 which secure the higher up section 24 and the top section 25 to the tree trunk are fastened together by the user as he ascends the stand 20 . referring to fig9 in an alternate embodiment , and observation stand has sections 22 &# 39 ;- 25 &# 39 ; which have a generally semi - circular cross - section and the rearwardly extending edges , such as edge 44 &# 39 ; of the outer member 22 &# 39 ;, which engage the tree are of a concave arcuate configuration . in this embodiment , a foot hold member , such as foot hold member 35 ( fig4 ) is used as a locking member as well as for foot holds . when used as the locking member , shown in fig9 member 35 is inverted and has its slotted end directed upwardly to receive the lower edge 25a of the adjacent inner section 25 &# 39 ;. two members 35 are used to interconnect each pair of adjacent sections . as shown in fig1 , a pair of foot hold members 35 are used in each of the four sets of slots 30 , 31 along the extent of the observation stand in the manner illustrated in the embodiment shown in fig2 and 3 . | 4Fixed Constructions
|
referring first to fig1 the separating system of the present invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a separating statio , generally indicated by the reference numeral 12 . the separating system 10 also includes a supply source of particulate material such as a mixture of resin dust and resin pellets , a depository for the resin dust and depository for the resin pellets . the supply source is represented by silo 14 , the depository for resin dust is represented by storage bin 16 , and the depository for resin pellets is represented by loading station 18 . the resin pellet and resin dust mixture from the silo 14 is conveyed to the separating station 12 by means of a first pneumatic conveyor , generally indicated by the reference numeral 20 . after separation of the dust from the pellets , the pellets are conveyed to the loading station 18 by means of a second pneumatic conveyor , generally indicted by reference numeral 22 . the resin dust is conveyed to the storage bin 16 by a third pneumatic conveyor , generally indicated by the reference numeral 24 . referring also to fig2 the separating statio 12 comprises an enclosed housing 26 which contains a separating chamber , generally indicated by the reference numeral 28 . the housing 26 comprises a top wall 37 and a frusto - conical side wall 38 . an inlet passage 30 extends upwardly from an inlet opening 31 in the top wall 37 of the housing 36 . and communicates with the chamber 28 . a first outlet passage 32 extends from a first outlet opening at the bottom of the housing and also communicates with the chamber 28 . a second outlet 34 extends laterally from a second outlet opening 35 in the side wall 38 of the housing . a vent opening 36 is located on the opposite side of the housing 26 and is diametrically opposed to the second outlet passage 34 . a cup - shaped agitator , generally indicated by the reference numeral 42 is located within the separating chamber 28 and consists of a bottom wall 46 and a frusto - conical side wall 44 which extends upwardly and outwardly from the bottom wall 46 to a top opening 52 . the agitator 42 is supported on a support bar 48 which is in turn supported on a pair of cross bard 50 which extends across the first outlet passage 32 . a frusto - conical screen 40 is also located in the separating chamber 28 between the side wall 38 of the housing and the agitator 42 , so as to define an annular space 54 between the agitator and the screen and an annular space 56 between the screen and the side wall 38 of the housing . the screen is thereby located between the agitator 42 and the opening 39 to the second outlet passage 34 as shown in fig2 . an airflow control valve , generally indicated by the reference numeral 58 , is located at the vent opening 36 . the valve 58 is located within a cylindrical tubular pipe 64 which extends from the vent opening 36 . the valve 58 comprises a disc shaped planar damper 60 which is pivotally mounted within the pipe 64 by means of a shaft 59 . the shaft 59 extends ouside of the pipe 64 and is attached to an operating handle 65 . the first outlet chamber 32 32 includes a lower extension 62 which contains a secondary vent generally indicated by the reference numeral 63 . the secondary vent 63 includes a tubular pipe 67 which extends into the interior of the extension portion 62 of the first outlet , and contains a plurality of small apertures 66 . one end of the pipe extends outside of the extension 62 and has an opening 68 which opens to the atmosphere . the first pneumatic conveyor 20 comprises an air - lock metering valve 70 which is located between an upper hollow fixture 72 and a lower hollow fixture 74 . the air lock metering valve 70 is a standard commercially available metering valve which is pneumatically sealed between the upper and lower fixtures 72 and 74 , respectively . the air lock metering valve which has been used as part of the present invention is sold under the tradename aerolock model &# 34 ; hd &# 34 ; by premier pneumatics , inc . of salina , kansas . the valve 70 is effective to mechanically convey the pellet , dust mixture from the supply silo 14 to the fixture 74 while maintaining an air seal between the upper and lower fixtures 72 and 74 , respectively . the valve 70 includes a drive shaft 71 which is driven by conventional drive means , now shown . the lower fixture 74 includes an inlet 76 and an outlet 78 . pneumatic pumping means , generally indicated by the reference numeral 80 , delivers pressurized air to the inlet 76 by means of an air line . this pressurized air conveys the pellet , dust mixture from the inlet 74 to the inlet 30 of the separating station 12 by means of a tubular air line 82 . the second pneumatic conveyor 22 includes an air lock metering valve 84 which is located between the extension 62 and a hollow fixture 86 . the fixture 86 includes an inlet 88 and an outlet 90 . the metering valve 84 is identical to the valve 70 and includes a drive shaft 87 which is driven by conventional drive means , not shown . pumping means , generally indicated by the reference numeral 92 , introduces pressurized air into the fixture 86 through the inlet 88 by means of an air line . the pressurized air within the fixture 86 causes the resin pellets which are separated by the separated station 12 to be are conveyed from the fixture 86 to the loading station 18 through an air line 94 . the third pneumatic conveyor 24 comprises a cyclone collector 96 . the collector 96 is a standard commercially available collector which includes an enclosed collection chamber which is maintained under subatmospheric pressure by means of a vacuum pump 98 which is connected to the cyclone collector 96 by means of an air line 99 . an air line 100 connects the second outlet 34 to the cyclone collector 96 , so that the second outlet 34 is maintained under subatmospheric pressure . the dust which is separated from the dust pellet mixture within the separating station 12 is drawn into the cyclone collect6or 96 and drawn into a cyclone within the collector 96 , whereby the dust eventually settles at the base of the collector and into a hollow fixture 104 . an air lock valve 102 is located between the fixture 104 and a hollow fixture 106 . the fixture 106 has an inlet 108 and an outlet 110 . the air lock valve 102 is similar to air lock valves 70 and 84 and includes a drive shaft 103 which is rotated by drive means , not shown . the air lock valve 102 is pneumatically sealed with respect to the fixtures 104 and 106 and is effective to meter resin dust mechanically from the fixture 104 into the fixture 106 . pneumatic pumping means 107 is connected to the inlet 108 by means of an air line 109 and is effective to pressurize the interior of the fixture 106 . the superatmospheric air from the fixture 106 is effective to carry the dust from the outlet 110 to the storage bin 16 by an air line 112 . the operation and advantages of the present invention will now be readily understood in view of the above description . referring particularly to fig1 the mixture of resin pellets and resin dust is continuously metered from the supply silo 14 by the valve 70 into the fixture 74 . the pellet , dust mixture is then delivered to the inlet passage 30 through the airl ine 32 by means of the superatmospheric air flow which is created by the pumping apparatus 80 . referring also to fig2 and 3 , the pellet , dust mixture enters the chamber 28 through the inlet 31 at substantial superatmospheric pressure . the pressure drops substantially within the chamber 28 . however , the pellet , dust mixture has sufficient impetus as it enters the chamber 28 , so that it enters the interior of the agitator 42 with sufficient velocity to strike the bottom wall 46 and rebound upwardly along the frusto - conical shaped side wall 44 . the pellet dust mixture is , thereby , dispersed and expanded into a lower spatial density within the portion of chamber 28 which is enclosed by the screen 40 . the subatmospheric pressure in the second outlet passage 34 draws atmospheric air through the vent opening 36 and creates an air flow across the separating chamber 28 . this transverse air flow carries the resin dust within the space which is enclosed by the screen 40 and carries it through the screen into the annular space 56 and through the second outlet opening 35 to the second outlet passage 34 . the mesh of the screen 40 is such that the dust particles are allowed to pass through the screen , but the resin pellets are prevented from passing therethrough . the dust is then conveyed under subatmospheric pressure through the air line 100 to the cyclone collector 96 . the dust is then metered by the air lock valve 102 from the collector 96 into the fixture 106 . the dust is finally conveyed under superatmospheric pressure from the fixture 106 through the air line 112 into the storage bin 16 . although most of the air is drawn from the vent opening 36 , some air is drawn upwardly from the secondary vent 63 as a final separating operation for any resin dust which may have drifted down into the first outlet 32 . the relative airflow between the vent opening 36 and the secondary vent 63 can be controlled by the valve 58 . the valve 58 can also be used to balance the pressures and relative airflows of the separating station 12 . the first outlet 32 can be perodically purged of dust by adjusting the damper 60 to the completely closed position , so that all airflow is upwrdly through the first outlet 32 from the secondary vent 63 to the second outlet 34 . the separated resin pellets are metered from the extension 62 into the hollow fixture 86 . the pellets are then conveyed under superatmospheric pressure from the fixture 86 through the air line 94 and into the loading station 18 . resin from additional separating units , not shown , is also delivered to the loading station 18 through additional air lines 113 . the loading station 18 is a conventional state - of - the - art station from which the resin is deposited into containers for shipment to the end users , such as the plastic molding industry . the storage bin 16 is also adapted to receive resin dust from several separating stations . the collected dust is thereafter collected and recycled . since the resin , dust mixture is driven into the agitator 42 with sufficient force to cause the mixture to rebound after striking the interior surface of the agitator . this action causes electrostatically bound dust and pellets to separate long enough for the dust to be drawn into the transverse air flow through the chamber 28 , thereby allowing the dust free resin pellets to fall through the first outlet opening 33 into the first outlet passage 32 . it is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof . it is not , however , desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described , but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
a tissue slicer as shown in fig1 consists of three main parts : the housing or body 11 , the microtome 12 , which is more clearly illustrated in fig2 and 3 , and the buffer reservoir with the slice trap 13 . the housing 11 contains the motors and controlling electronic circuits needed for the operation of the apparatus . as fig1 illustrates , a foot pedal 14 can be used when operating under sterile conditions . the use of a foot pedal 14 allows the operator to maintain sterility of his / her gloved hands . the microtome 12 and the buffer reservoir with the slice trap 13 are autoclavable to permit the preparation of sterile slices for prolonged organ culture . two motors , not shown , operate separately , but in conjunction with one another to provide motion to the various components . the first motor 60 drives a rapidly reciprocating blade holder 27 and associated disposable microtome blade 17 and powers a small centrifugal pump that establishes a stream of buffer fluid to gently carry the freshly cut slices to the slice trap located outside the buffer reservoir 13 . a second motor having speed control moves a reciprocating arm 15 which engages a lever arm 20 affixed to a tissue holding arm 16 , as depicted in fig2 to urge the tissue holding arm 16 about a pivot point defined by a post 25 which extends upwardly from a base 23 . the speed control motor can be operated to slice one slice at a time or one slice after another without interruption . the tissue holding arm 16 includes a weighted plunger 18 which is received in a tissue well 19 which is affixed to the plate 21 of the tissue holding arm 16 having a slot formed in one end thereof for engaging post 25 . a spring loaded clip 22 pivotally mounted in post 25 is movable toward the side of the microtome to allow removal of the tissue holding arm 16 by lifting it vertically from the base 23 . with reference to fig2 the base 23 has a slicer wedge cavity 29 formed therein to receive the slicer wedge 24 and align the top surface of the wedge with the top surface of the base 23 as shown in fig2 and 3 . the cavity 29 has a first inclined surface 35 having a rectangular groove 30 formed therein for receiving the blade holder 27 . the base 23 has a downwardly opening channel 40 extending therethrough adjacent the upper edge of surface 35 . supported on the base 23 adjacent channel 40 is a vertically movable slicer plate 31 having a reference edge 32 . mounted within rectangular groove 30 are one or more permanent magnets 28 preferably disposed along the longitudinal axis of the groove 30 . blade holder 27 is slidingly received within the groove 30 and has one or more longitudinal slots 45 formed therein which allow the blade holder to move longitudinally about the magnets 28 . formed in the upper surface of the blade holder 27 is a receiving surface 55 on which the blade 17 rests . pins 50 extend upwardly from the blade holder 27 to prevent relative longitudinal motion between the blade 17 and blade holder 27 . receiving surface 55 holds the blade at a preferred angle such that the blade extends upwardly over channel 40 and proximal reference edge 32 . the receiving surface 55 of the blade holder 27 positions the blade 17 such that the top beveled surface forming the cutting edge of the blade 17 is overlaid by the undersurface 41 of the slicer wedge 24 . thus , the blade 17 is offset at an angle of approximately 7 ° from the inclined surface 35 of the triangular prismatic cavity 29 . while the 7 ° offset is not a numerical absolute , it should be offset to allow the beveled surface of the blade 17 and the overlying undersurface 41 to extend in close parallel relationship . magnets 28 hold the blade securely against the receiving surface 55 of the blade holder 27 and pull the blade holder 27 within the groove 30 thereby substantially eliminating vertical movement of the blade 17 and the blade holder 27 . the wedge 24 is held within the cavity 29 by a threaded member 26 which extends through the wedge and engages the base 23 . the wedge 24 is held within the cavity 29 supra - adjacent the blade holder 27 and blade 17 . the upper surface of the wedge is adjusted by adjusting members 44 and 44a . fig2 and 3 depict the mechanism which positions the slicer plate 31 at variable levels to produce a slice of a desired thickness . a back plate 37 which extends upwardly from the base 23 and carries therein horizontally disposed rotably mounted screw adjustment rod - like member 39 which rests on a rod - like member 36 vertically mounted within the back plate 37 and positioned upwardly by a spring 38 . the screw adjustment rod 39 has a conical end which rests atop the rod - like member 36 . rotation of the screw adjustment rod - like member 39 varies the engagement of the conical end with the rod - like member 39 causing the rod - like member 39 to move vertically then to move the slicer plate 31 . that is to say , the blade 17 remains at a predetermined height and the slicer plate 31 is moved relative to the blade 17 to vary slice thickness . with reference to fig3 the following aspects of the present invention can be more clearly understood . as shown in fig3 the undersurface 41 of the slicer wedge 24 extends parallel to the bevel of the blade and overlies a portion of the beveled surface 42 . this limited exposure minimizes the duration of tissue exposure to the beveled surface 42 . the adjusting members 44 are adjusted to allow only about 0 . 3 mm of the beveled surface 42 to be exposed and in conjunction with adjusting members 44a align the upper surface of the slider wedge 24 with the slicer plate 31 . note , the uncut tissue from the tissue sample is supported on the upper surface of the wedge while the tissue slice is carried through channel 40 ; thus , only minimal contact between the reciprocating blade 17 and the uncut portion of the overlying tissue sample is insured by my design . to operate the slicer , the tissue sample is placed within the tissue well 19 then the plunger 18 is replaced atop the tissue sample . the number of washers 51 used with the plunger 18 determines the downward force applied to the tissue sample . next , the motors are initiated which move the tissue holding arm 16 and establish the reciprocating movement of the blade 17 held within the blade holder 27 and the stream of buffer fluid necessary to quickly carry freshly cut tissue slices to the slice trap 13 . as the tissue sample in the tissue well 19 affixed to the tissue holding arm 16 moves across the reciprocating blade 17 tissue slices of desired dimension are produced which are carried away through the channel 40 to the buffer reservoir and slice trap 13 by the buffer stream . the second motor which drives the tissue holding arm 16 can be either preset to produce slices continuously or to cut a single slice and stop . the speed of this motor can be varied to regulate the rate at which a block of tissue is fed across the reciprocating blade . this allows cutting tissues of varied consistencies . while i have shown my invention in one form , it will be obvious to one skilled in the pertinent art that it is not so limited , but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof . | 6Physics
|
this is a patent document , and general broad rules of construction should be applied when reading and understanding it . everything described and shown in this document is an example of subject matter falling within the scope of the appended claims . any specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely for purposes of describing how to make and use example embodiments or methods . several different embodiments not specifically disclosed herein fall within the claim scope ; as such , the claims may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only example embodiments set forth herein . it will be understood that , although the terms first , second , etc . may be used herein to describe various elements , these elements should not be limited by these terms . these terms are only used to distinguish one element from another . for example , a first element could be termed a second element , and , similarly , a second element could be termed a first element , without departing from the scope of example embodiments . as used herein , the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “ connected ,” “ coupled ,” “ mated ,” “ attached ,” or “ fixed ” to another element , it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present . in contrast , when an element is referred to as being “ directly connected ” or “ directly coupled ” to another element , there are no intervening elements present . other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion ( e . g ., “ between ” versus “ directly between ”, “ adjacent ” versus “ directly adjacent ”, etc .). similarly , a term such as “ communicatively connected ” includes all variations of information exchange routes between two devices , including intermediary devices , networks , etc ., connected wirelessly or not . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include both the singular and plural forms , unless the language explicitly indicates otherwise with words like “ only ,” “ single ,” and / or “ one .” it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ”, “ comprising ,”, “ includes ” and / or “ including ”, when used herein , specify the presence of stated features , steps , operations , elements , ideas , and / or components , but do not themselves preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , steps , operations , elements , components , ideas , and / or groups thereof . it should also be noted that the structures and operations discussed below may occur out of the order described and / or noted in the figures . for example , two operations and / or figures shown in succession may in fact be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order , depending upon the functionality / acts involved . similarly , individual operations within example methods described below may be executed repetitively , individually or sequentially , so as to provide looping or other series of operations aside from the single operations described below . it should be presumed that any embodiment having features and functionality described below , in any workable combination , falls within the scope of example embodiments . applicants have recognized problems in existing debris - mitigation systems for nuclear power stations . particularly , applicants have recognized that various strainers and filters placed in coolant sources may easily become clogged when their operation is most critical to plant safety and / or may not adequately prevent smaller debris from being injected into a reactor in the instance of an emergency . such smaller debris may be readily created in transient situations due to failure of plant components and / or operation of rarely - used safety systems . when a strainer immersed in a suppression pool becomes clogged , emergency injection of coolant into a reactor may be compromised ; similarly , when smaller debris is allowed into a reactor during emergency injection , additional system failure , and even increased fuel damage , may occur due to such debris . the present invention is systems and methods for debris mitigation in a nuclear power reactor setting that use at least one filtering device installed at a position external to a coolant for the reactor . the present invention uses filters that are effective at removing debris from coolant but do not substantially impede coolant flow when coming into contact with coolant . example embodiments discussed below illustrate just a few different options useable with this invention . fig2 is a schematic of a reactor containment showing installation of an example embodiment filtering system 100 . although fig1 and 2 show differing containment designs housing like - numbered components , it is understood that either design , as well as several other containment designs , are useable with example embodiment systems . as shown in fig2 , one or more debris filters 150 are outfitted in drywell 51 surrounding reactor pressure vessel 42 . filters 150 are strategically placed outside of any coolant sources , in areas where coolant may flow from drywell 51 into a coolant source such as suppression pool 59 . for example , filters 150 may be placed along flooring 80 inside of drywell 51 where fluid coolant would be likely to flow in drywell 51 , including platforms , personnel walkways , stairways , and / or grating . or , for example , filters 150 may be placed at an entryway into downcomer tube 81 , which flows into suppression pool 59 housed in a torus or suppression chamber 58 , where fluid coolant would be likely to flow before entering suppression pool 59 . although example embodiment system 100 shows filters 150 in flooring 80 and at downcomer tubes 81 , it is understood that other recognized flow paths for coolant filtering are useable in example embodiments . in another containment design or different transient scenario , likely coolant flows may be at other positions , and filtering may be provided at these other positions by placing filters 150 in such coolant flows . for example , filters 150 may be placed about main steam legs , reactor pressure vessel bottoms , and / or jet pumps if these areas are likely to experience fluid coolant flow that may flow into a coolant source for reactor emergency cooling . in this way , a user can determine any likely coolant flow path into an emergency coolant source for a given transient and containment configuration and install filters 150 in these areas of containment before such transient occurs . because example embodiment system 100 may use filters 150 installed outside coolant , for example , not underwater in suppression pool 59 , filters 150 may not become clogged with sediment or other materials present in coolant sources . filters 150 outside of coolant sources may further filter coolant much sooner and closer in proximity to where coolant flow originates within containment . as such , filters 150 may intercept and filter only coolant flow that exists in transient scenarios , keeping filters 150 relatively less clogged , and filters 150 may prevent debris , especially smaller debris , from being entrained in coolant flows in containment to flow into coolant sources . for example , filter 150 placed at a head of downcomer tubes 81 may filter coolant flowing from a coolant leak into drywell 51 before such coolant can flow into suppression pool 59 . this may prevent or reduce any debris from flowing into suppression pool 59 and ultimately into any injection point , such as reactor 42 , in a transient scenario . because example embodiment system 100 may use filters 150 installed within accessible areas of drywell 51 , installation and maintenance of system 100 may be achieved during plant construction and regular maintenance or refueling outages . for example , personnel may be able to ready access filters 150 installed in open - air spaces that may become fluid flow paths during transients , such as in flooring 80 or downcomer tubes 81 . personnel may thus regularly inspect , clean , and or replace filters 150 without need to drain suppression pool 59 or perform underwater maintenance . several different filter materials and configurations are useable as filters 150 . filters 150 may be chosen based on anticipated flow volume and debris type at their area of installation . for example , filters with rigid , open channels like those used in connection with fuel bundles may be installed as filters 150 in fig2 . an example of such a filter 150 is shown in fig3 . filter 150 of fig3 is described in co - owned u . s . pat . no . 8 , 317 , 035 to elkins et al ., the contents of which is incorporated herein in its entirety . filters from elkins may be effective at trapping smaller debris typically found in recirculating reactor coolant that may escape outside of reactor 42 during a transient or that may be created in particularly energetic transients . filters 150 otherwise permit fluid flow into coolant sources like suppression pool 59 , such that coolant can be injected into reactor 42 via eccs line 10 or otherwise used to mitigate temperature and pressure with less clogging or other damaging potential from entrained debris . similarly , other strainers , screens , etc . can be used for filters 150 depending on anticipated coolant flow , including perforated metal plates , wire meshes , fiberglass filters , etc . example embodiments and methods thus being described , it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that example embodiments may be varied and substituted through routine experimentation while still falling within the scope of the following claims . for example , a variety of different reactor and containment designs are compatible with example embodiments and methods simply through proper dimensioning and placement of example embodiments — and fall within the scope of the claims . such variations are not to be regarded as departure from the scope of these claims . | 6Physics
|
