Patent Publication Number: US-2023154687-A1

Title: Capacitor assembly and dry-type capacitor

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 national stage application of PCT International Application No. PCT/CN2020/088109 filed on Apr. 30, 2020, the disclosure and content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of capacitors, and more particularly, to a capacitor assembly and a dry-type capacitor comprising the capacitor assembly. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A dry-type capacitor typically includes a casing and a plurality of capacitor elements arranged inside the casing and connected to busbars. Each capacitor element may consist of a few layers of insulating film such as polypropylene, which is wound together with aluminium foils. For such capacitor elements, the aluminium foils work as electrodes and the insulating film layers work as dielectric. Alternatively, the capacitor elements may consist of a few layers of metalized plastic film. 
     Electrical characteristics, e.g. capacitance size, are typical performance parameters taken into account when designing the dry-type capacitor. Such parameters may be dependent of the size or number of the capacitor elements. To obtain a dry-type capacitor having a desired capacitance size and meeting a dimension requirement, the capacitor elements may be stacked in several layers. However, the dry-type capacitor containing two or more layers of capacitor elements may be subjected to a high temperature rise because the heat generated between two adjacent layers of capacitor elements is difficult to be spread out. 
     International patent publication No. WO2018014982A1 discloses a capacitor unit comprising a first layer of capacitor elements and a second layer of capacitor elements. A first busbar assembly is connected to the capacitor elements of the first layer, and a second busbar assembly is connected to the capacitor elements of the second layer. The first busbar assembly and the second busbar assembly are arranged between the first layer of capacitor elements and the second layer of capacitor elements. Each of the first busbar assembly and the second busbar assembly includes conductive strips. To dissipate the heat from the first busbar assembly and the second busbar assembly, a heat conducting layer is provided between them. 
     However, in WO2018014982A1, the provision of the heat conducting layer between the first busbar assembly and the second busbar assembly would make the construction of the capacitor unit more complicated and result in a high material cost of the capacitor unit. In addition, the current distribution across the conductive strips of the first busbar assembly or the second busbar assembly may be non-uniform, resulting in deterioration of the electrical characteristics of the capacitor unit. Further, in a process of soldering the first busbar assembly or the second busbar assembly to the capacitor elements, it is difficult to position the soldering points precisely and thus additional tools or fixtures are needed to fix the soldering position. 
     Thus, there is a need for an improved solution for dissipating the heat generated between two adjacent layers of capacitor elements. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of the foregoing problems, a general object of the present disclosure is to provide a capacitor assembly which solves or at least mitigates the problem of the prior art. 
     In a first aspect of the present disclosure, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a capacitor assembly comprising: a first layer of capacitor elements; a second layer of capacitor elements, wherein the first layer of capacitor elements is stacked on the second layer of capacitor elements; a first busbar comprising a first conductive plate provided with a plurality of holes, wherein the first conductive plate is electrically coupled to the capacitor elements of the first layer via a plurality of connecting elements arranged at the respective holes of the first conductive plate; and a second busbar electrically coupled to the first busbar and comprising a second conductive plate provided with a plurality of holes, wherein the second conductive plate is electrically coupled to the capacitor elements of the second layer via a plurality of connecting elements arranged at the respective holes of the second conductive plate, and wherein the first and second conductive plates are arranged between the first layer of capacitor elements and the second layer of capacitor elements. 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the heat generated between the first and second layers of capacitor elements may be dissipated by the first and second conductive plates. Compared with the conventional busbar assembly consisting of conductive strips, the first and second conductive plates may provide improved heat dissipation efficiency. Thus, no additional heat conducting layer is needed in the capacitor assembly any more, reducing the material cost of the capacitor assembly. In addition, the holes manufactured on the first and second conductive plates are suitable for positioning the soldering points and thus no additional tool or fixture is needed to fix the soldering position. Furthermore, the current distribution across the first and second conductive plates is more uniform than the conventional busbar assembly consisting of conductive strips, improving the electrical characteristics of the capacitor assembly. 
     In some embodiments, the connecting elements are soldered on the first and second conductive plates and soldered to the capacitor elements of the first and second layers at the respective holes. 
     In some embodiments, each of the connecting elements comprises a braid made from a plurality of wires. 
     In some embodiments, the connecting elements are formed in the respective holes and soldered to the respective capacitor elements of the first and second layers. 
     In some embodiments, the first busbar further comprises a first pair of skirts arranged along opposite sides of the first conductive plate and at least partially covering the height of the capacitor elements of the first layer, and the second busbar further comprises a second pair of skirts arranged along opposite sides of the second conductive plate and at least partially covering the height of the capacitor elements of the second layer. 