while this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms , there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail specific embodiments , with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an example of the principles of the invention and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown and described . in the description below , like reference numerals are used to describe the same , similar or corresponding parts in the several views of the drawings . in direct sequence spread spectrum ( dsss ) communication , a pseudo - noise ( pn ) code sequence is used to modulate a carrier waveform and thereby spread the spectrum of the transmitted signal . a pn code sequence of length n is denoted by c =( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , . . . , c n ), where c i has the value 1 or − 1 . the pn code sequence preferably has the property that the correlation of the sequence with a cyclically time - shifted version of itself has an absolute value of one or zero , whereas the correlation of the code sequence with itself has the value n . in a first embodiment of the present invention , the two code sequences of length 2n are generated by interleaving groups of m elements from the sequences c and ± c . the two sequences are c a ( 2 jm + i )= c ( jm + i ) c a (( 2 j + 1 ) m + i )= c ( jm + i ) c b ( 2 jm + i )= c ( jm + i ) c b (( 2 j + 1 ) m + i )=− c ( jm + i ) for example , when m = 1 , the two code sequences of length 2n are generated as c a =( c 1 , c 1 , c 2 , c 2 , c 3 , c 3 , . . . , c n , c n ) and c b =( c 1 , − c 1 , c 2 , − c 2 , c 3 , − c 3 , . . . , c n , − c n ). these sequences may be generated , as in fig1 for example , by interleaving the code sequence c with the code sequence c or − c . the transmitted signal is generated as shown in fig2 a . the data signal x =( a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , . . . ) 202 is passed to selector 204 . if the current signal a i is equal to 1 it is passed to multiplier 206 , where it is multiplied by the code sequence c a . if the current signal a i is equal to − 1 it is passed to multiplier 208 , where it is multiplied by the code sequence c b . the outputs from the multipliers 206 and 208 are added at summer 210 , to produce a modulation signal 212 . the modulation signal 212 is passed to multiplier 214 , where it multiplies ( modulates ) the carrier signal cos ( ω c t ) 216 . here , ω c is the carrier frequency in radians per second , and t is the time in seconds . the resulting signal 218 is amplified and passed to antenna 220 for transmission . one element ( chip ) of the code sequence is generated every t c seconds , so the chip rate is r c = 1 / t c . the bit - rate is equal to r c /( 2n ), since 2n chips are used for each bit of information . fig2 b shows a further transmitter of the present invention . a pn code sequence c =( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , . . . , c n ) is supplied to interpolator or up - sampler 230 , that inserts zeros between the elements of the code sequence , yielding the sequence c int =( c 1 , 0 , c 2 , 0 , c 3 , 0 , . . . , 0 , c n , 0 ). the sequence is delayed by one chip period in delay element 232 to give the sequence ( 0 , c 1 , 0 , c 2 , 0 , c 3 , 0 , . . . , 0 , c n ). the delayed signal is multiplied by the data value a i at 234 and the result is added at 236 to the interpolated sequence to give the sequence ( c 1 , a i c 1 , c 2 , a i c 2 , c 3 , a i c 3 , . . . , c n , a i c n ). the gives the sequence c a when a i = 1 , and the sequence c b when a i =− 1 . the sequence is then modulated by the carrier signal and transmitted as usual . the corresponding receiver is shown in fig3 . referring to fig3 , the incoming radio signal is received by antenna 302 . the received signal is multiplied by the signal cos ( ω c t ) in multiplier 304 to produce an in - phase signal component . . the received signal is multiplied by the signal sin ( ω c t ) in multiplier 306 to produce a quadrature signal component . the in - phase and quadrature signal components are filtered in match filter 308 , which has an impulse response matched to the transmitted pulse shape , and the resulting filtered signals are sampled by analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 310 to produce in - phase and quadrature data sequences i and q . the sampling rate of the adc is preferably greater than the chip rate , and is denoted by k . r c , where k is bigger than or equal to 1 . the n th samples of the sequences are denoted by the complex baseband signal s ( n )= i ( n )+ iq ( n )= a ( n ) e − iθ , where i =√− 1 and θ is an unknown phase offset . the complex baseband signal s ( n ) is passed to complex delay unit 312 , where the signal is delayed by an amount mt c , where t c is the chip period and m is the number of consecutive samples taken from each sequence during interleaving in the transmitter . the output from the complex delay unit is s ( n - mk ). in the sequel we consider the case m = 1 without loss of generality . the complex conjugate of the signal is calculated at 314 , to give the signal s *( n − k )= i ( n − k )− iq ( n − k )= a ( n − k ). e iθ . at multiplier 316 , the signals s ( n ) and s *( n − k ) are multiplied to give the complex product signal u ( n )= a ( n ) e − iθ . a ( n − k ) e iθ = a ( n ). a ( n − k ). at block 318 , the real part is taken to give v ( n )= a ( n ) a ( n − k ). this removes any imaginary part introduced by a small mismatch between the carrier frequency in the transmitter and the receiver . the signal v ( n ) is then integrated at 320 and the result passed to decision logic 322 . by way of explanation , we consider the case k = 1 . when a bit 1 is transmitted , the current data value is a i = 1 , the previous data value is a i − 1 . the received signal is i = c a =( c 1 , c 1 , c 2 , c 2 , c 3 , c 3 , . . . , c n , c n ), the delayed version of i is i ′=( a i − 1 c n , c 1 , c 1 , c 2 , c 2 , c 3 , c 3 , . . . , c n − 1 , c n ), and the product of i with i ′ is v = ( a i - 1 c n c 1 , c 1 c 1 , c 1 c 2 , c 2 c 2 , c 2 c 3 , c 3 c 3 , c 3 c 4 , … , c n - 1 c n - 1 , c n - 1 c n , c n c n ) = ( a i - 1 c n c 1 , 1 , c 1 c 2 , 1 , c 2 c 3 , 1 , c 3 c 4 , … , 1 , c n - 1 c n , 1 ) . n + a i − 1 c n c 1 + c 1 c 2 + c 2 c 3 , + c 3 c 4 + . . . + c n − 1 c n = n +( a i − 1 − 1 ) c n c 1 + ε where ε = c 1 c 2 + c 2 c 3 , + c 3 c 4 + . . . + c n − 1 c n + c n c 1 =− 1 is the cyclic correlation of the pn code sequence with shift one . by carefully picking the code , we can make the product c n c 1 =− 1 . hence the value of the integration is n − a i − 1 , which equals to n − 1 or n + 1 depending on the previous bit value a i − 1 . when the bit − 1 is transmitted , the current data value is a i =− 1 , the previous data value is a i − 1 . the received signal is c b =( c 1 , − c 1 , c 2 , − c 2 , c 3 , − c 3 , . . . , c n , − c n ), the delayed version of i is i ′=( a i − 1 c n , c 1 , − c 1 , c 2 , − c 2 , c 3 , − c 3 , . . . , − c n − 1 , c n ), v = ( a i - 1 c n c 1 , - c 1 c 1 , - c 1 c 2 , - c 2 c 2 , - c 2 c 3 , - c 3 c 3 , - c 3 c 4 , … , - c n - 1 c n , - c n c n ) = ( a i - 1 c n c 1 , - 1 , - c 1 c 2 , - 1 , - c 2 c 3 , - 1 , - c 3 c 4 , … , - c n c n - 1 , - 1 ) , − n + a i − 1 c n c 1 − c 1 c 2 − c 2 c 3 , − c 3 c 4 − . . . − c n − 1 c n =− n +( a i − 1 + 1 ) c n c 1 − ε , where ε = c 1 c 2 + c 2 c 3 , + c 3 c 4 + . . . + c n − 1 c n + c n c 1 =− 1 is the cyclic correlation of the pn code sequence with shift one . as discussed above , the product c n c 1 =− 1 . hence the value of the integration is − n − a i − 1 , which equals to − n − 1 or − n + 1 depending on the previous bit value a i − 1 . the value of n is large ( typically 127 ), so the decision logic simply compares the integration value to zero . a positive value is interpreted as a + 1 bit , while a negative value is interpreted as a − 1 bit . hence the signal has been decoded without the use of a correlation . further , the differential decoding is performed chip - by - chip , so the receiver is very robust to drift in the carrier frequency . this further reduces cost by avoiding the need for a very accurate timer or clock source . for example , if the frequency difference between the transmitter and receiver is δω , the receiver signal after demodulation is u ( t )= s ( t ) { overscore ( s )} ( t − t c )= a ( t ) a ( t − t c ) exp (− iδωt c ), v ( t )= a ( t ) a ( t − t c ) cos ( δω t c ). thus , when the product δωt c is small , there is only a very small amplitude change . the computation can be performed using analog or digital hardware or using software running on a computer . fig4 shows an embodiment of a receiver of the invention using an analog system . in this embodiment the adc is omitted . the discrete integration element 320 in fig3 is replaced by analog integrator 324 in fig4 . the integrator is periodically reset to zero . a further embodiment of a transmitter is shown in fig5 . in this embodiment − 1 bits are transmitted as before , but for + 1 bits , the pn code sequence c is used rather than c a . since c is of length n while c a is of length 2n , the data rate of this embodiment is higher . the receiver is as described above . when a bit 1 is transmitted , the received signal is i = c =( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , . . . , c n ), and the real part of the product with the delayed signal is v =( a i − 1 c n c 1 , c 1 c 2 , c 2 c 3 , c 3 c 4 , . . . , c n − 1 c n ), c 1 c 2 + c 2 c 3 , + c 3 c 4 + . . . + c n − 1 c n + a i − 1 c n c 1 = ε +( a i − 1 − 1 ) c n c 1 where , as before , ε = c 1 c 2 + c 2 c 3 , + c 3 c 4 + . . . + c n c n − 1 + c n c 1 =− 1 is the cyclic correlation of the pn code sequence with shift one . by carefully picking the code , we can make the product c n c 1 =− 1 . hence the value of the integration is − a i − 1 , which equals to − 1 or + 1 depending on the previous bit value a i − 1 . when the bit − 1 is transmitted , the current data value is a i =− 1 , the previous data value is a i − 1 . the received signal is c b =( c 1 , − c 1 , c 2 , − c 2 , c 3 , − c 3 , . . . , c n , − c n ), the delayed version of i is i ′=( a i − 1 c n , c 1 , − c 1 , c 2 , − c 2 , c 3 , − c 3 , . . . , − c n − 1 , c n ), v = ( a i - 1 c n c 1 , - c 1 c 1 , - c 1 c 2 , - c 2 c 2 , - c 2 c 3 , - c 3 c 3 , - c 3 c 4 , … , - c n - 1 c n , - c n c n ) = ( a i - 1 c n c 1 , - 1 , - c 1 c 2 , - 1 , - c 2 c 3 , - 1 , - c 3 c 4 , … , - c n c n - 1 , - 1 ) , − n + a i − 1 c n c 1 − c 1 c 2 − c 2 c 3 ,− c 3 c 4 − . . . − c n − 1 c n =− n +( a i − 1 + 1 ) c n c 1 − ε , where ε = c 1 c 2 + c 2 c 3 , + c 3 c 4 + . . . + c n − 1 c n + c n c 1 =− 1 is the cyclic correlation of the pn code sequence with shift one . as discussed above , the product c n c 1 =− 1 . hence the value of the integration is − n − a i − 1 , which equals to − n − 1 or − n + 1 depending on the previous bit value a i − 1 . the value of n is large ( typically 127 ), so the decision logic simply compares the integration value to − n / 2 . a value greater than − n / 2 is interpreted as a + 1 bit , while a value less than − n / 2 is interpreted as a − 1 bit . hence the signal has been decoded without the use of a correlation . the first embodiment has better sensitivity than this embodiment , i . e . it is less sensitive to noise , but this embodiment has a higher data rate . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the present invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments based upon use of an ideal rectangular pulse . however , the invention should not be so limited , since the present invention could be implemented using other pulse shapes . similarly , the present invention may be implemented using general - purpose computers , microprocessor based computers , digital signal processors , microcontrollers , dedicated processors , custom circuits , asics and / or dedicated hard - wired logic . many other variations will also be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art . the embodiment disclosed can be embodied in a dsss receiver for a location system , for instance , but it is understood that the method and apparatus of the present invention is equally applicable to all other systems using dsss techniques . while the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications , permutations and variations will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the foregoing description . accordingly , it is intended that the present invention embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 7Electricity
|
fig1 is a cross - sectional view of the preferred embodiment of an interconnect metallurgy structure according to the subject invention . fig1 represents the interconnect structure after being processed through final annealing . referring to fig1 the interconnect metallurgy is seen to comprise a four - layer structure over an interplanar stud connection 10 surrounded by an insulator 8 to make connection to a device substrate 6 . the four - layer structure consists of a bottom - sputtered layer 13 of an intermetallic formed by the reaction between the conductor layer 14 and pre - annealed surface layer 12 ( see fig2 - 7 ). the layer 13 is typically 700 å thick and in a preferred embodiment would comprise tial 3 . onto said sputtered intermetallic layer 13 is a sputter - deposited , low percent (& lt ; 2 ) weight percent copper , aluminum - copper , conductor layer 14 . after annealing , the layer 14 is typically 8 , 500 å thick and consists of a composition of 99 . 5 % aluminum and 0 . 5 % copper ( aluminum - 0 . 5 % copper hereafter ). on layer 14 is a second intermetallic layer 15 of the same thickness and composition as the layer 13 . a layer 18 of aluminum - 0 . 5 % copper or pure aluminum of approximately 100 å to 500 å thick is then sputter deposited to cap the structure . while this completes the structure for a single interconnect layer according to the subject invention , it should be recognized by those skilled in the art that said layers can then be repeated in a multiple level sequence to complete the interconnect circuit for the devices . referring now to fig2 fig2 shows a planar insulator 8 and contact stud 10 with a group iva metal layer 12 sputter deposited thereon . the layer 12 is deposited by the following process . after formation of the device contact metallization 10 , the semiconductor wafer would be loaded into a sputtering tool which has been pumped to a low pressure . an in - situ sputter clean is then performed to remove any oxide from the contact metal 10 formation on the wafer at this time . this in - situ sputter clean typically is a mild sputter clean , run , for example , at about five minutes at low power ( approximately 1 , 000 watt ) in a high - pressure argon ambient . following the sputter cleaning , the first level of metallization 12 is then deposited . this first level metallization 12 is comprised of a group iva metal , preferably titanium , deposited on the device contact metallization 10 of the wafer in a blanket formation . this layer 12 is deposited at low power in a high pressure , high purity , argon plasma from an ultra - pure titanium target at a rate of about 60 å per minute . preferably , the titanium is deposited to a thickness of approximately 250 å . referring now to fig3 following the deposition of the layer 12 , the interconnect metallization layer 14 is next blanket deposited . the interconnect metallization 14 is preferably aluminum - 0 . 5 % copper ( approximately 9 , 500 å thick ). the aluminum - copper is deposited at high power using a direct current magnetron in a high purity argon plasma from an ultra - pure pre - alloyed target typically aluminum - 0 . 5 weight percent copper with a deposition rate of about 1 , 500 å per minute . onto said aluminum - copper interconnect metallization 14 is then deposited 250 å of a group iva metal similar to the previously deposited metal layer 12 discussed above . deposition , composition and thickness of said layer 16 is identical to the previously deposited layer 12 ( fig4 ). from fig5 onto said metal layer 16 is then blanket deposited a suitable capping layer 18 to complete the interconnect metallurgy at this level . the capping layer 18 is preferably comprised of aluminum - 0 . 05 % copper deposited in the same manner as the conductor aluminum - 0 . 05 % copper layer 14 as discussed above . the purpose of this layer is to : 1 ) prevent over - etch of metal layer 16 ; 2 ) limit the amount of light reflection during the subsequent photoresist steps , and 3 ) to act as a protective layer against corrosion during subsequent processing . therefore , any layer which would similarly satisfy the requirements of reducing the amount of light reflection and provide protective anodic capping during subsequent processing would be usable for this layer ( e . g . pure aluminum ). referring now to fig6 on top of metallization 18 , a multilayered photoresist ( 20 , 22 and 24 ) is then applied to pattern this blanket interconnect metallization . any number of different photoresist techniques can be used . in particular , multilayered photoresists are well suited for this purpose , as well as , single - layered resists . with a multilayered resist as shown in fig6 a first resist 20 is applied to a thickness of approximately 1 . 8 micrometers . in the preferred embodiment this resist is a diazo - quinone novolak photoresist . the resist 20 is baked in an oven in a nitrogen ambient at about 200 ° c . for 30 minutes . this resist 20 serves as a sacrificial layer during subsequent metal reactive ion etching ( rie ). onto said resist 20 is then deposited 200 å of a silylating agent 22 , such as , hmds ( hexamethyldisilizane ). the hmds 22 serves as a barrier to the oxygen reactive ion etching which is used to pattern the imaging layer resist 24 . onto said hmds layer 22 is next deposited an imaging layer resist 24 to a thickness of about 0 . 9 - 1 . 2 micrometers . similar to resist 20 , imaging resist 24 is a diazo - quinone novolak positive photoresist . the hmds 22 and imaging resist layer 24 are then baked on a hot plate for 25 minutes at 85 ° c . the imaging layer resist 24 is then exposed for the specific time required when used in conjunction with a specific exposure tool and associated mask . the exposed image is developed using conventional developing for the required time depending on the exposure . the wafer is then rinsed and dried and the patterned top imaging layer is uv hardened by exposing it to ultraviolet light for a specific period of time , typically , 5 to 10 minutes . following the patterning of the top imaging resist 24 , the hmds 22 and resist layer 20 are ready to be removed to expose the metal . the hmds 22 and the resist 20 are removed by reactive ion etching . this is accomplished by loading the wafer into a plasma tool and exposing the wafer to a plasma reactive to the hmds layer 22 ( e . g . cf 4 ) and then to a different plasma ( e . g . o 2 ) reactive to resist 20 . the polymer residues of the remains of the hmds layer 22 and the resist 20 are then removed by dipping in a solution of a conventional cleaning etch solution . this reactive ion etching of the hmds layer 22 and the resist 20 , has put a lithographic mask into place for the subsequent reactive ion etching of the underlying blanket metal layers . the metallurgy can now be reactively ion etched in a multi - step sequence . the first step is to break through any oxides which may exist on the top surface of the metallization . next , most of the metal is removed by reactive ion etching . an over etch is , then , performed to insure that all of the metal in the previous step has been etched away . finally , a passivation step is performed to prevent any metal corrosion . the reactive ion etch is typically performed in a single wafer tool under a low pressure . typical plasma composition , pressure , power and time combinations , for performing the above etches in a step - by - step process can be seen from the following table i . these compositions , pressures , powers and times should be recognized by those skilled in the art as being designed for a specific tool under specific conditions . any comparable times , compositions , pressure , etc ., could be similarly fabricated to insure the etch of the blanket metallization . table i______________________________________gas flow ( cc / min ) step 1 step 2 step 3 exit______________________________________bcl . sub . 3 20 12 12 -- cl . sub . 2 11 11 8 -- chcl . sub . 3 5 16 16 -- n . sub . 2 50 50 50 -- cf . sub . 4 -- -- -- 180o . sub . 2 -- -- -- 20pressure 375 375 375 0 . 5 torr ( milli - torr ) power ( watts ) 485 350 350 130typical times 15 2 - 3 40 20 sec min sec sec______________________________________ with the completion of the reactive ion etch , the wafer can then be rinsed and dried . referring now to fig7 it can be seen that the reactive ion etch of the metal removes any of the remaining imaging layer resist 24 and most of the hmds layer 22 leaving on the surface of the metal the resist 20 . this resist 20 can be removed by placing the wafer in an oxygen plasma for approximately 45 minutes . the wafer is then placed in a developer at room temperature for a short period of time to remove any oxides that may have formed in the previous step . the wafer is again rinsed and dried . with removal of this final layer of the resist 20 , the metallization stack can now be annealed by placing the wafer in an oven at 400 ° c . in forming gas for 1 hour in order to form tial 3 intermetallic layers 13 and 15 ( as shown in fig1 and 8 ) on the top and the bottom of the aluminum - copper layer 14 and to allow grain growth to occur in the aluminum - copper layer 14 . from fig8 it can be seen that once the metallization stack has been annealed ( to the structure of fig1 ) a suitable insulator 26 ( e . g ., planar quartz or plasma - enhanced cvd oxide or an organic insulator such as polyimide ) can be blanket deposited over the multilayered interconnect structure . this insulator 26 can then be planarized and / or patterned for stud connection to the repeating interconnect layers deposited onto the base interconnect layer . the superior performance of the interconnect metallurgy of the subject invention over that which is known in the prior art can be seen in the following figures . fig9 is a lifetime ( hours ) versus weight percent copper graph for the electromigration characteristics of both the above - described sputtered four - layered structure and an alternative sputtered three - layer structure ( al / cu / refractory metal / al - cu ), as compared to an evaporated three - layer structure patterned by lift - off and an evaporated four - layer structure , patterned by rie . from fig9 it can be seen that for all weight percent copper compositions , the sputtered interconnect metallurgies are vastly superior to the evaporated metallurgies . fig1 is a graph of the resistivity versus weight percent copper for various alternative embodiment metallurgies of the subject invention . the metallurgies have been subjected to a 400 ° c . forming gas anneal wherein the plots have been taken both before and after said anneal . from the plots it can clearly be seen that the resistivity of the 0 . 5 weight percent copper structures are lower than that of the higher weight percent copper films . additionally , it can also be seen that the annealed films of the four - layer structure have a lower resistivity than the annealed films of the three - layer structure . the following table ii is a further comparison of the electromigration characteristics of sputtered al - 0 . 5 % cu metallurgy after annealing with intermetallic formation as compared to various other interconnect metallugies . table ii______________________________________ resistivity ( μω - cm ) t ( 50 %) 1 hr , 400 c . 250 c ., 2 . 5e + 06a / cm . sup . 2alloy forming gas ( hours ) ______________________________________al - 0 . 5 % cu ( ref .# 1 ) 3 . 5 9000al - 0 . 5 % cu ( ref .# 2 ) 3 . 4 12000evap ( ref .# 3 ) 3 . 7 400 - 500evap ( ref .# 4 ) 3 . 8 400 - 500cr / al - 4 % cu 3 . 0 400al 2 . 8 15al - 0 . 5 % cu 2 . 9 50al - 1 . 2 % si - 0 . 15 % ti 3 . 1 23al - 1 . 2 % si ( ref .# 5 ) 2 . 9 156 * al - 1 % ti 6 . 6 2al -- si / ti ( ref .# 6 ) 3 . 1 300 * ______________________________________ * 150 c ., 1e + 06 a / cm . sup . 2 , unpassivated 1 . sputtered 4250å al0 . 5 % cu / 1500å tial . sub . 3 / 4250å al0 . 5 % c and annealed in forming gas at 400 ° c . 2 . sputtered 700å tial . sub . 3 / 8500å al0 . 5 % cu / 700å tial . sub . 3 / 250å al0 . 5 % cu and annealed in forming gas at 400 ° c . 3 . evaporated 4250å al0 . 5 % cu / 1500å tial . sub . 3 / 4250å al0 . 5 % cu and annealed in forming gas at 400 ° c . 4 . evaporate 700å tial . sub . 3 / 8500å al0 . 5 % cu / 700å tial . sub . 3 / 250 al0 . 5 % cu and annealed in forming gas at 400 ° c . 5 . f . fisher , siemens forschu . entwickldec . 13 , 21 ( 1984 ). 6 . d . s . gardner , t . l . michalka , p . a . flinn , t . w . barbee jr ., k . c . saraswat & amp ; j . d . meindl , proc . 2nd ieee vmic , pp . 102 - 113 ( 1985 ). from the table it can be seen that the sputtered 0 . 5 % copper metallurgy provides the longest electro - migration capability with the lowest resistivity . in general , while the corrosion resistance of bulk aluminum is greatly decreased by the addition of copper , it is known and recognized in the art ( see , for example , j . zahavi , m . rotel , h . c . w . huang , p . a . totta , &# 34 ; corrosion behavior of al - cu alloy thin films in microelectronics .&# 34 ; electrical society extended abstracts , vol . 84 - 2 , fall , 1984 that the corrosion resistance of reactive ion etched low copper containing films of aluminum ( e . g ., less than 1 % copper ) are at least as good as bulk aluminum . this is in contradiction to that skill in the art which recognizes that the corrosion resistance of higher percentage ( above 1 %) copper - aluminum films significantly degrades below that of pure aluminum . while detailed understanding of the mechanism of the performance of the subject interconnect metallurgy is not known , several principles have been extended by the inventors to explain the superior electromigration and resistivity results as seen above . the solubility of copper and aluminum is known to decrease from 5 . 65 wt . % at 548 ° c . to 0 . 25 wt . % at room temperature . therefore , the 0 . 5 % copper film composition of the subject invention has enough copper without theta phase formation to improve both the mechanical properties and reliability , ( e . g ., electro - migration properties ) of the alloy over pure aluminum . moreover , it is recognized that there is enhanced copper uniformity in the subject films due to the fact that said films were sputtered versus the non - uniformity in copper distribution as can be seen in the evaporated aluminum - copper films . in addition , it is also recognized that evaporation results in the uneven distribution of theta particles in the evaporated films which uneven distribution is known to contribute to the poor mechanical corrosion and electrical properties of the prior art films . the superior mechanical and electrical properties of the subject metallurgy is therefore directly attributed to the enhanced copper uniformity in these films as result of the deposition by sputtering . therefore , an improved sputtered copper interconnect metallurgy has been developed that has enhanced reliability , lower resistivity , is dry etchable , and has a superior corrosion resistance than that metallurgy as presently used in the prior art . the preferred sputtered ( 4 - layer ) metallurgy exhibits lower resistivity and superior electromigration over a wider range of copper compositions than previous prior art structures . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the 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 . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
the circuit according to the invention represented in fig5 is part of a modem that during a receive phase receives digitized signals at its input 11 . these signals arrive at the rate of a baud clock or symbol clock and are , for example , constituted by a word formed by two successive 16 - bit portions corresponding to the real portion and to the imaginary portion of a received symbol , respectively . the input words are transmitted to a combinatory logic circuit 12 which , in the given example , includes a memory 13 of one word ( real part and imaginary part ) having an output provided to a complex adder 14 . the other input of adder 14 receives the input signal 11 after passage through a multiplier 15 . thus , a linear combination of two successive words is carried out . when the sequence to be detected is constituted by a succession of identical words , for example aa . . . , multiplier 15 is a multiplier by - 1 and , if this sequence is received , the output of adder 14 is normally zero . if the expected sequence is sequence acac . . . ( refer fig1 and 3 ), that is , a sequence , wherein one signal is the complement of the next one ( in the present description , &# 34 ; complement &# 34 ; is to be construed as &# 34 ; negative &# 34 ;), multiplier 15 is a multiplier by + 1 and the output of adder 14 is normally zero if sequence acac . . . is received . more generally , it will be noted that it is merely necessary to provide a combinatory circuit 12 for combining successive signals having predetermined values in order to supply a zero value at the output when these signals are received . in practice , since the lines are always noisy , the output of adder 14 is not strictly zero when the incoming signals are the expected signals . accordingly , adder 14 is followed by an energy calculation circuit including a multiplier 17 receiving , on the one hand , directly the output of adder 14 and , on the other hand , this output through a circuit 18 providing the complex conjugate . the output signal 20 of multiplier 17 is provided to a first input of a comparator 21 that compares this signal with a threshold th1 . comparator 21 has an output at a high level when the signal at input 20 is higher than the threshold , and has an output at a low level when the signal is lower than the threshold . the output of comparator 21 is provided through an or gate 22 to the reset input rs of a counter 23 that receives at its input 24 signals arriving at the same rate as data are introduced at input 11 , that is , the signal at input 24 is normally the baud clock . thus , as long as the output of comparator 21 is at a low level , counter 23 counts and as soon as output 21 reaches a high level , the counter is reset and the next counting begins at zero . the output of counter 23 is applied to an input 25 of a comparator 26 that compares this output with a predetermined value n , for example equal to 32 . thus , when a counting equal to 32 has occurred , a signal appears at the output terminal 28 of comparator 26 . this signal at terminal 28 is an identification signal since it indicates that the output of comparator 21 has been 32 successive times at a low level , that is , its input was 32 successive times lower than threshold th1 . this means that signals corresponding to a sequence acac . . . were received 32 successive times ( when multiplier 15 is a multiplier by + 1 ) or a sequence aaa . . . ( when multiplier 15 is a multiplier by - 1 ). indeed , it is necessary to wait for a determined number of passages of signal 20 at a low level to , detect with certainty a sequence because the combinatory circuit 12 provides a low output each time successive signals exhibiting a predetermined ( for example identical or reverse ) relation are provided thereto ; this can occur during a signal transmission for specific signals , as is apparent by studying the constellations of fig1 and 3 . however , there is a case when an erroneous detection of a sequence such as acac . . . may happen , that is , when no signal arrives at terminal 11 , or more precisely when only noise arrives due to a temporary misfunction of the telephone link . the lower branch of the circuit of fig5 solves this problem and avoids other ambiguities . this lower branch includes a circuit for determining the energy of the incoming signal . the circuit includes a multiplier 31 , whose first input directly receives the signal of terminal 11 , and whose second input receives its complex conjugate through a circuit 32 . the average energy a 2 of signal a or c is subtracted from this energy ( it should be noted that these signals have the safe modulus ). this operation is carried out in an adder 33 whose output is provided to an absolute value calculator . 34 . the output of circuit 34 is provided to the first , input of a comparator 35 , whose second input receives a threshold signal th2 . the output of comparator 35 is provided to a second input of the or gate 22 . thus , if the signal at terminal 11 is a signal having the same modulus as a signal a or c , the output of circuit 34 will be substantially zero and the output of comparator 35 will be zero . accordingly , this signal will not affect the output of the or gate 22 . in contrast , if the signal at terminal 11 has a modulus different from the modulus of a , for example because it corresponds to a symbol having a different value or because it corresponds only to noise the output of comparator 35 will be at a high level and counter 23 will be reset . various other safety circuits can be devised by those skilled in the art . of course , although for the sake of simplification , the above description has been made using terms sometimes corresponding to analog systems , it will clearly appear to those skilled in the art that all the elements of the circuit according to the invention process digital signals and that the components of the circuit illustrated as hardware are often in practice embodied as software operating on a processor . having thus described one particular embodiment of the invention , various alterations , modifications , and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art . such alterations , modifications , and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure , and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting . the invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalents thereto . | 7Electricity
|
referring first to fig1 through 9 of the drawings , a fixture component system of the present invention includes a single handle faucet fixture shown generally at 22 in three dimensional perspective view in accordance with the invention viewed from the top front left position . fig1 shows an assembled faucet fixture 22 . fixture 22 includes an escutcheon 70 in the form of a finished fixture body having an escutcheon base portion 24 and an escutcheon spout portion 26 . in the embodiment shown , at the base of escutcheon spout portion 26 , where it joins with escutcheon base portion 24 , there is an upwardly extending cartridge housing portion 28 . escutcheon base portion 24 , escutcheon spout portion 26 and cartridge housing portion 28 together form escutcheon 70 for generally covering the internal plumbing components of the faucet and providing a finished appearance thereto . cartridge housing portion 28 is covered by a lever cap 30 which , in the embodiment shown , includes a lever handle 32 . escutcheon 70 is fixed with respect to an internal waterway 36 of faucet fixture 22 as described more fully in detail below . interposed between escutcheon 70 and a sink deck 74 ( shown in fig3 ), and in mating relationship to both , there is a putty plate 34 preferably formed from a resilient plastic material , which , along with escutcheon 70 defines a substantially closed chamber generally enclosing the internal plumbing components to be described more fully below . fig2 shows an exploded view of fixture 22 and depicts the relationship between the internal plumbing components , escutcheon 70 and putty plate 34 . fig3 shows waterway 36 fixed to sink deck 74 by mounting nuts 76 which engage an external surface of hot and cold waterway inlets 40a and 40b in a like manner typically used for dual handle fixtures ( and described more fully below ). in general , it is noted that prior art single handle fixtures typically braze copper tubing waterway inlets to a separate manifold unit , and must often provide separate fixation bolts in the escutcheon to secure the fixture to the sink deck with mounting nuts . applicant &# 39 ; s invention is much easier to fabricate , install and more rugged because only the waterway is a one piece casting and is attached through the deck to the underside of a sink , thus minimizing the stress on the escutcheon which covers the waterway . furthermore , most faucet maintenance can be accomplished from above the sink deck by simply removing escutcheon 70 . intermediate waterway 36 and sink deck 74 there is a seal for protecting the inside plumbing of fixture 22 from water which may accumulate on sink deck 74 and to provide a finished appearance thereto . in the present invention , the seal is formed by a putty plate 34 . putty plate 34 includes a putty plate flange 42 extending around its periphery and generally arranged to correspond with the shape of escutcheon base portion 34 . putty plate 34 also includes a putty plate ridge 44 set just inside the periphery of flange 42 and defining putty plate flange 42 . ridge 44 is generally adapted to correspond with the inside bottom walls of escutcheon base portion 24 in a manner such that putty plate 34 is fitted closely to escutcheon 70 when fixture 22 is assembled . putty plate 34 has two putty plate apertures 78a and 78b adapted to correspond to the position of waterway inlets 40a and 40b and the corresponding mounting openings on sink deck 74 . putty plate 34 is also loosely supported on waterway inlets 40a and 40b by means of opposing offset fastening members or tabs 46 . as best seen in fig9 fastening members 46 loosely engage with waterway mounting portion extensions or wings 48 which are integral with and extend outwardly from waterway inlets 40a and 40b at a location generally just above sink deck 74 . waterway mounting portion extensions 48 engage with fastening members 46 by means of a projection 46a in a manner which generally allows some play in the precise relative positioning of waterway 36 and putty plate 34 before final installation and tightening . waterway mounting portion extensions 48 are positioned on waterway inlets 40a and 40b at a location which sets the height - wise positioning of waterway 36 with respect to sink deck 74 . it should be noted that fastening members 46 and waterway mounting portion extensions 48 , while shown as clips and tabs , respectively , are merely one preferred embodiment for positioning waterway 36 , putty plate 34 and sink deck 74 with respect to one another , and additional fastening embodiments are easily envisioned by one of ordinary skilled in the art . likewise , putty plate ridge 44 and putty plate flange 42 engage with the lower rim of escutcheon base 24 in a manner which allows some play between the relative positioning of escutcheon base 24 and putty plate 34 before final installation and tightening . waterway inlets 40a and 40b extend through putty plate apertures 78a and 78b which correspond to mounting holes in sink deck 74 . to install fixture 22 on sink deck 74 , putty plate 34 is positioned on waterway 36 , aligning putty plate apertures 78a and 78b so that waterway inlets 40a and 40b extend therethrough . waterway 36 with attached putty plate 34 is positioned over the sink deck so that waterway inlets 40a and 40b extend through the mounting holes of sink deck 74 . fastening members 46 of putty plate 34 are engaged with waterway mounting portions 48 so that the combined waterway and putty plate can be installed together . waterway 36 and putty plate 34 are secured to sink deck 74 by screwing mounting nuts 76 to the threads formed on the outer surface of the downward by extending portions of waterway inlets 40a and 40b under sink deck 74 as best shown in fig3 . waterway 36 includes an attachable waterway spout 50 having at its end a waterway nozzle 52 . waterway inlets 40a and 40b are connected to a manifold 72 which is integrally formed as part of waterway 36 . this unique construction of the present invention allows the same attachable waterway spout construction to be used with both single and dual handle fixtures . furthermore , the waterway may be unitarily formed from plastic cast brass or other metal . as shown , putty plate 34 includes a breast plate portion 54 which is adapted to fit in mating relationship to the bottom of the inside walls of escutcheon spout portion 26 , thus forming a chamber when assembled . waterway spout 50 also joins with manifold 72 and extends generally up and away from sink deck 74 in a manner adapted to fit within the chamber formed by breast plate portion 54 and escutcheon spout portion 26 when fixture 22 is assembled . an aerator 38 is attached to waterway nozzle 52 and fixes the nozzle end portion of breast plate portion 54 to waterway nozzle 52 . a single handle control cartridge 58 is positioned on top of manifold 72 which is adapted to allow water from waterway inlets 40a and 40b to be mixed , metered and directed to waterway spout 50 in a known manner for providing a selectable flow amount of hot and / or cold water . the selection of the flow amount and mix of hot and / or cold water is controlled by means of a cartridge controller 60 fixed to cartridge 58 . cartridge controller 60 also acts as a handle mount for handle 32 . cartridge 58 typically is arranged with various chambers selectively placed in fluid communication with waterway inlets 40a and 40b and waterway spout 50 . cartridge 58 may be a conventional ceramic plate single handle fixture cartridge such as is well known in the art . cartridge 58 is adapted to fit within cartridge housing portion 28 when escutcheon base portion 24 is engaged with putty plate 34 and escutcheon spout base 26 is engaged with breast plate portion 54 . cartridge 58 rests on manifold 72 and cartridge housing 28 rests on cartridge 58 . in order to sealingly fix cartridge 58 to manifold 72 and attach cartridge housing portion 28 to cartridge 58 , cartridge housing portion 28 is provided with escutcheon mounting tabs 62 and cartridge 58 is provided with corresponding cartridge mounting portions in the form of through openings 64 . in this embodiment , cartridge fasteners 66 are screwed passing through holes in escutcheon mounting tabs 62 and cartridge mounting portions 64 . the screws are matingly engaged with threaded manifold openings 80 in the top of manifold 72 . it is noted that cartridge fastener 66 may be any suitable means for fixing cartridge housing 28 to cartridge 58 , and cartridge 58 may be fixed to manifold 72 , by any suitable additional means , or may be fixed by the same means as is used to fix cartridge housing 28 to cartridge 58 , as depicted in the embodiment shown . when assembled , fixture 22 is supported on sink deck 74 . however , unlike conventional fixtures , waterway 36 is the only component directly secured to sink deck 74 . during assembly or manufacture , cartridge 58 is set on manifold 72 , and cartridge fasteners 66 align it in proper position in order to allow the cartridge chambers be in selected fluid communication with waterway inlets 40a and 40b and waterway spout 50 , thus allowing regulation of the flow of water . in the embodiment shown , the fastening of cartridge 58 to manifold 72 is accomplished by the same means used to fasten cartridge housing portion 28 to cartridge 58 . thus , escutcheon 70 is fixed to waterway 36 by fixing cartridge 58 to manifold 72 and escutcheon mounting portions 62 to cartridge 58 through cartridge mount portions 64 . escutcheon 70 is set over cartridge 58 , escutcheon spout portion 26 is set over waterway spout 50 , and escutcheon base portion 24 is set generally over waterway inlets 40a and 40b and is matingly engaged with putty plate 34 by means of putty plate ridge 44 and putty plate flange 42 . as described more fully below , putty plate flange 42 is pressed towards the bottom of the walls of escutcheon base portion 24 , thus forming the matingly engaging relationship thereto and providing the desired seal . breast plate portion 54 , which is formed as part of putty plate 34 as shown in this embodiment , is in a matingly engaging relationship with the bottom of the inside walls of escutcheon spout 26 and may be held in place by , for example , being interposed between aerator 38 and waterway nozzle 52 when aerator 38 is attached to waterway nozzle 52 . an opening 54a in breast plate portion 54 allows a portion of nozzle 52 to extend therethrough . lever cap 30 is adapted to fit over cartridge housing portion 28 to allow smooth relative movement between lever cap 30 and cartridge housing portion 28 . lever cap 30 is secured to cartridge controller 60 by means of a lever handle fastener 68 , which in the embodiment shown , is a set screw . lever cap 30 is secured to cartridge control 60 in such a manner that by controlling lever handle 32 , lever cap 30 can be rotated or slid over cartridge housing 28 thereby rotating or sliding cartridge controller 60 and opening or shutting one or more of the cartridge chambers , thereby mixing water from either or both waterway inlets 40a and 40b and allowing water to flow through waterway spout 50 and waterway nozzle 52 . when installing fixture 22 , mounting nuts 76 are not tightened all the way against sink deck 64 at first thus allowing some play in the relative positions of putty plate 34 and waterway 36 . once all of the components of fixture 22 are properly aligned , mounting nuts 76 can be tightened to sink deck 74 , thus fixing in place putty plate 34 and waterway 36 . manifold 72 includes manifold spout opening 82 and manifold inlet openings 84a and 84b . manifold inlet openings 84a and 84b correspond with waterway inlets 40a and 40b and provide fluid communication between waterway 36 and chambers in cartridge 58 . manifold 72 also has a spout joint 86 integrally fixed on the underside of manifold 72 and connecting with manifold spout opening 82 to provide fluid communication with chambers in cartridge 58 . waterway spout 50 is attached to waterway 36 by spout joint 86 and is in fluid communication with manifold spout opening 82 . in the embodiment shown , waterway spout 50 has a threaded joint end which matingly engages with threads on the interior wall of spout joint 86 . manifold openings 80 are also threaded in this embodiment and are adapted to matingly engage with cartridge screws 66 for affixing escutcheon 70 to cartridge 58 , and cartridge 58 to manifold 72 . as described above , escutcheon mounting portions 62 of escutcheon 70 rests upon and is fixed to cartridge 58 which rests upon and is fixed to manifold 72 of waterway 36 which is fixed to sink deck 74 . due to manufacturing tolerances in producing each of these components of fixture 22 , the height of escutcheon 70 will vary with relation to sink deck 74 . it is desirable that escutcheon base 24 mate in a sealing relationship to putty plate 34 and that putty plate 34 mate in a sealing relationship to sink deck 74 . thus , it is desirable that the height of escutcheon base portion 24 over sink deck 74 be slightly less than the thickness of putty plate 34 above sink deck 74 . when assembled , escutcheon base portion 24 presses against putty plate flange 42 . putty plate flange 42 includes a bowed or recessed portion 88 in the form of a channel as best seen in fig7 and 8 to provide a resilient mating seal between putty plate 34 and escutcheon 70 . in this manner , escutcheon base portion 24 presses against bowed portion 88 which causes it to flex slightly to accommodate any irregularities in escutcheon base portion 24 or the sink deck . thus , if the tolerances are met , when escutcheon mounting portions 62 mate with cartridge 58 then the bottom edge of escutcheon base portion 24 should be closer to sink deck 74 then the thickness of putty plate 34 . in order to accommodate this spacing , bowed portion 88 flexes downwardly to accommodate escutcheon base portion 24 and provide the desired sealingly mated relationship . the single handle faucet component construction described above provides a one piece cast waterway construction heretofore not found in single handle faucets . the escutcheon body is coupled only to the waterway , not to the deck itself . the escutcheon body acts as the cartridge cover itself . as described below , the same putty plate with breast plate , mounting nuts , waterway spout and aerator may be used in the alternative embodiment of the single handle faucet as well as in the dual handle embodiment . fig2 and 29 depict an alternate embodiment of a single handle faucet shown generally at 322 constructed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention . faucet 322 includes an escutcheon 370 having a base portion 324 and a spout portion 326 . a waterway 336 includes waterway inlets 340a and 340b and mounting portion extensions 48 . the same putty plate 34 described above may be used in conjunction with faucet 322 . in this regard , it is noted that internal ribs 327 on opposite sides of the internal surface of spout portion 326 help prevent breast plate portion 54 of putty plate 34 from being pushed inwardly . in the embodiment of fig2 and 29 , valve cartridge 35 is separately secured to manifold 372 with several through screws . escutcheon 370 is separately coupled to the waterway using screws 400 which extend through holes 402 in manifold 372 and are threaded into bosses 404 formed on the underside of escutcheon 370 . due to the low profile of cartridge housing portion 328 , a separate snap on cap 410 is provided to cover the upper portion of the valve cartridge . reference is now made to fig1 through 13 which depict an embodiment of a dual handle faucet fixture generally shown at 122 constructed in accordance with the dual handle embodiment of the present invention . fixture 122 includes an escutcheon body 70 having an escutcheon base portion 124 and an escutcheon spout portion 126 . escutcheon base portion 124 and escutcheon spout portion 126 together form escutcheon 170 for covering the internal plumbing components of the faucet and providing a finished appearance thereto . escutcheon 170 is fixed with respect to an internal waterway 136 as described more fully below . putty plate 34 is disposed between escutcheon 170 and sink deck 74 and in mating relationship to both . putty plate 34 , which is of the same construction as used in the single handle faucet construction discussed above , together with escutcheon 170 , defines a generally closed chamber enclosing the internal plumbing components . waterway 136 is fixed to sink deck 74 by threaded mounting nuts 76 which engage with the external threaded surfaces of waterway inlets 140a and 140b . a seal is formed intermediate waterway 136 and sink deck 74 for protecting the inside plumbing of fixture 122 from water which may accumulate on sink deck 74 , and to provide a finished appearance thereto . in the present invention , this seal is formed by putty plate 34 which is the same putty plate 34 used in the single handle faucet construction described above . putty plate 34 is also affixed to waterway inlets 140a and 140b by means of putty plate fastening members 46 . fastening members 46 engage with waterway mounting portions 148 which are integral with and extend from waterway inlets 140a and 140b at a location generally just above sink deck 74 as in the single handle faucet construction . assembly of fixture 122 onto sink deck 74 is the same as described above with respect to the single handle faucet assembly . waterway 136 includes waterway spout 50 having the same construction as in the single handle faucet embodiment . waterway spout 50 is a separate component and joins with waterway 136 through a spout joint 186 . spout joint 186 threadingly engages waterway spout 50 in the same manner as discussed above . in this manner , the same spout component may be used for both single handle and dual handle faucet fixtures because the individual respective waterways 36 and 136 each include a respective spout joint 86 and 186 which positions waterway spout 50 with respect to escutcheon spout portions 26 and 126 and over the bowl of a sink . spout joint 186 is connected to and is in fluid communication with waterway inlets 140a and 140b . in the dual handle faucet depicted in fig1 - 13 , water valves 202 are used to separately control the flow of hot and cold water . valve 202 is a low cost , sanitary valve constructed and adapted to fit in respective valve receiving portions 204 of waterway 136 . valve 202 is interposed within waterway 136 , and when in a first , open position , maintains fluid communication between waterway inlets 140a and 140b and waterway spout 50 . valve 202 is retained in place by a valve nut 205 . valve nut 205 is fixed to a corresponding portion of valve receiving portion 204 by , for example , being threadingly engaged thereto . interposed between valve receiving portion 204 and valve nut 205 is a valve gasket 207 . the combination of valve gasket 207 and valve nut 205 not only retains valve 202 within valve receiving portion 204 , but also acts to secure escutcheon 170 to waterway 136 . valve receiving portion 204 has a design which permits the flow of fluid through the bottom from waterway inlets 140a and 140b , to a side water outlet which permits the flow of fluid to waterway spout 50 . valve 202 includes a valve housing 228 adapted to fit within valve receiving portion 204 . valve housing 228 is sealingly engaged to valve receiving portion 204 with a valve housing gasket 230 , set in a corresponding groove 228a in valve housing 228 . valve housing 228 includes recessed opposing outlet portions 236 which are open to the side and are in fluid communication with waterway spout 50 . valve housing 228 also includes opposing projections 229 which fit in corresponding slots 204a in valve receiving portion 204 to prevent rotation of the valve housing and to properly orient and position the valve housing . as shown in detail in fig1 - 17 , valve housing 228 also includes a shaft bearing portion 234 on the upper portion thereof which holds and aligns a drive shaft 224 along the central axis of valve housing 228 . drive shaft 224 includes a shaft gasket 226 which fluidly seals drive shaft 224 against valve housing 228 while permitting drive shaft 224 to rotate about its central axis within bearing portion 234 . the bottom of drive shaft 224 includes t - shaped projections 242 each having a leg 242a which fits in a corresponding slot 220a in a bone - shaped rotating disk 220 . rotating disk 220 is preferably a ceramic plate although other materials may be used . rotating disk 220 includes opposing cutout regions 222 and opposing solid regions 223 . rotating disk 220 is pressed against a stationary disk 216 , which is also preferably made of ceramic material . stationary disk 216 includes opposing specially shaped apertures 218 which correspond with cutout regions 222 in rotating disk 220 when drive shaft 224 is in a first , open position , and which are blocked by solid regions 223 in rotating disk 220 when drive shaft 224 is in a second , closed position . stationary disk 216 is prevented from rotating within valve housing 228 by opposing retaining pins 230 set in corresponding slots 228b on the inner surface of the wall of valve housing 228 . stationary disk 216 is held in place in valve housing 228 when valve 202 is assembled by a retaining assembly 208 including an outer ring 214 which closely with interference fits in a bottom portion of valve housing 228 and surrounds a rubber expansion gasket 210 . rubber expansion gasket 210 is set in outer ring 214 and held in place by the outer ring . an inner ring 212 having projections 212a on the outside thereof helps stabilize the gasket . retaining assembly 208 includes an inlet opening 206 in fluid communication with waterway inlets 140a and 140b on one side and apertures 218 on the other side . rubber expansion gasket 210 extends slightly below the lower edge 228c of valve housing 228 and fluidly seals valve 202 in valve receiving portion 204 against the bottom 204a thereof . in the embodiment shown , valve 202 also includes two stops 232a and 232b on the top surface of housing 228 to be described below with reference additionally to fig1 - 27 . fig1 depicts valve 202 in an assembled condition . fig1 shows a cross - section of assembled valve 202 when drive shaft 224 is in the second , closed position . fig1 shows the valve in the first , open position . as can be seen , when drive shaft 224 is in the second , closed position , the solid regions 223 of rotating disk 220 sealingly cover and block apertures 218 , thus preventing flow of water within valve 202 and waterway 136 . however , when drive shaft 224 is rotated to the first , open position of fig1 , cutout regions 222 correspond with lower apertures 218 and permit water to flow from inlet portion 206 through the two disks 216 and 220 and to outlet portion 236 , and to waterway spout 50 , thus allowing fluid to flow through waterway 136 . the above - mentioned first open and second closed positions may be defined by stop members 232a and 232b on valve housing 228 . drive shaft 224 may also include two flat portions 240a and 240b on a handle mount portion 238 . flat portions 240a and 240b define about a 90 ° angle with respect to one another relative to the rotational axis , and mate and engage with a corresponding handle flat portion 248 of a handle 244 . handle 244 includes blocking members 246a and 246b which abut stops 232 and limit the extent of maximum rotation in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction . as a result of dual stops 232a and 232b , dual blocking members 246a and 246b , and dual flat portions 240a and 240b , handle 244 can be mounted in one of two orientations ( with handle flat portion 248 matingly engaged with either one of flat portion 240a and 240b ) which thus allows rotation in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction to turn drive shaft 224 from the second closed position to the first open position . moreover , as depicted in fig1 , the hot water valve housing 228d is oriented at a 90 ° displacement with respect to the cold water valve housing 228e . this placement orients the openings in the stationary disk on the hot side at a 90 ° displacement with respect to the openings on the stationary disk or cold side . this helps to assure proper handle placement and rotation during installation . therefore , depending on the requirements of the sink installation , the very same valve and handle combination may be easily assembled and used to allow a clockwise ( looking from down on top ) rotation to open water flow , see fig1 , 20 and 27 , or to allow a counterclockwise ( again looking down from on top ) rotation , see fig2 , 24 and 25 , to open the water flow . this feature can be particularly useful where faucet handle 244 includes a long lever 254 which would collide with the faucet spout if it were rotated towards the spout . fig1 and 21 show cold water valve housing 228e ( from fig1 ) oriented with projections 232a and 232b in the horizontal direction . this also causes apertures 218 in stationary disk 216 to be oriented in the horizontal direction . when the components are oriented as depicted in fig1 and 21 , the valve is closed since solid regions 223 of rotating disk 220 block apertures 218 in stationary disk 216 . when handle 244 is positioned on drive shaft 224 with the flat 244a of handle 244 against flat portion 240a of drive shaft 224 , as shown in fig1 , blocking members 246a and 246b in handle 244 will press against stop members 232a and 232b when handle 244 is rotated in a clockwise direction of arrow a as shown in fig1 to close the valve . when handle 244 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction when the stop and blocking members are oriented as depicted in fig1 , the valve will be opened and water will flow . on the other hand , when handle 244 is positioned on drive shaft 224 with the flat 244a of handle 244 against flat portion 240b of drive shaft 224 as depicted in fig2 , blocking members 246a and 246b in handle 244 will press against stop members 232a and 232b when handle 244 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction of arrow b to close the valve . rotation of handle 244 in the clockwise direction when oriented as shown in fig2 , will cause the valve to open . fig2 depicts a handle 244 having a lever extension 254 . when such a handle is used on the cold side , it is desirable to prevent clockwise rotation from the closed valve position shown in fig2 so that lever extension 254 does not contact the faucet spout . since the valve is based in the orientation of fig2 , only rotation in a counterclockwise direction will be allowed to open the valve . fig2 and 26 show hot water valve housing 228d ( from fig1 ) oriented with projections 232a and 232b in the vertical direction . this also causes apertures 218 in stationary disk 216 to be oriented in the vertical direction . when the components are oriented as depicted in fig2 and 26 , the valve is closed . when handle 244 is positioned on drive shaft 224 with the flat 244a of handle 244 against flat portion 240b of drive shaft 224 , as shown in fig2 , blocking members 246a and 246b in handle 244 will press against stop members 232b and 232a when handle 244 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction of arrow c as shown in fig2 to close the valve . when handle 244 is rotated in the clockwise direction when the stop and blocking members are oriented as depicted in fig2 , the valve will be opened and water will flow . on the other hand , when handle 244 is positioned on drive shaft 224 with the flat 244a of handle 244 against flat portion 240a of drive shaft 224 as depicted in fig2 , blocking members 246a and 246b in handle 244 will press against stop members 232a and 232b when handle 244 is rotated in a clockwise direction of arrow d to close the valve . rotation of handle 244 in the counterclockwise direction when oriented as shown in fig2 , will cause the valve to open . fig2 depicts a handle 244 having a lever extension 254 . when such a handle is used on the hot side , it is desirable to prevent counterclockwise rotation from the closed valve position shown in fig2 so that lever extension 254 does not contact the faucet spout . since the valve is based in the orientation of fig2 , only rotation in a clockwise direction will be allowed to open the valve . as noted , this construction is particularly beneficial for faucet handles having long levers attached , such as lavatory fixtures adapted for use by the handicapped . in this case , when it is desired that both hot and cold valves are in an off position when the levers are perpendicular to the faucet spout , with the hot water lever pointing to the left and the cold water lever pointing to the right , the change can be made by merely reorienting the respective handles on the respective drive shafts as described above . the hot water valve on the left hand side will then be turned on by rotating the lever in a counterclockwise direction and the cold water faucet on the right hand side will be turned on by rotating the faucet lever clockwise . this unique valve construction and assembly which provides that the hot and cold water valves can be oriented so that one valve includes apertures essentially parallel to the spout and the other valve includes apertures essentially perpendicular to the spout allows for a single valve construction for both hot and cold sides , a single handle construction and a single valve body ( including the waterway and valve receiving portion ) to accomplish both clockwise and counterclockwise opening of the valve . thus , the same system allows ready changeover from knob handles to lever handles and vice versa , without the need to remove or replace the valves . the present invention provides a unique system for single and dual handle faucet with interchangeable components which have heretofore been unavailable . the system also provides several improved components , and reduces both manufacturing costs , and manufacturing and installation time . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 4Fixed Constructions
|
referring to fig2 a top view of a conventional phase shifting mask 20 illustrates a phase shift area 22 , a phase shift area 24 , and a phase shift area 26 . phase shift area 22 , phase shift area 24 , and phase shift area 26 are separated by portions of a chrome layer 28 . as described with reference to fig4 - 5 below , phase shift area 22 , phase shift area 24 , and phase shift area 26 are defined by removed portions of chrome layer 28 , exposing portions of a quartz layer . in an exemplary embodiment , phase shift area 22 and phase shift area 24 have a phase shift characteristic of phase 0 ° and phase shift area 26 has a phase shift characteristic of phase 180 °. phase shift area 22 and phase shift area 24 are separated only by a small area 23 of chrome in chrome layer 28 . in an exemplary embodiment , small area 23 is a distance of 0 . 16 μm separating phase shift area 22 and phase shift area 24 . the separation distance used is dependent on the design rule employed for a specific integrated circuit design . this small distance results in a potential phase conflict where bridging may occur with respect to the light waves passing through phase shift area 22 and phase shift area 24 . as discussed above , phase conflict results in less accurate lithographic operations using phase shifting mask 20 . fig3 illustrates a top view of a phase shifting mask 30 . phase shifting mask 30 can include a phase shift area 32 , a phase shift area 34 , a phase shift area 36 , and a phase attenuating segment 38 . phase shift area 32 , phase shift area 34 , and phase shift area 36 are defined by removed portions of a chrome layer 39 . layer 39 can be chrome oxide or other absorbing opaque material . removed portions of chrome layer 39 expose portions of a quartz layer described further with reference to fig5 - 12 below . in an exemplary embodiment , phase shift area 32 and phase shift area 34 have a phase shift characteristic of phase 0 ° and phase shift area 36 has a phase shift characteristic of phase 180 °. phase attenuating segment 38 is located on top of chrome layer 39 between phase shift area 32 and phase shift area 34 in order to prevent phase conflict . phase attenuating segment 38 can be a high transmittance attenuating material . in an exemplary embodiment , phase attenuating segment 38 is made of a molybdenum silicon ( mosi ) material . advantageously , phase attenuating segment 38 attenuates a portion of the light waves in order to prevent phase conflict between phase shift area 32 and phase shift area 34 . in an exemplary embodiment , phase attenuating segment 38 attenuates 20 - 40 % of transmitted light . phase conflict can occur between any closely located phase shifting areas that have the same phase shift characteristic . phase attenuating segment 38 helps to prevent any bridging in the light waves passing through phase shifting mask 30 . thus , the photo margin in this area of potential conflict is improved . the area between phase shift area 32 and phase shift area 34 where phase attenuating segment 38 is located can be called a dark field trench layer . fig4 illustrates a top view of a phase - shifting mask 40 . phase - shifting mask 40 can include a phase shift area 42 , a phase shift area 44 , and a phase shift area 46 . phase shift area 42 , phase shift area 44 , and phase shift area 46 are defined by removed portions of a chrome layer 49 . layer 49 can be chrome oxide or any of a variety of absorbing opaque materials . phase - shifting mask 40 differs from phase - shifting mask 30 described with reference to fig3 in that phase shift area 42 and phase shift area 44 have merged into one area because there is a phase conflict in area 38 described with reference to fig3 . it is desirable to avoid phase conflict from causing this merging . fig5 illustrates a cross - sectional view of a portion 50 of phase - shifting mask 40 described with reference to fig4 . portion 50 includes a quartz layer 52 and a chrome layer 54 . fig6 illustrates a cross - sectional view of a portion 60 of phase - shifting mask 40 described with reference to fig4 . portion 60 is shown in a cross - sectional view about line 5 — 5 in fig4 . portion 60 includes a quartz layer 62 and a chrome layer 64 . fig7 illustrates an exemplary step in a method of making phase - shifting mask 30 described with reference to fig3 . in an exemplary embodiment , a layer of molybdenum silicon ( mosi ) or any other phase shifting material is deposited over chrome layer 54 and quartz layer 52 of portion 50 described with reference to fig5 . phase shifting material layer 72 is coated with an e - beam resist or a photoresist and patterned to form a photoresist feature 74 . a variety of machines may be employed to provide a coating of e - beam resist , such as , etct &# 39 ; s mebes - 4500 or mebes - x , toshiba ebm - 3500 , and jeol jbx - 9000mv . alternatively , photoresist may be deposited utilizing a machine , such as , an optical machine such as etct &# 39 ; s alta - 3700 . in an exemplary embodiment , phase shifting material layer 72 is etched using photoresist feature 74 as a pattern and the resist layer is stripped , forming a phase shifting material feature 82 illustrated in fig8 . fig9 illustrates an exemplary step and a method of making phase - shifting mask 30 described with reference to fig3 . fig9 illustrates portion 60 described with reference to fig6 as a cross - sectional view about line 5 — 5 in fig3 . in an exemplary embodiment , a phase shifting material layer 92 is deposited over chrome layer 64 and quartz layer 62 . a resist feature 94 is formed over phase shifting material layer 92 to pattern phase shifting material 92 . any of a variety of techniques may be utilized to pattern phase shifting material 92 . fig1 illustrates portion 60 after a patterning step is performed to form a phase shifting material feature 1002 . fig9 and 10 illustrate the same steps as shown in fig7 and 8 . phase shifting material feature 82 described with reference to fig8 and phase shifting material feature 1002 described with reference to fig1 correspond to phase attenuating segment 38 described with reference to fig3 . fig1 illustrates an exemplary step in formation of a 180 degree phase area in a phase - shifting mask . in an exemplary embodiment , an e - beam resist or photoresist layer 1112 is deposited and patterned selectively in order to expose a portion 1114 . fig1 also illustrates deposition of photoresist layer 1112 . exposed portion 1114 is then subjected to an etching or removal process to form a trench in the quartz layer . such a trench results in a phase shifting . fig1 illustrates a phase - shifting mask 1300 . phase - shifting mask 1300 is similar to phase - shifting mask 30 described with reference to fig3 with the exception that all of phase - shifting mask 1300 except portion 1302 is covered by photoresist layer 1112 described with reference to fig1 and 12 . fig1 illustrates an etching step performed in which portion 1302 of phase - shifting mask 1300 described with reference to fig1 is etched to form a phase 180 degree area . while the embodiments illustrated in the figures and described above are presently preferred , it should be understood that these embodiments are offered by way of example only . the invention is not limited to a particular embodiment , but extends to various modifications , combinations , and permutations that nevertheless fall within the scope and spirit of the appended claims . | 6Physics
|
embodiments of the invention provide a method and an apparatus for annealing large - diameter crystals , particularly optical fluoride disk crystals . for example , crystals with a diameter of 300 mm or greater and diameter - to - thickness ratios of 3 . 0 or greater can be treated using the method and apparatus of the invention , preferably optical fluoride crystal disks . smaller - diameter crystals can also take advantage of the benefits offered by the method and apparatus of the invention . the invention includes applying heat uniformly to and removing heat uniformly from the optical crystals along their shortest path of conduction . the shortest path of conduction is along the shortest dimension of the crystal . for a circular crystal having a diameter - to - thickness ratio greater than 1 , the shortest path of conduction is along the thickness of the crystal . the following is a description of specific embodiments of the invention . fig2 a shows an annealing apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the invention . the apparatus 10 includes a horizontal chamber ( or vessel ) 12 having a surface 14 for supporting one or more disk crystals 16 . the horizontal chamber 12 is preferably unsealed , including not sealed hermetically , and can be gas permeable . the horizontal chamber 12 is made of an inert material , such as graphite , boron nitride , silicon carbide , or silicon nitride . the crystals 16 could be any type of optical fluoride crystal . for applications such as microlithography , fluoride crystals , such as single crystals of caf 2 , baf 2 , srf 2 , lif , mgf 2 , or naf or mixed fluoride crystals made from solid solutions of these materials , are of interest . for discussion purposes , the crystals 16 are assumed to be disk - shaped . however , the invention is not limited to disk - shaped crystals . in a preferred embodiment of the invention the optical fluoride crystals are disks . the crystals 16 are arranged in a single layer on the surface 14 . the single - layer arrangement is preferred when the crystals 16 have large diameters , i . e ., greater than 150 mm , and have a diameter - to - thickness ratio greater than 1 . if the crystals 16 have small diameters , i . e ., smaller than 150 mm , or have a diameter - to - thickness ratio less than 1 , then it may be possible to arrange the crystals in more than one layer on the surface 14 . in general , the crystals 16 should be arranged such that the majority ( preferably at least 90 %) of the heat that would be applied to them would be conducted along their shortest path of conduction , i . e ., along their shortest dimension ( diameter or thickness ). in the illustration , the bottom surfaces 18 of the crystals 16 are in direct contact with the surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 . in alternate embodiments , the crystals 16 could be placed in crystal containers ( not shown ), which can then be supported on the surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 . in alternate embodiments , as will be further described below , the bottom surfaces 18 of the crystals 16 may be spaced from the surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 to reduce or avoid contamination of the crystals 16 with the material used in constructing the horizontal chamber 12 . the horizontal chamber 12 is supported inside a furnace 20 . preferably , the support structure ( not shown ) for the horizontal chamber 12 is such that it does not cast thermal radiation “ shadows ” that can be detected on the inside of the horizontal chamber 12 . preferably , the furnace 20 is a vacuum furnace . the furnace 20 may be constructed of a water - cooled stainless steel casing or other suitable material . preferably , the furnace 20 includes one or more ports ( not shown ) through which the atmosphere in the furnace 20 can be controlled . for example , the ports may be used for introducing atmosphere - controlling gases into the furnace 20 and for measuring the temperature and pressure in the furnace 20 . preferably , a gas purification / dryer system ( not shown ) is provided for removal of oxygen and moisture from process gases supplied into the furnace 20 . preferably , the moisture level in the furnace 20 is controlled to less than 1 ppb . catalyst / absorber / getter systems may be used to remove moisture from the furnace atmosphere . inside the furnace 20 , the horizontal chamber 12 is supported between heaters 22 , 24 . the heaters 22 , 24 are generally parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 26 , 28 , respectively , of the horizontal chamber 12 . the heaters 22 , 24 may be resistance heating elements made of graphite or other suitable inert material . the heaters 22 , 24 may be single heating elements . in other embodiments , such as shown in fig2 b , multiple heating elements 22 a , 24 a may be mounted parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 26 , 28 , respectively , of the horizontal chamber 12 . multiple heating elements allow for flexibility in controlling the temperature along the length of the horizontal chamber 12 . in other embodiments , such as shown in fig2 c , heaters 30 , 32 may be mounted parallel to the side surfaces 34 , 36 of the horizontal chamber 12 . in other embodiments , such as shown in fig2 d , the horizontal chamber 12 may be placed within one or more spiral heaters 34 . returning to fig2 a , the heaters 22 , 24 provide the majority of the heat used in bringing the crystals 16 from room temperature to annealing temperature . if the diameter - to - thickness ratio of the crystals 16 is greater than 1 and the crystals 16 are arranged in a single layer , then the heat generated by the heaters 22 , 24 would be conducted along the shortest path of conduction of the crystals 16 . providing the majority of the heat along the shortest path of conduction of the crystals 16 would result in increased heating rates in comparison to the case where the crystals are arranged in a vertical stack . also , the single - layer arrangement of the crystals 16 would allow the crystals 16 to be cooled evenly at increased cooling rate throughout the entire cooling portion of the annealing cycle . the single - layer arrangement of the crystals 16 would also allow for even distribution of process gases around the crystals 16 . radiation enhancements can be used to increase the radiation view factors on the crystals 16 and improve the overall temperature uniformity within the crystals 16 . the term “ radiation view factor ” refers to the fraction of thermal energy leaving the surface of a first object and reaching the surface of a second object , determined entirely from geometrical considerations . in other words , the term “ radiation view factor ” on the crystal 16 refers to the fraction of the crystal 16 visible from the horizontal chamber 12 . in one embodiment , the radiation enhancements include textures or shapes formed on the inside surfaces of the horizontal chamber 12 . for example , fig3 shows cup - shaped depressions 36 formed on the inside surfaces of the horizontal chamber 12 . the sides of the depressions 36 would be at an angle sufficient to increase the radiation view factors on the crystals 16 . radiation enhancements can also be used to apply more radiation energy to specific portions of the crystals 16 such that more uniform heating or cooling of the crystals 16 is achieved . as in the embodiment above , these radiation enhancements could be textures or shapes formed on the inside surfaces of the horizontal chamber 12 and / or heaters 22 , 24 . as an example , the radiation enhancements could be concave or convex shapes formed on the inside surfaces of the heaters 22 , 24 . fig4 a shows concave shapes 40 formed on the inside surface of the heaters 22 , 24 . the concave shapes 40 apply more radiation energy toward the center of the crystals 16 , promoting even heating . fig4 b shows convex shapes 38 formed on the inside surface of the heaters 22 , 24 . the convex shapes 38 , when centered over the crystals 16 , apply more radiation energy toward the circumference of the crystals 16 , promoting even cooling . the annealing process starts with loading of the optical fluoride crystals 16 into the horizontal chamber 12 , as shown in fig2 a . the horizontal chamber 12 is then loaded into the furnace 20 . typically , the horizontal chamber 12 is not sealed so that process gases can be passed over the crystals 16 as necessary . after loading the horizontal chamber 12 into the furnace 20 , the furnace 20 is sealed , and the required atmosphere such as vacuum , inert , or fluorinating environment , is created inside the furnace 20 . after creating the required atmosphere inside the furnace 20 , the heating elements 22 , 24 are operated such that the crystals 16 are heated to annealing temperature , typically a temperature below the melting point of the crystals 16 . the heating process may include multiple heating and thermal hold segments . the crystals 16 are held at the annealing temperature for a predetermined length of time and then cooled at a controlled rate to room temperature . typically , this cooling process involves slowly reducing the heat provided by the heaters 22 , 24 . during annealing , a control system ( not shown ) monitors and controls the atmosphere in the furnace 20 to a programmed level . the following is an outline of an annealing process for calcium fluoride crystals using the apparatus of the invention . in particular , various modifications can be made to the heating and cooling schedules depending on the type of optical fluoride crystal treated and the birefringence level desired . the outline of the annealing process is as follows : load the horizontal chamber 12 inside the furnace 20 and seal the furnace 20 . pump vacuum into the furnace 20 until vacuum pressure of 10 − 5 torr is achieved . hold the furnace 20 at the vacuum pressure of 10 − 5 torr for 30 minutes . backfill the furnace 20 with preheated nitrogen or argon or a mixture of nitrogen and argon at a continuous programmed rate of 5 volume exchanges per hour , where the temperature of the gas supplied matches the temperature of the furnace 20 . heat the furnace 20 from room temperature to 300 ° c . in 5 . 5 hours with ± 10 ° c . difference at any point outside of the chamber 12 . hold the temperature of the furnace 20 at 300 ° c . for 1 hour with ± 5 ° c . at any point outside of the chamber 12 by the start of the thermal hold . at the beginning of the thermal hold , start pumping vacuum into the furnace 20 until vacuum pressure of 10 − 5 torr is achieved . hold the furnace 20 at the vacuum pressure of 10 − 5 torr for 30 minutes . backfill the furnace 20 with preheated nitrogen or argon or a mixture of nitrogen and argon at a continuous programmed rate of 5 volume exchanges per hour , where the temperature of the gas supplied matches the temperature of the furnace 20 . heat the furnace 20 from 300 ° c . to 1200 ° c . in 18 hours with ± 2 . 5 ° c . at any point on the outside of the chamber . hold the temperature of the furnace 20 at 1200 ° c . for 72 hours with ± 1 ° c . difference at any point on the outside of the chamber 12 within 4 hours of the start of the thermal hold and continuing through the end of the hold at the same ± 1 ° c . difference . cool the furnace 20 to 800 ° c . in 200 hours with ± 1 ° c . difference at any point on the outside of the chamber 12 throughout this cooling range . hold the temperature of the furnace 20 at 800 ° c . for 24 hours with ± 1 ° c . difference at any point on the outside of the chamber 12 through the end of the hold . cool the furnace 20 to room temperature in 150 hours with ± 2 . 5 ° c . difference at any point on the outside of the chamber 12 throughout this entire cooling range . large - diameter crystals have large surface areas , which may result in increased friction drag between the crystals and the support surface of the horizontal chamber as the crystals expand and contract during the annealing process . embodiments of the invention provide a method for reducing friction drag between the crystals and the support surface of the horizontal chamber during the annealing process . fig5 shows one method for reducing friction drag between the crystals 16 and the horizontal support surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 according to one embodiment of the invention . the method includes interposing sacrificial disks or spacers 42 between the crystals 16 and the support surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 . preferably , the spacers 42 are made of the same or similar fluoride crystal material as the optical fluoride crystals 16 . the thickness of the spacers 42 can range from 0 . 125 to 1 in or more . in general , the surface friction between the crystals 16 and the fluoride crystal material spacers 42 is much less than would have been observed if the crystals 16 were in direct contact with the support surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 . one of the benefits of having the fluoride crystal material disks 42 between the crystals 16 and the support surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 is better cooling uniformity within the crystals 16 . better cooling uniformity is achieved because the crystals 16 are raised off the support surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 . raising the crystals 16 also reduces the effect of hot and cold temperature spots of the support surface 14 on the internal temperature of the crystals 16 , allowing an overall uniform temperature within the crystals 16 . the spacers 42 also eliminate or reduce contamination of the crystal surface by preventing direct contact between the crystals 16 and the horizontal chamber 12 . fig6 shows another method for reducing friction drag between the crystals 16 and the support surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 according to an embodiment of the invention . the method includes placing loosely - packed round cross - section spheres 44 between the crystals 16 and the support surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 . in general , spacers with round cross - sections , such as cylinders , could be packed between the crystals 16 and the support surface 14 . the round cross - section spheres spacer rollers 44 could be made of high - grade , high - density inert material , such as graphite , or the same or similar fluoride crystal material as the optical crystals 16 . the round cross - section spheres spacer 44 reduce the contact area between the crystals 16 and the support surface 14 of the horizontal chamber 12 , thus significantly reducing the surface friction and allowing the crystals 16 to thermally expand and contract freely . the spheres 44 also allow process gases to flow under the crystals 16 to provide a more homogeneous atmosphere environment to the surfaces of the crystals 16 . this potential flow of gases under the crystals 16 mimics two - sided cooling , which allows for shorter cooling cycles and increased throughput . the increased surface area of the spheres 44 also increases the radiation view factors on the crystals 16 , greatly reducing the impact of slight hot or cold temperature spots of the support surface 14 on the internal temperature of the crystals 16 . the spheres 44 also reduce contamination of the crystal surface by preventing direct contact between the crystals 16 and the chamber 12 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that other crystal arrangements are possible which would allow heat to be conducted along the shortest path of conduction of the crystals . in other words , the invention is not limited to mounting the crystals 16 facedown ( in a horizontal orientation ) inside the horizontal chamber 12 . for example , fig7 a shows an alternative arrangement where the crystals 16 are mounted in an edgewise ( vertical ) orientation inside vertical chambers 48 . the crystals 16 are mounted on supports 46 inside the chambers 48 . the circumferential edges 50 of the chambers 48 are in turn mounted on supports 52 inside the furnace 20 . the vertical chambers 48 are shown as having a circular cross - section , but this is not a requirement for supporting the crystals 16 in an edgewise fashion . the vertical chambers 48 could be box - shaped , for example . fig7 b shows a vertical cross - section of the arrangement shown in fig7 a . as illustrated , heating elements 54 are placed adjacent the vertical faces 56 of the chamber 48 to allow heat to be conducted along the shortest path of conduction of the crystal 16 , i . e ., along the thickness of the crystal 16 . this assumes that the diameter - to - thickness ratio of the crystal 16 is greater than 1 . the vertical faces 56 of the chamber 48 and / or the heaters 54 could include radiation - enhancing surfaces , such as previously described . preferably , the material used in making the chamber 48 is an inert material and is heat - resistant . in one embodiment , the vertical faces 56 of the chamber 48 are made of a material having a high thermal conductivity , and the circumferential edge 50 of the chamber 48 is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity . an example of a suitable material for making the vertical faces 56 is a graphite material having a thermal conductivity of 139 w / m . k . an example of a suitable material for making the circumferential edge 50 is a graphite material having a thermal conductivity of 50 w / m . k . the combination of low thermal conductivity and high thermal conductivity materials ensures that the majority of the heat applied to the chamber 48 is conducted along the shortest path of conduction of the crystal 16 . the chamber 48 is mounted within an insulated chamber 64 inside the furnace 20 to allow for greater control of the heating and cooling rates of the crystal 16 . it should be noted that the insulated chamber 64 does not have to be sealed . in the illustration , the crystal 16 and heating elements 54 are arranged such their circumferential edges 16 a , 54 a , respectively , are rotated 90 degrees with respect to the round portion 21 of the furnace 20 . in another embodiment , such as shown in fig7 c , the crystal 16 and heating elements 54 could be rotated such that their circumferential edges 16 a , 54 a , respectively , have the same orientation as the round portion 21 of the furnace 20 . in this way , heat will still be conducted along the shortest path of conduction of the crystal 16 . this arrangement generally provides better heat uniformity across the crystal 16 . it is desirable to have uniform heat distribution throughout the crystal 16 . fig8 a shows the desired uniform temperature gradient field within the crystal 16 . in reality , there will be some variation in the temperature distribution within the crystal 16 , particularly near the circumferential edge 60 of the crystal 16 . fig8 b shows the temperature gradient field “ tailing off ” near the circumferential edge 60 of the crystal 16 . in one embodiment , this tailing off can be minimized by placing a crystal edge insulator insulation material 62 , such as high purity graphite fiber , between the circumferential edge 50 of the chamber 48 and the circumferential edge 60 of the crystal 16 . the insulation material 62 would prevent rapid heat loss at the circumferential edge 60 of the crystal 16 as well as assist in the distribution of the gases introduced into the chamber 48 at port 66 . in another embodiment , localized heating can be applied near the circumferential edge 60 to minimize the tailing off . returning to fig7 a , the chamber 48 includes a port 66 through which process gases can be communicated to the crystal 16 . in one embodiment , a fluid line 67 is connected to the port 66 . the fluid line 67 passes through a port 68 in the furnace 20 to the exterior of the furnace 20 . the fluid line 67 can be connected to a process gas system ( not shown ) external to the furnace 20 , allowing independent control of the atmosphere within the chamber 48 . for example , fluorinating gases are typically used to scavenge oxides from crystals . instead of filling the furnace 20 with the fluorinating agent and having the agent then flow into the interior of chamber 48 , the invention provides for the flow of the fluorinating agent first into the chamber 48 , where the crystal 16 resides , to be filled with the fluorinating agent , with the fluorinating agent and any contaminant reaction products to gaseously exit the chamber 48 and into the furnace interior outside chamber 48 , preferably so that there is a positive pressure of the fluorinating agent gas inside chamber 48 to sweep away gaseous reaction products ( particularly scavenged oxides ) to the exterior of chamber 48 and away from the optical fluoride crystals being annealed . where multiple chambers 48 are loaded into the furnace 20 , the connections 67 between the ports 66 in the chambers 48 and the exterior of the furnace 20 allow different atmospheric conditions to be maintained within the multiple chambers 48 . preferably chambers 48 are non - hermetic thereby allowing fluid communication between an interior of the chamber and an interior of the furnace . fig9 shows a process gas system where the chamber 48 is connected to gas tanks 70 , 72 . the gas tanks 70 , 72 could be sources of fluorinating gases , for example , or other process gases . the fluorinating gases could be mixed with inert gases . mass flow controllers 71 , 73 are used to control flow from the gas tanks 70 , 72 into the chamber 48 . a purifier 74 is provided to maintain a desired moisture level in the chamber 48 . the furnace 20 is connected to a gas tank 78 . the gas tank 78 could be a source of an inert gas , such as argon . this would allow an inert atmosphere to be maintained inside the furnace 20 during the annealing process . a mass flow controller 79 is used to control flow from the gas tank 78 into the furnace 20 . a purifier 80 is provided to maintain a desired moisture level in the furnace 20 . a vacuum pump 76 maintains vacuum in the furnace 20 as necessary . although not shown , the process gas system also includes various valves and regulators to control gas flow through the system . a control system ( not shown ) may be used to control the mass flow controllers , valves , regulators , purifiers , and vacuum pump such that the desired atmospheric conditions are achieved inside the furnace 20 and chamber 48 . a purge vent 82 allows gas to be purged out of the chamber 48 and furnace 20 as necessary . a purge gas supply line 84 carries purge gas to the chamber 48 and furnace 20 as necessary . the process gas system shown in fig9 allows gases to be supplied to and purged from the chamber 48 and furnace 20 independently . fig1 shows an example of an annealing cycle for calcium fluoride crystals using the process gas system shown in fig9 . the annealing cycle shows various types of gases that may be selected and introduced into the chamber 48 and furnace 20 at various times during the annealing process . fluorinating gases , such as sf 6 and cf 4 , are introduced into the chamber 48 at temperatures where they are most effective in scavenging oxides from the calcium fluoride crystal . other examples of fluorinating gases that may be used include nf 3 , bf 3 , c 2 f 4 , and f 2 . as can be appreciated from the discussion above , the invention provides one or more advantages . specifically , the invention allows heat to be distributed uniformly to one or more crystal disks , e . g ., optical fluoride crystals , along the shortest path of conduction of the crystals during an annealing process . the invention also allows heat to be removed uniformly from the crystals during the annealing process . the results are annealed crystals having low birefringence values and shorter annealing cycles . while the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , those skilled in the art , having benefit of this disclosure , will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
the invention will now be described by reference to the preferred embodiments . this does not intend to limit the scope of the present invention , but to exemplify the invention . some power transmission devices that use an oil bath motor as an engine are provided with a wet brake mechanism configured to produce a braking force by causing friction plates to be in contact with each other . by applying the technology of the prior art to the power transmission device as described above , iron powder attracted by the permanent magnet will be supplied to the neighborhood of the friction plates with the result that the friction plates may be unusually abraded . in this background , there is a need to provide a technology capable of capturing metal powder in the lubricant oil and reducing abrasion of friction plates of a brake mechanism in a power transmission device of a structure in which the motor , the reducer , and the brake mechanism are soaked in an oil bath . fig1 shows the structure of a power transmission device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention embedded in a wheel of a forklift . fig1 is a cross section that results when the power transmission device 100 is severed by a vertical plane that includes the central axis of the device 100 . the power transmission device 100 comprises a reducer 10 , an interior permanent magnet ( ipm ) motor 12 , and a brake mechanism 14 , and is used to drive the wheels of a utility vehicle independently . the reducer 10 is a kind of planetary gear reducer of eccentric oscillation and meshing type . an input shaft 16 is located at the radial center of externally - toothed gears 24 and 26 described later . two eccentric bodies 18 and 20 eccentric relative to the input shaft 16 are formed so as to be integrated with the input shaft 16 . the two eccentric bodies 18 and 20 are eccentric relative to each other by a phase difference of 180 °. the eccentric bodies 18 and 20 may be configured as components independent of the input shaft 16 and fixed to the input shaft 16 using a key , etc . two externally - toothed gears 24 and 26 are oscillatably fitted to the outer periphery of the eccentric bodies 18 and 20 , respectively , via roller bearings 21 and 23 . the externally - toothed gears 24 and 26 internally mesh with an internally - toothed gear 28 . the internally - toothed gear 28 primarily comprises cylindrical internal gear pins 28 a and 28 b forming internally - toothed gears , retention pins 28 c extending through the internal gear pins 28 a and 28 b and rotatably retaining the pins 28 a and 28 b , and an internally - toothed gear body 28 d rotatably retaining the retention pins 28 c and integrated with a casing 30 . a first carrier body 34 fixed to a vehicle frame ( not shown ) is located at the axial end of the externally - toothed gears 24 and 26 toward the vehicle . at the axial end of the externally - toothed gears 24 and 26 away from the vehicle is located a second carrier body 38 integrated with the first carrier body 24 via carrier bolts 36 and carrier pins 42 . internal pins 40 are formed to be integrated with the second carrier body 38 . twelve through holes having the equal diameter are formed at positions offset from the shaft center of the externally - toothed gear 24 so as to be equidistant from each other . the carrier pins 42 are inserted through three of these through holes equidistant from each other by 120 °, and internal pins 40 are inserted through the remaining nine pins . gear teeth of waveform are formed at the outer circumference of the externally - toothed gear 24 . as the gear teeth move on the internal gear pins 28 a of the internally - toothed gear 28 , maintaining contact with the internal gear pins 28 a , the externally - toothed gear 24 is capable of oscillating within a plane defined about a central axis normal to the plane . the externally - toothed gear 26 is similarly structured as the externally - toothed gear 24 except that there is a phase difference of 180 °. the casing 30 of the reducer 10 is rotatably supported by the first carrier body 34 and the second carrier body 38 secured to the vehicle frame , via a pair of main bearings 46 and 47 . a wheel member 48 is jointed via bolts 49 to the lateral face of the casing 30 away from the vehicle . a tire 50 of a forklift ( not shown ) is mounted to the wheel member 48 . the reducer 10 is accommodated within an axial range of the tire 50 ( within the range denoted by dashed - two dotted lines of fig1 ). the input shaft 16 of the reducer 10 is rotatably supported by the first carrier body 34 and the second carrier body 38 via a pair of angular contact bearings 52 and 54 in df ( face to face ) arrangement . the ipm motor 12 is provided with a stator 64 and a rotor 66 each configured with magnetic steel sheets . a plurality of air gaps 66 a extending in the axial direction are formed in the magnetic steel sheets composing the rotor 66 . permanent magnets 76 a and 7 b are embedded in the gaps . ipm motors , in which permanent magnets are embedded in the rotor , have higher efficiency than spm motors , in which permanent magnets are attached to the surface of the rotor , and are suitable as a motor to drive a forklift . the magnetic steel sheets composing the rotor 66 are integrated with each other by bolts 67 and are integrated with an output shaft 70 via an engagement part ( not shown ). the side of the output shaft 70 toward the vehicle is rotatably supported via a bearing 82 by an extension 60 a extending inward from a motor casing 60 . the side of the output shaft 70 away from the vehicle is jointed by the input shaft 16 of the reducer 10 via a spline 70 a . a stator 64 is fixed to the motor casing 60 . a coil for generating a magnetic field is wound around the stator 64 . the parts of the coil that are folded back to provide a winding extend axially from the ends of the stator 64 as coil ends 68 a and 68 b . the brake mechanism 14 puts a brake on the rotation of the output shaft 70 . the brake mechanism 14 is accommodated interior to the coil end 68 a of the coil wound around the stator 64 in the radial direction . the brake mechanism is provided with a multi - plate brake 78 having a plurality of friction plates . the friction plates of the multi - plate brake 78 comprises a plurality of ( four , in the illustrated case ) fixed friction plates 78 a and a plurality of ( three , in the illustrated case ) rotatable friction plates 78 b . the fixed friction plates 78 a are fixed in the circumferential direction between a brake piston 84 located to block the rear end of the motor casing 60 of the ipm motor 12 and the extension 60 a of the casing 60 by thorough pins ( not shown ). the fixed friction plates 78 a are movable in the axial direction along the thorough pins . meanwhile , the rotatable friction plates 783 are built in the output shaft 70 , which is rotated as one piece with the rotor 66 , and is rotatable as one piece with the output shaft 70 . a spline 70 b is formed in the axial direction at the outer circumference of the output shaft 70 . the inner circumferential ends of the rotatable friction plates 783 are engaged with the spline 70 b . this allows the rotational friction plates 78 b to be integrated with each other in the circumferential direction via the output shaft 70 and the spline 70 b and to be movable in the axial direction of the output shaft 70 . a friction sheet ( not shown ) is adhesively attached to the surface of each of the rotatable friction plates 78 b . the brake piston 84 is located to slide in a cylinder that communicates with a hydraulic mechanism ( not shown ) via an oil passage 86 . when the operator of the forklift performs a braking maneuver , pressurized oil is supplied from the hydraulic mechanism to the cylinder via the oil passage 86 , and the brake piston 84 pressurizes the fixed friction plate 78 a closest to the vehicle . the rotor 66 of the ipm motor 12 , the output shaft 70 , the friction plates 78 a , 78 b of the brake mechanism 14 , the input shaft 16 of the reducer 10 , the casing 30 ( output shaft of the reducer 10 ), and the wheel member 48 are located coaxially . the ipm motor 12 and the brake mechanism 14 are formed as wet mechanisms , and the interior spaces of the reducer 10 , the ipm motor 12 , and the brake mechanism 14 communicate with each other to form a single , closed space . the lubricant is sealed in this space and can flow through the space . a description will now be given of the operation of the power transmission 100 performed when the ipm motor 12 is driven . when the operator of the forklift maneuvers the forklift to move forward or backward , the rotor 66 and the output shaft 70 are rotated relative to the stator 64 of the ipm motor 12 . the rotation of the output shaft 70 is transmitted to the input shaft 16 of the reducer 10 via the spline 70 a . when the input shaft 16 is rotated , the outer circumferences of the eccentric bodies 18 and 20 move eccentrically , causing the externally - toothed gears 24 and 26 to oscillate via the roller bearings 21 and 23 . the oscillation causes the positions of meshing between the outer teeth of the externally - toothed gears 24 , 26 and the internal gear pins 28 a , 28 b of the internally - toothed gear 28 , respectively , to be shifted successively . the difference in the number of teeth between the externally - toothed gears 24 , 26 and the internally - toothed gear 28 is defined to be “ one ”. the rotation of the externally - toothed gears 24 and 26 is restrained by the internal pins 40 fixed to the first carrier body 34 , which is fixed to the vehicle frame . therefore , each time the input shaft 16 is rotated 360 °, the internally - toothed gear 28 is rotated relative to the externally - toothed gears 24 and 26 , the rotation of which is restrained , by an angle defined by the difference in the number of teeth . as a result , the rotation of the input shaft 16 causes the casing 30 integrated with the internally - toothed gear body 280 at a rotational speed reduced by 1 /( the number of teeth of the internally - toothed gear ). the rotation of the casing 30 causes the tire 50 of the forklift to be rotated via the wheel member 48 fixed to the casing 30 by the bolts 49 . a description will now be given of the braking operation of the power transmission device 100 performed by the brake mechanism 14 . when the operator of the forklift performs a braking maneuver , pressurized oil is supplied from the hydraulic mechanism to the cylinder via the oil passage 86 , causing the brake piston 84 to move away from the vehicle ( toward right in the figure ) within the cylinder . as a result , the fixed friction plate 78 a closest to the vehicle is pressurized by the brake piston 84 to move away from the vehicle . then , the plurality of fixed friction plates 78 a and the rotatable friction plates 78 b come into contact with each other successively with a strong force . as described above , the fixed friction plates 78 a are fixed in the circumferential direction via the through pins , and the rotatable friction plates 78 b are integrated with the output shaft 70 in the circumferential direction via the spline 70 b built in the output shaft 70 . therefore , as a result of the friction plates 78 a and the rotatable plates 78 b being in strong contact with each other via the friction sheets adhesively attached to the rotatable friction plates 78 b , the brake action of the output shaft 70 is exerted . when the operator stops the braking maneuver , the supply of the pressurized oil in the cylinder is stopped . consequently , the restoring force of a spring 84 a interposed between the extension 60 a and the brake piston 84 returns the brake piston 84 toward the vehicle , causing the fixed friction plates 78 a to return to the initial axial positions . in association with this , the rotatable friction plates 78 b also return to the initial axial positions , causing the fixed friction plates 78 a to lose contact with the rotatable friction plates 78 b and causing the brake action to disappear . a description will now be given of how metal powder in the lubricant oil is captured using magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet in the rotor , which is one of characteristic features of the embodiment . as shown in fig1 , end plates 72 and 74 for preventing the permanent magnets embedded in the rotor from being dislocated while in rotation are fitted to the respective axial end faces of the rotor 66 . the end plates are made of stainless steel or aluminum . fig2 is a top view of the end plate 72 away from the brake mechanism 14 . a through hole 72 a is formed in each of positions corresponding to permanent magnets 76 b ( air gaps 66 a ) formed in the rotor . by forming the rotor end face with through holes that allow direct contact between the permanent magnet and the lubricant oil , the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet can exude through the rotor end face and capture metal powder created mainly as a result of a sliding motion between components in the reducer . this can mitigate abnormal abrasion between components caused as a result of metal powder in the lubricant oil being caught in the sliding portion and can therefore extend the life of the reducer and the brake mechanism . the diameter of the through holes 72 a is illustrated as being substantially identical to the width of the air gaps 66 a but may be slightly smaller than the width of the gaps . two or more through holes may be formed per a single air gap . according to this embodiment , the through holes 72 a are formed in the end plate 72 at one of the end faces of the rotor away from the brake mechanism 14 , but the end plate 74 at the end face toward the brake mechanism 14 is not provided with such through holes . this ensures that the leakage magnetic flux from the rotor end face away from the brake mechanism is larger than that of the end face toward the brake mechanism . therefore , the metal powder in the lubricant is attracted more toward the end face away from the brake mechanism . this prevents a large amount of metal powder from flowing around the friction plates of the brake mechanism and prevents abnormal abrasion of the friction plates . described above is an explanation based on an exemplary embodiment . the embodiment is intended to be illustrative only and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications to constituting elements and processes could be developed and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention . it has been described that only one of the end plates is formed with through holes in the embodiment described above . however , other structures may also be used to ensure that the leakage magnetic flux from the rotor end face away from the brake mechanism is larger than that of the end face toward the brake mechanism . a description will now be given of such examples . fig3 shows the structure of a power transmission device 200 according to one example . the basic structure and the operation are the same as those of the power transmission device 100 shown in fig1 except that a brake mechanism 114 is provided between the reducer 110 and the ipm motor 112 , so that a detailed description will be omitted . as in fig1 , air gaps 166 a extending in the axial direction are formed in a rotor 166 of the ipm motor 112 . permanent magnets 176 a and 176 b are embedded in the air gaps . in the illustrated example , only one of the axial end faces of the rotor 166 toward the brake mechanism 114 is provided with an end plate 172 . the end face away from the brake mechanism is not provided with an end plate . by providing only one of the rotor end faces with an end plate , it is ensured that the leakage magnetic flux from the rotor end face away from the brake mechanism is larger than that of the end face toward the brake mechanism . in an alternative example , the thickness of one end plate provided at one rotor end face may be different from that of the other end face so as to create a difference in the amount of leakage magnetic flux from the rotor end faces . in other words , the end plate at the end face toward the brake mechanism may be thicker and the end plate away from the brake mechanism may be thinner . in a still alternative example , the material of the end plate provided at one rotor end face may be different from that of the other end face so as to create a difference in the amount of leakage magnetic flux from the rotor end faces . for example , the end plate toward the brake mechanism may be formed of a nonmagnetic material and the end plate away from the brake mechanism may be formed of a magnetic material . in order to increase the chance that metal powder is captured more at the end plate away from the brake mechanism , means may be provided to guide the lubricant toward the neighborhood of the end plate . generally , when a rotor is rotated in the lubricant , a flow that draws the lubricant toward the surface of the rotor is generated due to the viscocity of the lubricant . the phenomenon can be exploited such that the outer surface of the rotor or the inner surface of the stator may be provided with skews to create a flow toward a space away from the brake mechanism when the rotor is rotated in a particular direction . preferably , the particular direction in which the rotor is rotated is a direction more frequently used than the other direction because this will increase the efficiency of capturing metal powder . in the case of a forklift , the particular direction of rotation of the rotor is a direction of rotation corresponding to the forward movement of the forklift . instead of or in addition to rotor or stator skews , means may be provided that positively guides the lubricant . for example , the output shaft 70 may be formed to be hollow and through holes that allow the lubricant to flow in the output shaft may be formed in the neighborhood of the end faces of the rotor . when the rotor with this structure is rotated , the lubricant can be drawn to the hollow portion of the output shaft 70 from the through hole located toward the brake mechanism and discharged from the through hole located away from the brake mechanism . alternatively , the output shaft 70 may be provided with a fin that generates a flow from the side toward the brake mechanism to the opposite side . it has been described that a reducer mechanism of oscillating and internally meshing type is used in the embodiment described above . however , the reducer mechanism according to the invention is not limited to the oscillating and internally meshing type . for example , the reducer may have other mechanisms such as a simple planetary gear reducer mechanism . the reducer may not necessarily have a single - stage reducer mechanism in which the input shaft and the output shaft are coaxial . alternatively , the reducer mechanism may comprise multiple shafts or multiple stages . it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the above - described embodiment , but may be modified into various forms on the basis of the spirit of the invention . additionally , the modifications are included in the scope of the invention . priority is claimed to japanese patent application no . 2012 - 037240 , filed feb . 23 , 2012 , the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference . | 1Performing Operations; Transporting
|
the invention provides a battery module detecting device and a battery module detecting method for instantly monitoring the assembling quality of the battery module . and , the embodiments of the battery module detecting device and the battery module detecting method of the invention will be shown as follows . fig1 shows a scheme diagram of a battery module detecting device 1 a in an embodiment of the invention . fig2 shows a scheme diagram of a battery module detecting device 1 b in an embodiment of the invention . fig3 shows a flowchart of a battery module detecting method in an embodiment of the invention . please refer to fig1 . fig1 shows the battery module detecting device 1 a of the first embodiment of the invention . the battery module detecting device 1 a is used to test a battery module 2 a , and the battery module 2 a includes a first battery unit 21 , a second battery unit 22 , and a connecting device 23 . the first battery unit 21 includes a positive electrode 211 and a first output electrode 212 of relative polarity . the second battery unit 22 includes a negative electrode 221 and a second output electrode 222 of relative polarity . the connecting device 23 electrically connects the positive electrode 211 of the first battery unit 21 and the negative electrode 221 of the second battery unit 22 . the connecting device 23 is locked on the positive electrode 211 and the negative electrode 221 via two locking devices 24 respectively . in fact , the locking devices 24 can be a screw or other similar locking components . the battery module 2 a is electrically connected to a load 3 . more detail , one end of the load 3 is electrically connected to the first output electrode 212 of the first battery unit 21 via a first wire 31 ; another end of the load 3 is electrically connected to the second output electrode 222 of the second battery unit 22 via a second wire 32 and a third wire 33 . the battery module detecting device 1 a includes a shunt 11 , a voltage detecting module 12 , a control module 13 , and a display 14 . the shunt 11 is serially connected between the battery module 2 a and the load 3 and electrically connected to the voltage detecting module 12 . the shunt 11 is used for measuring a load current of the load 3 . this load current is the current passing through the connecting device 23 . the voltage detecting module 12 is mainly used for measuring a voltage difference between the positive electrode 211 and the negative electrode 221 . the control module 13 is electrically connected to the voltage detecting module 12 and the display 14 and used for computing an equivalent resistance between the positive electrode 211 and the negative electrode 221 according to the load current and the voltage difference measured and the ohm &# 39 ; s law formula ( v = i * r ). in addition , the control module 13 can make the display 14 to show the information related to the battery module 2 a , such as the computed equivalent resistance mentioned above . more detail , the voltage detecting module 12 can further include an analog / digital converter 121 , a millivoltmeter 122 , an analog scanning switch 123 , and a plurality of detecting ends . the plurality of detecting ends can be disposed on the battery module 2 a , the load 3 and any point on the circuit via a detecting end locking device 126 to form the voltage monitoring points . in practical applications , the detecting end locking device 126 can be a screw to lock the detecting ends on the electrodes or other contacting points , or any other kinds of holding devices . the millivoltmeter 122 is used for measuring the voltage difference between the detecting ends ( or the voltage detecting points ). the analog scanning switch 123 is used for switching the detecting ends measured by the millivoltmeter 122 . the analog / digital converter 121 is used for converting an analog signal measured by the millivoltmeter 122 into a digital signal and transmitting the digital signal to the control module 13 . the plurality of detecting ends includes a first detecting end 124 and a second detecting end 125 . the first detecting end 124 and the second detecting end 125 are electrically connected and fixed on the positive electrode 211 and the negative electrode 221 respectively via the detecting end fixing device 126 to form two voltage monitoring points . by doing so , the millivoltmeter 122 can use the analog scanning switch 123 to select the first detecting end 124 or the second detecting end 125 to measure the voltage difference between the positive electrode 211 and the negative electrode 221 . in addition , the battery module detecting device 1 a can further include a plurality of protection resistors 127 serially connected between the voltage monitoring points and the voltage detecting module 12 . for example , the protection resistor 127 can be serially connected between the voltage detecting module 12 and the positive electrode 211 or between the voltage detecting module 12 and the negative electrode 221 to prevent the hazard caused by the short when the voltage is measured . in practical applications , the protection resistor 127 can be also serially connected between the detecting ends and the millivoltmeter 122 or the analog scanning switch 123 as shown in fig1 . by doing so , the battery module detecting device 1 a can instantly obtain the equivalent resistance of the connecting device 23 when the battery module 2 a provides power . since the factors affecting the equivalent resistance includes the resistance of the connecting device 23 itself and the contacting resistance between the connecting device 23 and the positive electrode 211 or the negative electrode 221 , therefore , the equivalent resistance can be used to represent the quantified value of the assembling quality of the connecting device 23 . in the same way , the battery module detecting device 1 a can further instantly measure the equivalent resistances of the first wire 31 , the second wire 32 , and the third wire 33 via other detecting ends of the voltage detecting module 12 . if any one of the monitored equivalent resistances mentioned above raises suddenly , it means that any one of the contacting points of the corresponding wire has the condition of loosing or aging . not only instantly measuring the equivalent resistance between the contacting points , the battery module detecting device 1 a can further have a protection function . in detail , when the battery module 2 a is initially used or installed , the battery module detecting device 1 a can ask the control module 13 to record the equivalent resistances between the voltage monitoring points to be a default resistance value . when the battery module 2 a provides power to the load 3 , the control nodule will continually compute the instant equivalent resistance , and compute a quality reference value according to the default resistance value and the instant equivalent resistance . if the quality reference value is larger than a threshold , the battery module detecting device 1 a will start a protection function to warn the user the abnormal condition of the circuit . for example , the quality reference value can be the instant equivalent resistance divided by the default resistance value , and the default threshold can be set as 10 . when the quality reference value computed is larger than the default threshold , it means that the instant equivalent resistance is 10 times larger than the default resistance value . thus , the battery module detecting device 1 a can warn the user through the display 14 or cut off the power provided by the battery module 2 a . in order to explain the advantages of the battery module detecting device of the invention more clearly , the following will be explained cooperated with theorem and data . please refer to fig2 , fig2 shows the battery module detecting device 1 b of the second embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the battery module 2 b is formed by six battery units 25 serially connected by the connecting device 26 . the voltage provided by the battery units 25 is 3 . 33 volts . after the connecting devices 26 are properly disposed on the battery units 25 , each connecting device 26 has the equivalent resistance of 0 . 2 mω . if the current passing through the load 3 is 50 a , according to the power equation : ( p = i × v ), the total power provided by the battery module 2 b under the load current 50 a is p 2b = 50 a × 3 . 33v × 6 = 999 w . according to the power equation : ( p = i 2 × r ), the connecting devices 26 has the initial power p 26 = 50 a × 50 a × 0 . 2 mω = 0 . 5 w . if one of the connecting device 26 is loosed or aged , the equivalent resistance will raise 10 times to be 2 mω and its instant consumption power p 26 ′= 50 a × 50 a × 2 mω = 5 w . in this view point , the consumption power added by the connecting device 26 will be 4 . 5 w ; however , the added proportion is only 0 . 45 % compared to the total power provided by the battery module 2 b . when the battery module 2 b continually provides power to the load 3 , it is hard to observe so tiny power variation for the load 3 . however , form the view point of the equivalent resistance , the 10 times of the rising of the equivalent resistance can clearly point out the variation of the connecting quality . please refer to fig3 , fig3 shows the flowchart of the battery module detecting method of an embodiment of the invention . this method can be used to the above - mentioned battery module detecting device 1 a ; therefore , the above - mentioned battery module detecting device 1 a will be an example as follows to express the flow of the method . as shown in fig3 , the method of the invention includes the following steps : at first , the first detecting end 124 of the voltage detecting module 12 will be locked on the positive electrode 211 , and the second detecting end 125 will be locked on the negative electrode 221 to form two voltage detecting points ( step s 40 ). then , two protection resistors 127 will be serially connected between the voltage detecting module 12 and the positive electrode 211 and between the voltage detecting module 12 and the negative electrode 221 respectively ( step s 41 ) to prevent the hazard caused by the short formed during the process of measurement . then , the voltage detecting module 12 will be used to measure the voltage difference between the positive electrode 211 and the negative electrode 221 ( step s 42 ), and the shunt 11 is used to measure the current passing through the load 3 ( step s 43 ). afterward , the control module 13 will be used to compute an equivalent resistance between the positive electrode 211 and the negative electrode 221 according to the measured voltage difference and the current ( step s 44 ). further , the control module 13 will be used to compute a quality reference value ( step s 45 ) according to the equivalent resistance and a default resistance ( step s 45 ). the default resistance value can be the equivalent resistance between the positive electrode 211 and the negative electrode 221 measured when the battery module 2 a does not provide any power . or the default resistance value can be the equivalent resistance measured by the battery module detecting device 1 a and detecting method when the battery module 2 a is assembled and provides power . for example , the quality reference value can be the equivalent resistance minuses the default resistance value , or the equivalent resistance is divided by the default resistance value . then , the control module 13 is used to compare the quality reference value and a default threshold ( step s 46 ). if the quality reference value is larger than the default threshold , the protection function will be started ( step s 47 ). in fact , the protection function of the battery module detecting device 1 a can be shown on the display 14 in the form of text or image , or warned by the default buzzer of the battery module detecting device 1 a . further , the battery module detecting device 1 a can also have the cut - off function to stop the power provided by the battery module 2 a to protect the circuit after the protection function is started . above all , with the battery module detecting device and the battery module detecting method of the invention , the equivalent resistance of any connecting devices or wires on the battery module and load can be instantly and dynamically computed during the process of using the battery module . by doing so , the inconvenience that the low ohmmeter can not measure the contact resistance of the connecting device can be solved . with monitoring the variation of the equivalent resistance , whether the assembled parts of the battery module are loosed or the contacting resistance becomes larger can be effectively monitored . the invention can be used to the real time detection and monitoring of all kinds of batteries such as the electric vehicle battery , the torpedo batteries , the submarines battery , or any other system using the battery pack as power supply ( e . g ., the battery pack of ups ). with the battery module detecting device of the invention , the state of the entire battery module can be controlled to prevent the hazard caused by the battery module , so that the cost of maintaining the battery module will be highly reduced and the safety of the battery module will be enhanced . although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof , it should be understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiment but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims . | 6Physics
|
fig1 illustrates a mobile device 10 including a bluetooth interface 12 , a wlan interface 14 , and a software unit 16 . both the bluetooth interface 12 and the wlan interface 14 are controlled by programmed instructions in the software unit 16 inside the mobile device 10 . the software unit 16 can receive control commands via the bluetooth interface 12 and wake up the wlan interface 14 in case the wlan interface 14 is required . in the situation where the wlan interface 14 is inactivated and activated via a command from the bluetooth interface 12 , the mobile device 10 consumes less current . when the wlan interface 14 is active but the mobile device 10 is not in use , unnecessary traffic is received by the mobile device . the bluetooth interface 12 can stay active when the mobile device 10 is not used . this activity extends the wireless interface with a bluetooth based control channel , making it possible to keep the logical interface active . therefore , wireless services stay available without tremendous additional power consumption . fig2 illustrates a home wireless system 20 including mobile devices , such as a phone 22 , a cell phone 23 , a camera 24 , a laptop computer 26 , and a personal digital assistant ( pda ) 27 and non - mobile devices , such as a computer video game system 28 and a desktop computer 30 . the devices in the home wireless system 20 use bluetooth communications as a control channel during an inactive mode to stay connected to the network and send the necessary still - alive messages to stay member of the network within the required periods . bluetooth wireless technology has a very efficient sleep mode . however , wlan has higher throughput , making it the communication choice for applications such as video and high quality audio . some of the devices in the home wireless system 20 can be “ plug and play ” devices , meaning they can be used without an extensive configuration process . plug and play standards have the intention of concealing unpleasant details , such as irq ( interrupt request ) and dma ( direct memory access ) channels , from people who just want to add a new board , drive , or other chunk of hardware to their system . universal plug and play ( upnp ) devices advertise themselves ( i . e ., broadcast a signal ) frequently to inform other upnp devices about the available services . the upnp devices in such a network can either stay connected to those advertisements , or miss the current service situation . the devices in the home wireless system 20 can utilize multicast filtering to protect devices attached to the network through bluetooth from upnp messages . in the situation of a device having both a bluetooth interface and a wlan interface , such as the device 10 described with reference to fig1 , the device can only receive upnp messages when the wlan interface is in active mode . fig3 illustrates a flow diagram depicting operations performed in a bluetooth - assisted wlan network system . additional , fewer , or different operations may be performed , depending on the embodiment . in an operation 32 , a device communicates with a network using wlan communications . the device can communicate any of a variety of media , including text , video , and audio . the device can also transmit over the network using bluetooth technology , if the range is short enough and the transmission speeds needed are within the slower bluetooth ranges . in an operation 34 , a determination is made as to whether the device has entered into a sleep or inactive mode . the inactive mode can be a state in which the device has not actively transmitted information to the network for a certain time period , such as 10 or 20 minutes . the inactive mode can also be defined as a state in which the device has not transmitted data requiring the capacities of the wlan for a certain time period . in an operation 36 , the device uses bluetooth communications as a control channel to stay connected to the network by sending the necessary still - alive messages to stay member of the network . when in an inactive state , the wlan interface is closed , and the device is solely connected via bluetooth . in case a connection or a service is requested from the mobile device , the request is sent via the bluetooth channel . within the mobile terminal , a signaling interface between the bluetooth unit and the wlan unit is utilized to activate the wlan unit when the bluetooth unit receives a connection or service request . in an operation 38 , a determination is made as to whether the device has entered active mode . active mode can be entered due to a low level of activity at the device . also , if a connection set - up request is received via bluetooth , the wlan interface is triggered into active mode and the further connection is carried out via wlan , which may offer the required connection or service parameters . as such , the device can enter active mode when there is a request to use its services by another device . in this fashion , the efficiencies of the bluetooth sleep mode and the throughput of wlan can both be utilized . this detailed description outlines exemplary embodiments of a method , device , and system for a bluetooth - assisted wlan network . in the foregoing description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it is evident , however , to one skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate description of the exemplary embodiments . while the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures and described above are presently preferred , it should be understood that these embodiments are offered by way of example only . other embodiments may include , for example , different techniques for performing the same operations . the invention is not limited to a particular embodiment , but extends to various modifications , combinations , and permutations that nevertheless fall within the scope and spirit of the appended claims . | 8General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology
|
exemplary embodiment : bidirectional communication method 60 in the case of a master / reserve configuration 61 for a redundant master / reserve system 3 , 4 in an automation system 62 fig1 shows a redundant master / reserve configuration 61 in an automation system 62 having two physical communication links 7 , 8 between two redundant systems , the master system 3 , also just ( first ) communication subscriber / appliance or just master 3 for short , and the reserve system 4 , also just ( second ) communication subscriber / appliance or just reserve 4 for short . as fig1 shows , the master system 3 is connected to the reserve system 4 by means of two redundant physical communication links 7 , 8 . the two redundant communication links 7 , 8 are used to interchange data — in the form of data packets 1 — between the master 3 and the reserve 4 bidirectionally . in such an automation system 62 with the redundant master / reserve configuration 61 , the ( current ) master system 3 is typically the active communication partner and the ( current ) reserve system 4 is typically the initially passive communication partner , with data being interchanged between the master 3 and the reserve 4 typically once per automation cycle , subsequently just transfer 2 . in this case , there are usually substantially more data transmitted from the master 3 to the reserve 4 than in the opposite direction . redundant systems with time - critical tasks , such as the master / reserve system 3 , 4 of the automation system 62 in the present case , require an efficient and deterministic communication mechanism 60 for the bidirectional interchange 2 of data between master 3 and reserve 4 . fig2 , fig3 and fig4 illustrate such a required , efficient and deterministic communication mechanism 60 for the bidirectional interchange 2 of data between the master 3 and the reserve 4 . the communication mechanism 60 is based on a subordinate communication service 9 that provides the transparent interchange of data packets having a fixed length , typically for communication in accordance with layer 2 ( data link layer ) of the osi layers or osi reference model . said subordinate communication service 9 , or just the subordinate communication 9 for short , provides a logical connection to data packets , including elementary error recognition or an elementary error correction mechanism ( e . g . cyclic redundancy check crc ), and undertakes physical addressing of the data packets 1 . all tasks beyond these , such as acknowledgement , packet repetition , error recognition , redundancy management , etc ., are undertaken by the communication mechanism 60 . an essential aspect of the communication mechanism 60 is that no separate acknowledgement messages — between the communication subscribers 3 , 4 — are required for the communication . each data packet 1 transferred between the communication subscribers 3 , 4 or the master 3 and the reserve 4 contains the acknowledgement status 5 , 45 or the acknowledgement information 5 , 45 about all data packets 1 already received by the respective communication subscriber 3 , 4 ( cf . fig2 and fig3 ). the size of an individual message / data packet 1 is obtained from the subordinate communication service 9 . in each data packet 1 , an area , an acknowledgement area 40 , is reserved that can later be used to store the acknowledgement status 5 , 45 or the acknowledgement information 5 , 45 of the associated data packet 1 — using all data packets 1 already received by the respective communication subscriber 3 , 4 . one bit 46 per data packet 1 is sufficient for this . fig2 shows the packet or data structure 10 of such a data packet 1 for the data interchange 2 in the case of the master / reserve configuration 61 on the basis of the communication mechanism 60 . as illustrated by fig2 , the essential areas that the data packet 1 comprises are : ( 1 ) a protocol header prk 20 , ( 2 ) a packet header pak 30 , ( 3 ) an acknowledgement area qub 40 with the acknowledgement information 5 , inter alia , and ( 4 ) a useful data area ndb 50 . the protocol header 20 contains specific information based on the subordinate communication service 21 , in this case ethernet , for example , and is transparent for the communication protocol 6 described . as fig2 shows , the packet header 30 contains the following components : connection id vid for explicitly identifying the associated logical data connection 31 . sequence no snr for checking the consistency of the data transmission at successive transfers ( user packet ) 32 . packet no panr identifies the current , transmitted data / message packet for the given sequence no 33 . number of packets paanz specifies the number of data / message packets to be transferred in the current transfer 34 . as fig2 shows , the acknowledgement area 40 contains the following components : reception counter paz 1 , paz 2 per physical communication link 7 , 8 ( typically and in this case two 7 , 8 ( cf . fig1 ), i . e . a first paz 1 41 and a second reception counter paz 2 42 ) 41 , 42 . said reception counter 41 , 42 is increased upon reception of a data packet 1 by a communication subscriber 3 , 4 via the respective communication link 7 , 8 and transferred back — with the current reception counter reading — to the other communication subscriber 3 , 4 . maximum length lqub 43 and currently used length gnqub 44 of the subsequent area with the packet - specific acknowledgement information 5 , 45 . the maximum length 43 is obtained from the maximum number of data packets ; the used length 44 is obtained from the actual number of packets in the current transfer / user packet . acknowledgement information / acknowledgement status paqu 5 , 45 . the acknowledgement status 5 , 45 is formed by a bit string 47 , the number of bits in which corresponds to the maximum number of data packets . each bit 46 in the bit string 47 represents a specific data packet 1 ( specific packet acknowledgement ), with the implicit bit index 48 corresponding to the associated data packet number ( cf . fig3 ). the useful data area 50 can , in principle , be structured without restriction . it is merely necessary to ensure that the sending communication subscriber 3 , 4 ( transmission end ) splits the data to be transmitted into the data packets 1 and the receiving communication subscriber 3 , 4 ( receiver end ) correctly associates the transmitted data packets 1 and the information therein again . typically , this involves linearly addressed data , such as byte arrays , for example . as fig2 shows , the useful data area 50 contains the following components : id 51 for the useful data nd 55 index ind 52 for the useful data nd 55 offset of 53 for the useful data nd 55 number of items of useful data nd 55 useful data or packet data nd 55 the data packet structure ( cf . fig2 and fig3 ) in the case of the communication mechanism 60 is optimized such that only a very small component of a data packet 1 is required for management data , in this case less than 1 % per data packet 1 . thus , for a packet length of 16 000 bytes , when ethernet is used as subordinate communication service 9 , the transmission of 1 mb of data requires , per direction , less than 30 bytes for the entire data protocol management , including the packet acknowledgements or the acknowledgement information 5 , 45 and redundancy information , per packet (& lt ; 0 . 2 %). from the number of packets and the transmission speed per data packet 1 or number of packets per unit time in the subordinate communication service 9 , it is possible to ascertain the typical transfer time for the transfer 2 ( user packet ). fig3 illustrates the acknowledgement information 5 , 45 coded in the bit string 47 in the case of a data packet 1 in the communication mechanism 60 . the bit string 47 shown comprises a succession of 100 bits 46 , which means that it is possible to acknowledge a maximum of 100 individual specific data packets 1 . the implicit bit index 48 of the bit string 47 corresponds to the associated data packet number of the data packet 1 to be acknowledged . the binary digit “ 0 ” of a bit 46 thus represents “ not received ”/“ not acknowledged ”; the binary digit “ 1 ” of a bit 46 represents “ received ”/“ acknowledged ”. the acknowledgement information 5 , 45 illustrated in fig3 or the bit string 47 shown thus acknowledges the data packets 1 - 12 , 15 - 20 and 27 - 29 . other data packets , e . g . data packet 13 and data packet 14 , are not acknowledged by the bit string 47 . fig4 illustrates the method sequence 100 or shows the method sequence 100 for the communication mechanism 60 . ( 1 ) initialization and connection setup between the master system 3 and the reserve system 4 in the case of the redundant master / reserve configuration 61 for a transfer 2 110 during initialization of the connection 110 between the master 3 and the reserve 4 , the maximum permissible size of the user data per transfer 2 , for example in this case an automation cycle , is initially prescribed or stipulated or determined . from this , the respective number of required message / data packets 1 — for a respective transmission direction 7 , 8 ( from the master 3 to the reserve 4 or vice - versa )— is ascertained that are required in order to hold the respective useful data that need to be transmitted in the respective transmission direction 7 , 8 ( from the master 3 to the reserve 4 or vice - versa ). during connection setup 110 between the master 3 and the reserve system 4 , it is then stipulated which of the two communication subscribers 3 , 4 acts in an active or initially passive manner . usually , the master system 3 will act in an active manner and a reserve system 4 will act in a passive manner . both the active 3 and the passive 4 communication subscriber prescribes a time limit for the transfer 2 . should the transfer 2 not have been carried out completely within this period of time , the logical connection is denoted as “ failed ” and an appropriate error message is returned . ( 2 ) initiation / beginning of the bidirectional data transmission 2 of data packets 1 by the active subscriber 3 with formation 121 and sending 122 of data packets 1 120 the active subscriber 3 , in this case the master 3 , for example , is responsible for the initiation 120 of the data transmission 2 or of the transfer 2 , while the initially passive subscriber 4 , in this case then the reserve 4 , waits until a first data packet 1 arrives 4 from the active communication subscriber 3 or the master . from this instant onward , both communication subscribers 3 , 4 , i . e . master 3 and reserve 4 , send and receive data packets 1 ( cf . fig2 and fig1 )— on the basis of the communication mechanism 60 — simultaneously . ( 3 ) simultaneous data interchange 2 of data packets 1 between the active and the passive subscriber 3 , 4 with formation 121 and sending 122 of data packets 1 ( initial sending ) 130 in each data packet 1 to be formed 121 and to be sent 122 ( cf . fig2 and fig3 ), the current status ( acknowledgement information / status in the acknowledgement area ) 5 , 45 of the data packets 1 already received from the opposite party in the transfer 2 is entered ( acknowledgement information / status , specific packet acknowledgements 5 , 45 , cf . fig3 ). each data packet 1 that is sent therefore contains the complete acknowledgement status 5 , 45 ( cf . fig3 ) of the data packets 1 already received from the opposite party . both communication subscribers 3 , 4 accordingly know at all times which data packets 1 have already been received in both ( communication ) directions 7 , 8 . as soon as the initially passive communication subscriber 4 , i . e . in this case the reserve 4 , has received a first data packet 1 from the master 3 ( cf . ( 2 ) initiation / beginning of the bidirectional data transmission 2 120 ), the reserve 4 also begins to transmit 2 its data that are intended for the active communication subscriber 3 , i . e . the master 3 . the active communication subscriber 3 or the master 4 sends its data packets 1 — in the case of the two redundant communication links 7 , 8 ( cf . fig1 )— initially alternately using both communication links 7 , 8 . the passive communication subscriber 4 returns its data packets 1 using that communication link 7 , 8 that it most recently used to receive data packets 1 . in addition , the active communication subscriber 3 is informed by means of the packet reception counters paz 1 41 , paz 2 42 ( cf . fig2 ) associated with the communication links 7 , 8 about which of the — in this case — two communication links 7 , 8 has been used to receive data packets 1 ( and in each case how many ). if the active communication subscriber 3 establishes — during the transfer 2 — that no further data packets 1 have been received via one of the two redundant communication links 7 , 8 (“ faulty ” communication link ) ( i . e . in this case the associated reception counter paz 1 41 , paz 2 42 would no longer be increased ), the other communication link 7 , 8 is marked as what is known as the “ preferred connection ”. progressively more data packets 1 are then sent using said marked “ preferred connection ”— and correspondingly fewer data packets 1 using the other communication link . in graphic terms , the data transfer 2 shifts from the “ faulty ” communication link to the “ preferred connection ”. should data packets 1 continue to be received only via the “ preferred connection ”, the other communication link (“ faulty ” communication link ) is ultimately marked as “ failed ” (“ failed ” communication link ) and data packets 1 are exclusively transferred via the active communication link , i . e . the “ preferred connection ”. otherwise , both communication links 7 , 8 are used on equal terms again . as soon as one of the communication subscribers 3 , 4 , i . e . the master 3 or the reserve 4 , recognizes from the acknowledgement information / status 5 , 45 or from the “ acknowledgement bits ” 47 ( cf . fig3 and fig2 ) that all data packets 1 in the transfer 2 that are to be transferred by said communication subscriber have been received by the other communication subscriber 3 , 4 , it reduces its transmission rate , since now only the acknowledgement data 5 , 45 or reception counters 41 , 42 ( cf . fig2 ) are relevant to the other communication subscribers 3 , 4 . in order to ensure or increase the currentness of the transmitted data , the two communication subscribers 3 , 4 each use what are known as “ reference buffers ” 22 . said “ reference buffers ” 22 ensure that data or the data packets 1 are “ packed ” 121 only when there is a respective data packet 1 pending transmission 122 . thus , such a “ reference buffer ” 22 — in this case particularly on the passive communication subscriber 4 — can increase the currentness of the data sent from the passive 4 to the active 3 communication subscriber . the reason is that since the passive communication subscriber 4 initially waits until a first data packet 1 arrives from the active communication subscriber 3 , certain data , e . g . a local system status , may already be outdated when the passive communication subscriber 4 begins its transmission process 122 . for this reason , instead of packing 121 the useful or user data 55 into data packets 1 completely before the actual transfer 2 , the “ reference buffer ” 22 is specified for a data packet 1 . in this case , the useful or user data 55 are then copied 121 into the associated data packets 1 not upon the actual transfer call 110 but rather only when the initially passive communication subscriber 4 has received the first data packet 1 from the active communication subscriber 3 . ( 4 ) automatic repeat sending of unacknowledged data packets 1 with formation 121 and sending 122 of data packets 1 140 once all data packets 1 have been sent ( off ) 122 , all as yet unacknowledged data packets 1 are resent , the communication mechanism 60 continuing to be used without alteration . if both redundant communication links 7 , 8 are available , the repeat sending 140 of unacknowledged data packets 1 always involves the respective other — in comparison with the initial sending 130 of said data packet 1 — communication link 7 , 8 being chosen for the “ repeat data packet transfer ” 140 . if the unacknowledged data packet 13 ( index number 13 , cf . fig3 ) was sent using the first communication link 7 when first sent 130 , for example , the other communication link 8 is chosen ( if both are available ) for the repeat sending 140 of said data packet 13 . as a result , the communication mechanism 60 ensures that , particularly when the number of data packets is small , the failure of one communication link 7 , 8 does not result in a delay in the data transmission 2 or the transfers 2 . this automatic “ repeat data packet transfer ” 140 for unacknowledged data packets 1 implicitly results in communication faults or data packet losses being corrected if this is possible within the permissible time limit . since no separate acknowledgement messages are necessary or used in the case of the communication mechanism 60 either , there is also no need for special handling in the case of or for the loss of an acknowledgement message . fast “ repeat data packet transfer ” 140 of unacknowledged data packets 1 reduces the transfer time , particularly if a communication link 7 , 8 fails during the transmission 2 , but on the other hand increases the average number of packets transmitted . for overall optimization of the bidirectional data transmission 2 , sometimes unnecessary repetition of a few data packets is ultimately tolerated in the “ both connections ok ” case in order to avoid time delays in the “ one connection failed ” case . for this purpose , the transfer times and data packet repetitions are measured and logged with different configurations in the specific system configuration 61 for the automation system 62 . ( 5 ) sending of a final data packet 23 and conclusion / termination of the transfer 2 150 if the active communication subscriber 3 recognizes both that it has received — and acknowledged — all data packets 1 from the passive communication subscriber 4 and that its own data packets 1 have been completely acknowledged by the passive communication subscriber 4 , it sends what is known as a “ final ” data packet 23 in order to communicate 150 the successful conclusion of the current transfer 2 ( from the point of view of the user ) to the passive communication subscriber 4 . however , the passive communication subscriber 4 terminates 150 the ( current ) transfer 2 with a successful status when all data packets 1 have , from its point of view , been sent and received successfully even when the “ final ” packet 23 from the active communication subscriber 3 has not been received by it after a prescribed period of time . the “ final ” data packet 23 is always sent using both redundant communication links 7 , 8 in order to reactivate a communication link 7 , 8 that has been recognized as failed for further transfers 2 . this communication mechanism 60 therefore allows implicit error recognition in the case of redundant communication links 7 , 8 with simultaneous optimization of the transfer 2 taking account of the currently available communication links 7 , 8 . the total transfer time for the transfer 2 — optimized by this communication mechanism 60 — is no longer obtained for the communication mechanism 60 by adding two separate transfers between the master 3 and the reserve 4 ( with one transfer per direction ). it is essentially determined by the larger volume of data that is to be transmitted in one of the two directions between the master 3 and the reserve 4 . the optimum number of data packets 1 per unit time or the waiting time after a prescribed number of sent data packets 1 is dependent on the subordinate communication mechanism 9 and can be configured or else adaptively customized on the basis of specific measurements . thus , as described , the communication mechanism 60 described advantageously results in short transfer times for the bidirectional data interchange by virtue of the simultaneous transfer of useful data and acknowledgement data in both communication directions , in optimized and efficient data interchange on account of separate acknowledgement messages not being necessary and parallel data transfer , in implicit redundancy handling in the case of communication links that are available multiple times , without additional expenditure on top , in optimum use of the available communication bandwidth for the useful data , in a high level of currentness for the transfer data and in simple implementation on account of the standard data packet structure . although the present invention has been disclosed in the form of preferred embodiments and variations thereon , it will be understood that numerous additional modifications and variations could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention . for the sake of clarity , it is to be understood that the use of “ a ” or “ an ” throughout this application does not exclude a plurality , and “ comprising ” does not exclude other steps or elements . | 7Electricity
|
fig1 is a block diagram 100 of an example environment in which a system to cross incentivize food and entertainment purchases 110 functions . the following is a description of how an example environment in a system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 can be used . for example , the environment includes a system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 that provides incentives to consumers and / or users for the purchase of food and / or entertainment as well as providing other services such as tracking and processing sale and / or consumer information , providing delivery mechanism enhancements and / or incentives for said delivery mechanisms , and the like . the example environment also includes a network 102 , such as a local area network ( lan ), a wide area network ( wan ), the internet , a game network , a communication network , a proprietary network , or a combination thereof . the network connects websites 104 , resources 105 , user and / or consumer devices 106 , and the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 . the example environment may include many thousands of websites and user and / or consumer devices . a website 104 is one or more resources 105 associated with a domain name and hosted by one or more servers . an example website 104 is a collection of web pages formatted in hypertext markup language ( html ) that can contain text , images , multimedia content , and programming elements , such as scripts . each website is maintained by a publisher , which is an entity that controls , manages and / or owns the website . a resource 105 is any data that can be provided over the network . in some examples , a resource is identified by a resource address ( url ) that is associated with the resource 105 . however , a resource may also be addressed by other means such as the resource 105 being associated with a unique ip address , telephone number , or the like . example resources 105 include html pages , word processing documents , and portable document format ( pdf ) documents , images , video , text , audio , and feed sources , and the like . the resources 105 can include content , such as location data , entertainment data , food data , advertisement information and the like . for example , the resources 105 can include advertisement information , words , phrases , images and sounds , that may include embedded information ( such as meta - information in hyperlinks ) and / or embedded instructions ( such as javascript scripts ). such information can serve to detail a mechanism of delivery of food or entertainment , a description of an advertised food or entertainment , the reviews of said advertised food or entertainment , and the like . a user device 106 is an electronic device that is under control of a user and is capable of sending the user actions 116 and or user data to , and receiving data 118 from the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 . in one example , a user action is a user instruction causing the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 to perform some action . for example , a user instruction could be the user &# 39 ; s purchase of a specific advertised food or entertainment . data 118 is information that the user device receives . for example , data 118 may be an advertisement for the offering of a free delivery of a movie rental with the purchase of a delivered pizza . in some implementations , the user device 106 is also capable of requesting and receiving resources 105 over the network . example user devices 106 include personal computers , mobile communication devices , game systems , and other devices that can send user actions 116 and user data and receive data 118 over the network . in one example , a user device 106 includes a user application to facilitate the user actions 116 , manage user data and data over the network . some user devices may also possess the ability to derive information independently of the user and to distribute that information . for example , a user &# 39 ; s smart phone could be equipped with an application capable of sending user actions 116 for the selection of the free movie rental delivered free with a purchase of a delivered pizza and producing a visual representation of the data 118 received that confirms the user &# 39 ; s purchase of the delivered pizza and movie . the same smart phone could also possess global positioning capability and automatically send the user &# 39 ; s location as part of the pizza and movie purchase transaction . the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 provides a means by which advertisers 108 and merchants can cross incentivize their products through the use of natural pairings of the products , presentations of advertisements for products in paired settings , and enhancements of the mechanisms used for delivery of the products . the system 110 also enables additional benefits to be conveyed to the users / consumers such as free trial of entertainment delivery mechanisms , subsidizing of food purchases , tracking of consumer behavior , prediction of desirable products , and the like . in some implementations , users can also opt to provide additional information that may be used to enhance the likelihood of user satisfaction with purchased food and / or entertainment . in some implementations , the user can opt to provide such additional information through automatic means . for example , a user may allow the use of an application upon the user &# 39 ; s smart phone that relays the user &# 39 ; s positional information to the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 . the user &# 39 ; s positional information can then be used to enable the delivery of the user &# 39 ; s selected food and entertainment when the user reaches his destination . additionally , updates concerning the delivery of the user &# 39 ; s purchased food and entertainment could be sent to the user . for example , the user could receive email updates , data updates causing a smart phone application to inform the user of the purchase &# 39 ; s location , and the like . the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 also provides a means by which advertisements can be adapted and displayed to users in a way and location such that a cross sale is incentivized . as an example , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales can provide advertisements to kiosk movies rental devices for cross incentivizing a pizza sale . in such an example , the kiosk movies rental device could , in response to a user &# 39 ; s selection of a movie , display an advertisement to the consumer for the purchase of a delivery pizza . since the consumer is already actively engaged in purchasing / renting a movie , the consumer is more likely to purchase food as well . thus , the presenting the consumer with an ad for the purchase of a delivered pizza at the time of the consumer selecting a movie to rent is more likely to result in a cross incentivized sale of the pizza . additionally , as an added incentive , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 enables the advertisers to subsidize one or more of the consumer &# 39 ; s purchases . in this example , the pizza vendor could pay for the consumer &# 39 ; s movie rental in the event that the consumer agrees to purchase the delivered pizza . in some implementations , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 also tracks the sales information , receives payment ( which are in the form of a credit transaction in some examples ), and places an order for the cross sold good . in this example , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 would receive information permitting it to place and complete a transaction for the delivery of a pizza to the purchasing consumer . note , while the example presented an incentivized pizza sale , the incentivized sale can be virtually any product or service that is beneficially advertised during the selection of another good or service . fig2 is a block diagram 200 of an example process flow of a system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 . the system receives advertisements ( 210 ) for presentation to consumers in cross sale situations . a cross sale situation is a situation where a consumer is engaged in a transaction concerning a subject that naturally lends itself to pairing with a subsequent good or service . an example of a cross sale situation is a consumer &# 39 ; s purchase of entertainment . since food is a natural pairing with entertainment , a consumer purchasing entertainment is more likely to engage in a cross sale to subsequently purchase food . the advertisements include various information such as the preferred pairings ( preferred association to the cross sale good ), dates of validity , terms of the advertisement , benefit of the advertisement , terms of the additional incentive ( if any ), and the like . in some implementations , the advertisements are received in a format enabling the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 to readily adapt the advertisements for presentation upon websites 104 , resources 105 , user devices 106 , and the like . for example , an advertisement can be received in a format enabling the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales to adapt the advertisement for presentation upon a kiosk movies rental device , a website 104 , a smart phone , and the like . the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales receives notice of a consumer engaging in a transaction viable for a cross sale ( 220 ). in some implementations , notice can be received from a website 104 intended for such cross sales . alternatively , in some systems the notice can be received from websites 104 , smart phone apps , control interfaces such as present upon kiosk movie rental boxes , voice and or tone based systems such as found within phone systems , and other such systems not specifically intended for cross sales but capable of receiving advertisements from the system 110 to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales . for example , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 receives notice that a consumer is in the process of renting a dvd from a movie kiosk . the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales presents an advertisement to the consumer ( 230 ). the advertisement presented is based upon the consumer &# 39 ; s transaction . for example , if the consumer is engaged in ordering a pizza , the advertisement can be for a free rental of a dvd . in some implementations , the system permits the advertiser to sponsor the original transaction in the event that the consumer accepts the cross sale . in the case of the consumer ordering a pizza , the consumer could be presented with a deal where the pizza was reduced in price or even free . in some implementations , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales coordinates and executes the cross incentivized transaction ( 240 ). additionally , some implementations coordinate and execute both the originating transaction and the cross incentivized transaction . furthermore , some implementations also target specific consumers for certain cross sale opportunities . in some examples , such targeting of consumers is performed on consumers that have given their permission to participate in such direct marketing . often the participation is rewarded with additional deals or discounts for the cross incentivized products and services . for example , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales can target those consumers who have opted to download an application to their smart phone . periodically , the application can notify the consumers of new or specific cross incentivized deals that they may desire to participate in . continuing the example , when the consumer participates in such deals , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales receives all the necessary information such as billing information , desired delivery location , delivery time , and the like and then coordinates with the advertisers to have the cross incentivized products delivered . in some implementations , the coordination can include ordering the products , scheduling the delivery , paying the advertisers , mapping the delivery routes , and receiving customer feedback . furthermore , in some implementations the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales can also coordinate the delivery of the cross sold products ( 250 ) with the occurrence of a consumer designated event such as the consumer arriving home . in some examples , such coordination makes use of smart phone . however , other means of notifying the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales of event are possible and include such examples as the consumer logging into a website to disclose the occurrence of the vent , placing a call to the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales , the consumer sending an email notifying of the occurrence of the event , and the like . as an example , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 could periodically query a consumer &# 39 ; s smart phone as to the location of consumer . in this way , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 could ensure that the consumer &# 39 ; s selected movie and pizza was delivered a set time after the consumer arrives home . fig3 is a diagram 300 of an example process flow of a system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 from the view of a consumer wishing to rent a movie from a movie kiosk . the consumer reserves the movie at movie rental kiosk website via a user interface ( 310 ). without effort on the part of the consumer , the movie rental kiosk website notifies the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales of the rental ( 320 ). the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales supplies the movie rental kiosk website with advertisements based upon the desired rental ( 330 ). for example , the advertisements feature deals for purchasing delivered pizza . as an added incentive , the purchase of a pizza could make the movie rental free . if accepted , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales accepts payment and coordinates ( 340 ) the delivery of the pizza and the movie . in some examples , the system imposes a fee for the joint purchase of food and entertainment , the fee being invisible to the purchaser and being deducted from the purchase total before the purchase total is divided and distributed respectively to the purveyors of the food and entertainment . coordination includes the scheduling of the delivery of the pizza , planning the route of the delivery such that the delivery person can also pick up the consumer &# 39 ; s desired movie , and distribution of payment for the pizza and movie . note that the coordination may include planning the route of delivery such that the route is likely to result in a speedy delivery of the food and entertainment . also , the route can be such that additional efficiencies such as conservation of fuel and the like can be gained through the common delivery of the food and entertainment . in some implementations , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales can accept vendor codes , promotion codes , advertiser codes , and the like from users . the vendor codes , promotion codes , advertiser codes , and the like enable merchants to tie in existing advertising and promotions . for example , a user could enter in , as part of the user &# 39 ; s transaction , a promotion code obtained from a merchant &# 39 ; s advertisement that enables the user to a discount on his purchase total . in the case where the pizza purchase also covers the cost of the movie , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales also debits the corresponding pizza purveyor accordingly . in some implementations , this payment can be accomplished at a discount or through payment arrangement previously agreed to . for example , the movie rental kiosk owner can previously agree to pay a set fee to the pizza merchant or a delivery service for the delivery of the movie . in one example , the kiosk owner would also negotiate with the pizza purveyor for a referral commission , and to possibly supply an inventory of the most popular movies at the pizza location . when the pizza is ready , the driver is given delivery instructions including not only the address of the consumer but also the location from which to obtain the movie from . in some implementations , the directions include a code for the driver to use to obtain the movie from the movie rental kiosk . furthermore , some implementations can also interrogate the movie rental kiosks along the delivery route to ensure that the movie rental kiosk has the desired movie available . it should be noted that while this example makes use of a movie rental kiosk , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales can be used with other means of entertainment distribution . as an example , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales can be used with internet based entertainment distribution methods . optionally as part of the consumer &# 39 ; s transactions , the system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales provides the consumer with a code the consumer can enter into an internet enabled device such as a computer or a smart phone or the like . the code permits the internet enabled device to temporarily be able to access an internet based entertainment delivery provide from which the consumer can download or stream his entertainment from . fig4 is block diagram of an example computer system 400 that can be used to implement a system to cross incentivize food and entertainment sales 110 . the system 400 includes a processor 410 , a memory 420 , a storage device 430 , and an input / output device 440 . each of the components 410 , 420 , 430 , and 440 can be interconnected , for example , using a system bus 450 . the processor 410 is capable of processing instructions for execution within the system 400 . in one implementation , the processor 410 is a single - threaded processor . in another implementation , the processor 410 is a multi - threaded processor . the processor 410 is capable of processing instructions stored in the memory 420 or on the storage device 530 . the memory 420 stores information within the system 400 . in one implementation , the memory 420 is a computer - readable medium . in one implementation , the memory 420 is a volatile memory unit . in another implementation , the memory 420 is a non - volatile memory unit . the storage device 430 is capable of providing mass storage for the system 400 . in one implementation , the storage device 430 is a computer - readable medium . in various different implementations , the storage device 430 can include , for example , a hard disk device , an optical disk device , or some other large capacity storage device . the input / output device 440 provides input / output operations for the system 400 . in one implementation , the input / output device 440 can include one or more of a network interface devices , e . g ., an ethernet card , a serial communication device , e . g ., and rs - 232 port , and / or a wireless interface device , e . g ., and 802 . 11 card . in another implementation , the input / output device can include driver devices configured to receive input data and send output data to other input / output devices , e . g ., keyboard , printer and display devices 460 . other implementations , however , can also be used , such as mobile computing devices , mobile communication devices , set - top box television client devices , etc . although an example processing system has been described in fig4 , implementations of the subject matter and the functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in other types of digital electronic circuitry , or in computer software , firmware , or hardware , including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents , or in combinations of one or more of them . embodiments of the subject matter and the operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry , or in computer software , firmware , or hardware , including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents , or in combinations of one or more of them . embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer programs , i . e ., one or more modules of computer program instructions , encoded on computer storage medium for execution by , or to control the operation of , data processing apparatus . alternatively or in addition , the program instructions can be encoded on an artificially - generated propagated signal , e . g ., a machine - generated electrical , optical , or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus for execution by a data processing apparatus . a computer storage medium can be , or be included in , a computer - readable storage device , a computer - readable storage substrate , a random or serial access memory array or device , or a combination of one or more of them . moreover , while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal , a computer storage medium can be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in an artificially - generated propagated signal . the computer storage medium can also be , or be included in , one or more separate physical components or media ( e . g ., multiple cds , disks , or other storage devices ). the operations described in this specification can be implemented as operations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored on one or more computer - readable storage devices or received from other sources . the term “ data processing apparatus ” encompasses all kinds of apparatus , devices , and machines for processing data , including by way of example a programmable processor , a computer , a system on a chip , or multiple ones , or combinations , of the foregoing . the apparatus can include special purpose logic circuitry , e . g ., an fpga ( field programmable gate array ) or an asic ( application - specific integrated circuit ). the apparatus can also include , in addition to hardware , code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question , e . g ., code that constitutes processor firmware , a protocol stack , a database management system , an operating system , a cross - platform runtime environment , a virtual machine , or a combination of one or more of them . the apparatus and execution environment can realize various different computing model infrastructures , such as web services , distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures . a computer program ( also known as a program , software , software application , script , or code ) can be written in any form of programming language , including compiled or interpreted languages , declarative or procedural languages , and it can be deployed in any form , including as a stand - alone program or as a module , component , subroutine , object , or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment . a computer program may , but need not , correspond to a file in a file system . a program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data ( e . g ., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document ), in a single file dedicated to the program in question , or in multiple coordinated files ( e . g ., files that store one or more modules , sub - programs , or portions of code ). a computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network . the processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform actions by operating on input data and generating output . the processes and logic flows can also be performed by , and apparatus can also be implemented as , special purpose logic circuitry , e . g ., an fpga ( field programmable gate array ) or an asic ( application - specific integrated circuit ). processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include , by way of example , both general and special purpose microprocessors , and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer . generally , a processor will receive instructions and data from a read - only memory or a random access memory or both . the essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data . generally , a computer will also include , or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to , or both , one or more mass storage devices for storing data , e . g ., magnetic , magneto - optical disks , or optical disks . however , a computer need not have such devices . moreover , a computer can be embedded in another device , e . g ., a mobile telephone , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a mobile audio or video player , a game console , a global positioning system ( gps ) receiver , or a portable storage device ( e . g ., a universal serial bus ( usb ) flash drive ), to name just a few . devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non - volatile memory , media and memory devices , including by way of example semiconductor memory devices , e . g ., eprom , eeprom , and flash memory devices ; magnetic disks , e . g ., internal hard disks or removable disks ; magneto - optical disks ; and cd - rom and dvd - rom disks . the processor and the memory can be supplemented by , or incorporated in , special purpose logic circuitry . to provide for interaction with a user , embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented on a computer having a display device , e . g ., a crt ( cathode ray tube ) or lcd ( liquid crystal display ) monitor , for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device , e . g ., a mouse or a trackball , by which the user can provide input to the computer . other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well ; for example , feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback , e . g ., visual feedback , auditory feedback , or tactile feedback ; and input from the user can be received in any form , including acoustic , speech , or tactile input . in addition , a computer can interact with a user by sending documents to and receiving documents from a device that is used by the user ; for example , by sending web pages to a web browser on a user &# 39 ; s client device in response to requests received from the web browser . embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back - end component , e . g ., as a data server , or that includes a middleware component , e . g ., an application server , or that includes a front - end component , e . g ., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described in this specification , or any combination of one or more such back - end , middleware , or front - end components . the components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication , e . g ., a communication network . examples of communication networks include a local area network (“ lan ”) and a wide area network (“ wan ”), an inter - network ( e . g ., the internet ), and peer - to - peer networks ( e . g ., ad hoc peer - to - peer networks ). the computing system can include clients and servers . a client and server are generally remote from each other and may interact through a communication network . the relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client - server relationship to each other . in some embodiments , a server transmits data ( e . g ., an html page ) to a client device ( e . g ., for purposes of displaying data to and receiving user input from a user interacting with the client device ). data generated at the client device ( e . g ., a result of the user interaction ) can be received from the client device at the server . as an example one such type of a computer , consider a type of computer system consisting of a programmable processing system ( system ) suitable for implementing apparatus or performing methods of various aspects of the subject matter described in this specification . the system includes a processor , a random access memory ( ram ), a program memory ( for example , a writable read - only memory ( rom ) such as a flash rom ), a hard drive controller , a video controller , and an input / output ( i / o ) controller coupled by a processor ( cpu ) bus . the system can be preprogrammed , in rom , for example , or it can be programmed ( and reprogrammed ) by loading a program from another source ( for example , from a floppy disk , a cd - rom , or another computer ). the hard drive controller is coupled to a hard disk suitable for storing executable computer programs , including programs embodying aspects of the subject matter described in this specification . the video controller is coupled to a video recorder , which can be used for storing and importing video footage and for writing final output . the i / o controller is coupled by means of an i / o bus to an i / o interface . the i / o interface receives and transmits data ( e . g ., stills , pictures , movies , and animations for importing into a composition ) in analog or digital form over communication links such as a serial link , local area network , wireless link , and parallel link . also coupled to the i / o bus is a display and a keyboard . alternatively , separate connections ( separate buses ) can be used for the i / o interface , display and keyboard . while this specification contains many specific implementation details , these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any inventions or of what may be claimed , but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions . certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment . conversely , various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination . moreover , although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such , one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination , and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination . similarly , while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order , this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order , or that all illustrated operations be performed , to achieve desirable results . in certain circumstances , multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous . moreover , the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments , and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products . thus , particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described . other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims . in some cases , the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results . in addition , the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown , or sequential order , to achieve desirable results . in certain implementations , multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous . | 6Physics
|
the present invention is directed to reducing the optical transmission loss in a waveguide by reducing the hydrogen content in the waveguide . fig3 shows the cross section of a planar waveguide manufactured according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , an insulating buffer layer 102 is deposited on a substrate 101 . a waveguide core 103 including deuterium is then deposited on the buffer layer 102 and the entire structure is coated with a cladding layer 104 . as demonstrated below , the use of deuterated source gasses is effective in reducing the hydrogen content of the waveguide . silicon is the preferred material for the substrate 101 . however , the substrate 101 may be made out of any material suitable for supporting the waveguide core 103 . example substrate materials include , but are not limited to , gaas , inp , sio 2 , si 3 n 4 , ceramics and plastics . the preferred material for the buffer layer 102 is silicon oxynitride ( sion ) or germanium doped silicon oxynitride ( gesion ). more preferably , the material for the buffer layer 102 is deuterated silicon oxynitride ( sion ) or deuterated germanium doped silicon oxynitride ( gesion ). additional materials suitable for the buffer layer include fluorine doped silica ( fsg ), phosphorous doped silica ( psg ) and boron and phosphorous doped silica ( bpsg ). however , any suitable material can be used . for optimum results , the buffer layer 102 should have an index of refraction less than the index of refraction of the waveguide core 103 . the buffer layer 102 may be omitted if the substrate is formed from a suitable material with a lower index of refraction than the core . the preferred material for the cladding layer 104 is sion or gesion . more preferably , the preferred material for the cladding layer 104 is deuterated sion or deuterated gesion . however , any suitable material , such as plastics for example , can be used . for optimum results , the cladding layer 104 should have an index of refraction less than the index of refraction of the waveguide core 103 . the core 103 of the optical waveguide preferably comprises deuterated germanium doped silicon oxynitride ( ge w si z o x n y ), where the sum of w , x , y and z is equal to 1 . more preferably , the core 103 comprises deuterated silicon oxynitride ( si z o x n y ), where the sum of x , y and z is equal to 1 . the deuterium replaces hydrogen and thereby reduces the hydrogen content in the waveguide . the index of refraction of the core is preferably between 1 . 44 and 2 . 2 . more preferably , the index of refraction of the core is between 1 . 6 and 1 . 8 . furthermore , transmission losses due to attenuation are preferably less than 4 . 0 db / cm in multimode slab waveguides and less than 2 . 0 db / cm in single mode slab waveguides . more preferably , the transmission losses due to attenuation are less than 1 . 5 db / cm in multimode slab waveguides and less than 0 . 2 db / cm in single mode slab waveguides at 1550 nm . by using deuterium source gasses in manufacturing the core 103 , the hydrogen content of the core 103 is reduced and consequently the optical loss is reduced . this is shown , for example , by the fourier transform infrared ( ftir ) spectra of germanium doped silicon oxynitride ( gesion ) films are illustrated in fig2 . a film deposited with nh 3 is represented by the bottom spectrum in fig2 . this spectrum shows , like fig1 , that the nh stretch is at 3310 cm - 1 ( 3 . 02 μm ), which places the overtone absorption peak approximately at 1510 nm , which is near the communications wavelength . in contrast , the top spectrum in fig2 represents a the germanium doped silicon oxynitride film formed with deuterated ammonia ( nd 3 ) instead of regular ammonia ( nh 3 ). as shown , the absorption peak is shifted from 3 . 02 μm to 4 . 08 μm . the overtone peak therefore shifts to 2004 nm , far from 1550 nm , the optical communications wavelength , by substituting nd 3 for the nh 3 source gas during deposition . the use of deuterated silane , deuterated disilane and deuterated germane produce similar results . the use of any of these gases alone or in combination is beneficial because losses at 2004 nm due to the n — d bond are not significant for communications at 1550 nm . the use of the deuterated core material has been described and illustrated by way of an optical waveguide . however , this is but one device which can be fabricated according to the present invention . other devices which may also benefit from the material of the present invention include , but are not limited to , an optical waveguide , an arrayed waveguide , a wavelength demultiplexer , a power splitter , an optical coupler , a phaser , and a variable optical attenuator . the core of the optical waveguide is preferably deposited by chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ). low pressure cvd ( lpcvd ), atmospheric pressure cvd ( apcvd ) and plasma assisted cvd ( pecvd ) can be used . however , pecvd is the preferred method . one example of pecvd deposition is described below . deuterated silicon oxynitride and deuterated germanium doped silicon oxynitride films were deposited with an sts multiflex pecvd system . this system is a parallel plate reactor where the precursor gasses enter through an array of holes in the top electrode ( showerhead ) and the sample rests on the bottom electrode . the bottom electrode is a non - rotating heated platen . the reaction gases included silane ( sih 4 ), germane ( geh 4 ), nitrous oxide ( n 2 o ), deuterated ammonia ( nd 3 ) and nitrogen ( n 2 ). regular ammonia ( nh 3 ) was also available for making the comparative examples . the refractive index , optical propagation loss and film thickness were determined with a prism coupling system . an initial series of thin germanium doped silicon oxynitride films were deposited with and without deuterated ammonia to evaluate the reduction in waveguide loss . these films were deposited on si ( 100 ), sio 2 and corning 1737 glass substrates to form multimode slab waveguides . the deposition parameters for these films are in table 1 . films from the initial round of gesion films with nd 3 were smooth and uniform with a slight green coloration as deposited . the film thicknesses and indexes were measured by prism coupling at two wavelengths , 652 nm and 1550 nm . the prism coupling measurements demonstrate that the thickness and indexes are very near that of films deposited with nh 3 . table 2 summarizes the thickness and index measurements . table 3 is a comparison between attenuation measurements on multimode slab germanium doped silicon oxynitride waveguides deposited with nd 3 ( examples a to d ) and multimode slab germanium doped silicon oxynitride waveguides deposited with nh 3 ( examples e and f ). the optical propagation loss in multimode slab waveguides ranged from 1 . 3 to 3 . 5 db / cm for films deposited with nd 3 . by comparison , the propagation loss in comparable films deposited with nh 3 ranged from 8 – 11 db / cm . table 4 summarizes and compares the compositions of the gesion films deposited with nd 3 with those deposited with nh 3 . the samples prepared with nd 3 have significantly less hydrogen incorporation than the samples prepared with nh 3 . samples deposited with nd 3 show lower nitrogen levels . this is believed to result from a lower nd 3 flow than nh 3 because the flow controllers were not re - normalized . a second series of thin germanium doped silicon oxynitride films were deposited with deuterated ammonia to evaluate the reduction in waveguide loss . in this series , two samples were deposited with a waveguide core over a 13 – 15 μm cladding layer on a silicon wafer to form a single mode waveguide . the deposition parameters are summarized in table 5 as in the initial series of films , the film thicknesses and indexes were measured by prism coupling at two wavelengths , 652 nm and 1550 nm . the prism coupling measurements demonstrate that the thickness and indexes are very near that of films deposited with nh 3 . table 2 summarizes the thickness and index measurements . table 7 is a comparison between attenuation measurements on single mode slab germanium doped silicon oxynitride waveguides deposited with nd 3 ( examples g and h ) and single mode slab germanium doped silicon oxynitride waveguides deposited with nh 3 ( examples i and j ). the optical propagation loss in single mode waveguides ranged from 1 . 3 to 2 . 0 db / cm for films deposited with nd 3 . by comparison , the propagation loss in comparable films deposited with nh 3 was 7 db / cm . a third series of deuterated thin film single mode waveguides were manufactured to study the effect of various gesion / sion core / cladding configurations . in this series , three combinations were tested . these include , gesion core / clad , sion core / clad and sion core on gesion clad . the deposition parameters are summarized in table 8 . the first sample ( example k ), a gesion core on a gesion cladding layer , exhibits approximately a 1 db / cm propagation loss with low wafer warpage . the second sample ( example l ), a sion core on a sion cladding layer , had a propagation loss near the 0 . 2 db / cm detection limit of the test equipment . however , the wafer warpage is very high . depositing a sion core on a gesion cladding , the third sample ( example m ), resulted in a slightly higher loss of 0 . 38 db / cm while reducing wafer warpage . depositing a sion core on a gesion cladding using deuterated ammonia and deuterated silane , the fourth sample ( example n ), resulted in propagation losses below 0 . 2 db / cm . however , wafer warpage increased significantly . the foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention . the drawings and description were chosen in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto , and their equivalents . the foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention . the drawings and description were chosen in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto , and their equivalents . | 6Physics
|
with reference now to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 to 8 thereof , a new and improved plant separation device embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described . more specifically , the plant separation device 10 of the instant invention essentially comprises a mounting plate 11 having a matrix of apertures 12 directed therethrough extending from the mounting plate top wall 13 through to a mounting plate bottom wall 14 , with the top wall 13 of a first diameter , the bottom wall 14 of a second diameter , with the bottom wall second diameter greater than said first diameter such that a peripheral side wall of a truncated conical configuration is canted from the top wall 13 to the bottom wall 14 permitting ease of removal of the mounting plate when positioned within a planting pot 19 , having a planting pot floor 20 receiving the mounting plate 11 . the planting pot side wall 21 in cooperation with the mounting plate side wall 15 permits ease of separation of soil otherwise captured between the mounting plate and the planting pot side wall 21 . the mounting plate bottom wall 14 is indicated to include an annular array of support feet 16 fixedly mounted to the bottom wall 14 at the peripheral side wall 15 , as well as a central support foot 16a ( see fig2 ) providing rigid support of the organization in use . a central shaft 17 is provided orthogonally mounted medially of the mounting plate 11 extending from the top wall 13 terminating in a central shaft projection 18 , having a second width less than a first width defined by the central shaft to accommodate an extension shaft 36 ( see fig4 ) to extend the extension shaft 36 beyond the side wall entrance end 22 . the extension shaft 36 includes a socket 37 at its lowermost end to receive the central shaft projection 18 therewithin coaxially aligning the central shaft 36 relative to the central shaft to accommodate various climbing plants beyond the pot 19 . the extension shaft terminates in a projecting shaft 38 to accommodate further extension shaft members thereon . the fig5 and 6 indicates the use of a modified central shaft 23 , having a central conduit 24 coaxially oriented relative to the modified shaft 23 , wherein feed ports 25 extend in fluid communication with the central shaft 24 to the exterior side wall of the modified shaft 23 to permit the feeding of various nutrients and fluids into the pot 19 when the organization is positioned therewithin . a reservoir cavity 26 directed into the modified shaft 23 from the uppermost end thereof provides for the accommodation of a quantity of fluid and the like therewithin . a modified projection 28 including an abutment flange 29 to engage the uppermost end of the modified shaft and coaxially orient the modified projection 28 to simultaneously plug the reservoir cavity 26 , as well as provide for the accommodation of an extension shaft 36 thereon . the fig7 and 8 indicates the extension shaft 36 having an extension shaft cavity 39 extending from the projecting shaft opening 41 that is in communication with the extension shaft cavity 39 that accommodates a fertilizer 40 and the like therewithin . the use of a further projection member 28a is arranged such that the annular flange 29 includes a central web 33 dividing a first cavity 34 directed into a first end of the projection 28a , having a first volume to accommodate a first quantity of the fertilizer 40 with a second cavity 35 directed into a second end 32 relative to the first end 31 of the projection 28a . the first and second cavities 34 and 35 having respective first and second cavities accommodate measuring of a plurality of volumes of the fertilizer 40 to permit the modified projection 28a for use as a measuring device . a cap member 42 is received onto the projecting shaft opening 41 providing access into the shaft cavity 39 for use of the fertilizer 40 as 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 . with respect to the above description then , it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention , to include variations in size , materials , shape , form , function and manner of operation , assembly and use , are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art , and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention . therefore , the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention . | 0Human Necessities
|
embodiments of the invention are directed to a grill for cooking food outdoors . the grill advantageously allows for cooking over open fires like campfires or for cooking using a fuel supplied to a fuel tray such as charcoal provided to a charcoal tray . while the description that follows sometimes makes reference to charcoal specifically , it is to be understood that this is done merely by way of illustration and that alternative fuels may be supplied to the fuel tray in alternative embodiments , such as various charcoal substitutes that are known in the art . while many such charcoal substitutes are solid , the invention may also be used with liquid charcoal substitutes that have been developed . the fuel tray is coupled mechanically with a grilling surface such that at least one of the fuel tray and grilling surface may be slidably moved to achieve at least two positions : a first position in which the fuel tray is disposed substantially beneath the grilling surface and a second position in which at least a portion of the fuel tray is not beneath the grilling surface . it is noted that such relative slidable movement may be achieved with a substantially fixed grilling surface and moveable fuel tray , with a substantially fixed fuel tray and moveable grilling , or with a moveable fuel tray and moveable grilling surface . it is generally expected that cooking of food takes place when the fuel tray is in the first position , although cooking may also be accomplished in various intermediate positions accessible by the sliding mechanism so that only a portion of the grilling surface is heated . in one particular embodiment , the second position comprises a position in which no portion of the fuel tray is beneath the grilling surface . such a second position advantageously enables the heat source for cooking to be displaced substantially entirely from the grilling surface . this allows greater control over the application of cooking heat , may avoid burning food , permits prompt response to observed cooking conditions , and allows other food preparations to be made substantially without the application of heat to the grilling surface . in some embodiments , the grill may be provided in a pre - assembled form , but in other embodiments , the grill may be provided as a kit that may be assembled and disassembled as appropriate , thereby increasing the portability of the grill . the invention may be understood with reference to fig1 a - 9b , which provide various views of the grill . the following description simultaneously references the various views , some of which are more illustrative for particular features . the isometric views of fig1 a and 1b respectively show the assembled grill 100 in the open and closed positions . the grill 100 generally comprises a grilling surface 104 and a fuel tray 108 , each of which is composed of a material such as metal suitable to withstand normal cooking temperatures . the grilling surface 104 is shown as substantially flat , with a latticework structure that promotes the direct transfer of heat to food placed on the grilling surface 104 , but may more generally have arcuate or other shapes . for example , in some alternative embodiments , the grilling surface 104 may comprise a plurality of distinct levels that enable food to be subject to different heat levels . merely by way of example , such distinct levels might provide for a “ cooking level ,” a “ warming level ,” and the like . it is also emphasized that the latticework structure is provided by way of illustration ; more generally , the grilling surface 104 may comprise and structure effective to promote heat from an underlying heat source to food placed on the grilling surface . this might include a series of parallel or nonparallel rods , a thin flat sheet of metal , or other structures . when the grill 100 is in the open position shown in fig1 a or when the fuel tray 108 has been removed , the grilling surface 104 may be disposed directly over an open fire such as a campfire that provides the source of heat . when the grill 100 is in the closed position shown in fig1 b , the grilling surface 104 is disposed over the fuel tray 108 , with the burning of fuel in the fuel tray 108 providing the source of heat . the grilling surface 104 may comprise one or more handles 112 to facilitate movement or carrying of the structure . similarly , the fuel tray 108 may comprise one or more handles 116 to facilitate movement or carrying of the fuel tray . when the structure is disassembled , the handles 112 and 116 may be especially convenient for moving the grilling surface 104 and fuel tray 108 separately . the grill 100 is supported by a plurality of posts 124 . while the drawings show a structure in which four posts 124 are provided , this is also exemplary , and alternative embodiments may use a different number of posts 124 . the structure of the posts shown in the drawing is exemplary , with each of the posts including a beveled end 148 suitable for insertion into the ground or other pliable surface and a flared end 152 suitable to receive the force of a mallet or other tool to aid in insertion of the posts 124 into the ground or other pliable surface . such a structure is particularly suitable for deployments of the grill 100 in environments like campsites , backyards , or the like , where the grill 100 is to be used over the ground . in other embodiments , such features as the beveled ends 148 and flared ends 152 may be omitted or substituted with other characteristics . for example , structures in which the beveled ends 148 are replaced with flat ends , perhaps including low - friction caps made of rubber or a similar material , may be especially suitable for deployment of the grill 100 in environments like parking lots near sporting events , on concrete sidewalks , on wooden decks , or the like . in some instances , assembly kits for the grill 100 may include a plurality of sets of posts to enable the grill to be used in different such environments . as best shown in the front and rear end views of fig4 a and 4b respectively , each of the posts 124 may include depth indicators 144 . when provided at a uniform distance from the beveled ends 148 , as indicated by reference line 140 , the depth indicators 144 allow the posts 124 to be disposed in the ground at a substantially uniform depth , ensuring that the grilling surface 104 is substantially horizontal . while the illustration shows only a single depth indicator 144 on each post 124 , multiple depth indicators may be provided in alternative embodiments , enabling the grill 100 to be disposed over the ground at different substantially horizontal heights . the posts 124 are coupled with a plurality rails 120 . while the drawings show two rails 120 , it is understood that any plural number of rails 120 may be used in alternative embodiments . the grilling surface 104 comprises a structure with holes through which the rails 120 extend . the rails 120 may be affixed to the posts 124 using any suitable mechanism , one example of which is shown in detail in fig5 . in this example , which is used to affix the rails 120 to the front posts 124 - 1 and 124 - 2 , a plurality of spaced - apart protrusions 136 are provided at an end of the rail 120 , enabling the intermediate portion of the rail 120 to be accepted by shaped receiving members 128 coupled to respective posts 124 . while it is possible to use the same mechanism to affix the rails 120 to the rear posts 124 - 3 and 124 - 4 , the drawings illustrate an alternative affixation mechanism in detail in fig7 that comprises protrusions 132 extending from the respective posts 124 and including a hole sized for receipt of the respective rails 120 . while embodiments may be provided in which the same affixation mechanism is used for all posts 124 , the use of different affixation mechanisms as illustrated in the drawings advantageously simplifies assembly of the grill 100 . specifically , the affixation mechanism shown in fig7 provides greater structural support to the grill 100 while the affixation mechanism shown in fig5 simplifies assembly of the grill 100 over a campfire or location . the drawings also show the inclusion of the plurality of spaced - apart protrusions 136 in fig5 and the protrusions 132 in fig7 . generally , these structures are provided at corresponding positions on the posts 124 to ensure deployment of the grill 100 achieves a horizontal grilling surface 104 . in combination with the depth indicators 144 , the inclusion of a plurality of such structures on each post 124 enables assembly to be effected with the grilling surface 104 at different heights above the ground or other surface . in alternative embodiments , only a single structure is provided with each post 124 or a plurality of structures greater than two is provided . the detail of fig6 shows that the grilling surface 104 may comprise structural members 172 and 176 , and that the latticework or other structure 168 may be spot welded 180 to such structural members . detail views of the fuel tray 108 visible in fig1 a , 1 b , 2 , 3 , and 4 are provided in fig8 a - 8d . fig8 a and 8b provide end views with fig8 a showing the fuel tray 108 itself and support frame 138 separately and fig8 b showing them together . the support frame 138 includes front protrusions 134 , each of which includes a hole for receiving respective ones of the rails 120 . fig8 c shows a top view of the fuel tray 108 and support frame 138 , which also includes rear protrusions 160 shown in fig8 d . the rear protrusions 160 also include holes for receiving respective ones of the rails 120 . while the front protrusions 134 may be generally flat so that they substantially abut the front posts 124 - 1 and 124 - 2 when the grill 100 is in the open position shown in fig1 a , the rear protrusions 160 may be jogged , with a top of the rear protrusions disposed within the structure defining the grilling surface 108 . such a configuration provides a stopping point when the fuel tray 108 is slid along the rails 120 that defines the open position . fig9 a provides an isometric illustration of the fuel tray 108 in which the structure of the rear protrusions 160 is evident , as well as showing the presence of spot welds 180 at the bottom of the fuel tray 108 , used to hold the fuel tray 108 in position . the side view of fig9 b further illustrates the mechanism for holding the fuel tray 108 in position , also showing the presence of briquettes 184 within the fuel tray 108 to provide fuel . having described several embodiments , it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that various modifications , alternative constructions , and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , the illustrative embodiments described above describe particular sliding mechanisms , but this is not intended to be limiting . more generally , and as will be understood by those of skill in the art , any suitable sliding mechanism may be used , including metal - to - metal low - friction movement , rolling mechanisms mounten on the grilling surface or frame , an arrangement of shaft - collar connections , and the like . accordingly , the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention , which is defined in the following claims . | 0Human Necessities
|
in the figure , reference numeral 1 denotes a pnp transistor whose base and collector are interconnected and connected to the base of a pnp transistor 2 as well as to that of a pnp transistor 3 . the emitters of the transistors 1 , 2 , 3 are connected to a positive 12 v supply line . the collector of transistor 3 is connected to the base of an npn transistor 4 , the collector of which is connected to the base of a pnp transistor 5 . the collector of transistor 3 is also connected , by means of a resistor 11 having a value of 10 kω , to a terminal a to which also the emitter of transistor 4 is connected . a 3 . 9 kω resistor 12 is included between the collector of transistor 4 and the supply line and a 400 ω resistor 13 is included between the emitter of transistor 5 and the supply line . the collector of transistor 2 is connected to the collector of an npn transistor 6 and to the base of an npn transistor 7 . the collector of transistor 7 is connected to terminal a while the emitter thereof is connected to the base of an npn transistor 8 and to a 2 . 7 kω resistor 14 . the collector of transistor 8 is connected to the base of transistor 4 while the emitter of transistor 8 and also the emitter of transistor 6 and the terminal of resistor 14 , which is not connected to transistor 7 , are connected to ground . finally , the collector of transistor 5 is connected to the base of transistor 6 by means of a 12 kω resistor 15 . the circuit of the figure is part of an integrated circuit of which a is a connecting terminal . an external resistor r having a value of some dozens of kω may be connected to terminal a . the other terminal b of resistor r may be connected to either a positive line , for example the supply voltage supplying energy to the described circuit , or to ground . an internal source s of negatively - going pulses is connected to the bases of transistors 1 , 2 and 3 by means of a 110 kω resistor 16 . if terminal b is connected to ground , then negatively going pulses are available at terminal a . if , in contrast therewith , terminal b is connected to the positive voltage , then the signal at terminal a consists of positively going pulses . the preceding may be explained as follows . in the absence of source s , transistor 2 and 3 are cutoff . transistors 4 and 7 do not receive a base current , so that they are also cutoff , as are also the other transistors in the circuit . consequently , the impedance between terminal a and ground is very high . the value thereof is equal to the value of resistor r , if this resistor is connected . if terminal b is connected to the positive voltage , terminal a has initially the same positive potential as point b . in the presence of source s the signal thereof becomes low at a certain instant , in response to which transistors 2 and 3 are rendered conductive . the collector current of transistor 2 controls the base of transistor 7 , which is also rendered conductive , causing the voltage at point a to decrease because of the collector current of transistor 7 . the emitter current of transistor 7 produces a voltage drop across resistor 14 , which becomes so high that also transistor 8 becomes conductive . the collector current of transistor 3 flows through transistor 8 which prevents transistor 4 from becoming conductive . also the transistors 5 and 6 remain non - conducting . from the foregoing , it will be apparent that for the period of time the signal of source s is low , the voltage at point a is also low . the value of this voltage is equal to the sum of the threshold voltages of the base - emitter diode of transistor 8 and the collector - emitter voltage of transistor 7 , and is , consequently , slightly below 1 v . if the signal from the source s is pulse - shaped , the voltage at terminal a is also pulse - shaped , the amplitude of this signal being slightly higher than 11 v . for the case that terminal b is connected to ground , terminal a has ground potential in the absence of a signal . as soon as the signal from source s becomes low , transistors 2 and 3 become conductive . the collector current of transistor 3 controls the base of transistor 4 , which is also rendered conductive , causing the voltage at point a to increase because of the emitter current of transistor 4 . the collector current of transistor 4 produces a voltage drop across resistor 12 which becomes so high that also transistor 5 becomes conductive and the collector current thereof renders transistor 6 conductive . the collector current of transistor 2 flows through transistor 6 , having for its result that transistor 7 cannot become conductive . also transistor 8 remains in the cutoff state . from the foregoing , it will be apparent that the voltage at point a is high during the period of time the signal from source s is low . the difference between this voltage and the supply voltage is equal to the sum of the threshold voltage of the base emitter diode of transistor 4 and the collector - emitter voltage of transistor 3 and is , consequently , slightly lower than 1 v . so also in this case the amplitude of the pulse - shaped signal available at terminal a is slightly higher than 11 v . from the foregoing it is apparent that , when resistor r is connected to the positive voltage transistors 2 , 7 and 8 are conductive , transistor 8 , which receives its collector current via the conducting transistor 3 , maintains transistor 4 and , consequently , also transistors 5 and 6 in the non - conducting state . in a similar manner transistors 3 , 4 and 6 conduct , if resistor r is connected to ground , transistor 6 , which receives its collector current via the conducting transistor 2 , maintaining transistor 7 and , consequently , transistor 8 in the non - conducting state , transistor 5 and resistor 15 having being added in view of the direct voltage levels of transistors 4 and 6 . the value of resistor r can be chosen at one &# 39 ; s option . it has been found that the circuit operates in a satisfactory manner if the value of resistor r is taken between approximately 12 and 100 kω , while the pulses generated by source s have the television field frequency of 50 or 60 hz with a pulse duration of 1 . 4 ms . the circuit is also suitable for the line frequency , albeit with a slightly different rating . the pulses at terminal a can be taken off by means of a capacitor . by means of an isolation diode it is accomplished that resistor r does not continuously load a further circuit . to this end the diode must be connected with the suitable direction of conduction to terminal a , that is to say by means of its anode , if point b is connected to ground and by means of its cathode , if point b is connected to the supply voltage . the output pulses can be passed on to a circuit for field or line blanking . an alternative use of the circuit shown in the figure is in the muting circuit of an intermediate frequency amplifier . source s then generates , in a known manner , a direct voltage level . it will be obvious that variants of the circuit of the figure are possible , which are within the framework of the invention . so it is , for example , possible to replace the current measuring resistor 12 and 14 , respectively , with which the direction of the output current is measured by a diode which is rendered conductive by this current . transistors of a certain conductivity type may be replaced in known manner by transistors of the opposite conductivity type . | 7Electricity
|