     In some embodiments, each of the skirts covers about a half of the height of the respective capacitor elements. 
     In some embodiments, the first pair of skirts are aligned with the second pair of skirts respectively. 
     In some embodiments, the second busbar is electrically coupled to the first busbar via at least one additional connecting element soldered on the first pair of skirts and the second pair of skirts. 
     In some embodiments, the at least one additional connecting element comprises braids each made from a plurality of wires. 
     In some embodiments, the first conductive plate is in contact with the second conductive plate. 
     In some embodiments, the capacitor assembly further comprises: a third busbar arranged opposite to the first busbar with respect to the first layer of capacitor elements and coupled to the capacitor elements of the first layer; and a fourth busbar arranged opposite to the second busbar with respect to the second layer of capacitor elements and coupled to the capacitor elements of the second layer. 
     In some embodiments, the third busbar comprises a third conductive plate provided with a plurality of holes, and the third conductive plate is electrically coupled to the capacitor elements of the first layer via a plurality of connecting elements arranged at the respective holes of the third conductive plate. 
     In some embodiments, the third busbar further comprises a first bending part arranged at an end of the third conductive plate, and the capacitor assembly further comprises at least one first conductive terminal coupled to the first bending per. 
     In some embodiments, the fourth busbar comprises a fourth conductive plate provided with a plurality of holes, and the fourth conductive plate is electrically coupled to the capacitor elements of the second layer via a plurality of connecting elements arranged at the respective holes of the fourth conductive plate. 
     In some embodiments, the fourth busbar further comprises a second bending part arranged at an end of the fourth conductive plate, and the capacitor assembly further comprises at least one second conductive terminal coupled to the second bending part. 
     In some embodiments, the capacitor assembly further comprises a positioning board configured to align the capacitor elements of the first layer with the capacitor elements of the second layer. 
     In some embodiments, the capacitor assembly comprises three or more layers of capacitor elements stacked with each other, and the three or more layers of capacitor elements comprise the first layer of capacitor elements and the second layer of capacitor elements. 
     In a second aspect of the present disclosure, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a dry-type capacitor comprising a capacitor assembly according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. 
     It is to be understood that the Summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Through the following detailed descriptions with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above and other objectives, features and advantages of the example embodiments disclosed herein will become more comprehensible. In the drawings, several example embodiments disclosed herein will be illustrated in an example and in a non-limiting manner, wherein: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a capacitor assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is an exploded view of the capacitor assembly as shown in  FIG.  1   , illustrating an upper stack and a lower stack; 
         FIG.  3    schematically illustrates a relative arrangement of first, second, third, and fourth busbars of the capacitor assembly as shown in  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of the lower stack of the capacitor assembly as shown in  FIG.  2   ; 
         FIG.  5    is an exploded view of the lower stack as shown in  FIG.  4   ; 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective view of a second busbar of the lower stack as shown in  FIG.  5   ; and 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view of a fourth busbar of the lower stack as shown in  FIG.  5   . 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference symbols are used to indicate the same or similar elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIEMTNS 
     Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to several example embodiments shown in the drawings. Though example embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated in the drawings, it is to be understood that the embodiments are described only to facilitate those skilled in the art in better understanding and thereby achieving the present disclosure, rather than to limit the scope of the disclosure in any manner 
     The term comprises”or includes and its variants are to be read as open terms that mean includes, but is not limited to. The term or is to be read as and/or unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term based on is to be read as based at least in part on. The term being operable to is to mean a function, an action, a motion or a state can be achieved by an operation induced by a user or an external mechanism. The term one embodiment and an embodiment are to be read as at least one embodiment. The term another embodiment is to be read as at least one other embodiment. The terms first, second, and the like may refer to different or same objects. Other definitions, explicit and implicit, may be included below. A definition of a term is consistent throughout the description unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. 
     According to embodiments of the present disclosure, first and second conductive plates provided with holes may dissipate the heat generated between first and second layers of capacitor elements with improved heat dissipation efficiency. The above idea may be implemented in various manners, as will be described in detail in the following paragraphs. 
     The present disclosure relates to a capacitor assembly comprising two layers of capacitor elements arranged in a stacked manner, i.e., a first layer of capacitor elements and a second layer of capacitor elements. It is to be understood that the capacitor assembly may comprise exactly two layers of capacitor elements, or more than two layers of capacitor elements, in which case the structure described below may be applied between each adjacent pair of layers of capacitor elements. 
     According to embodiments of the present disclosure, each layer of capacitor elements comprises at least one, but typically a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of capacitor elements. Each of the capacitor elements may be of a cylinder shape or other shapes. In an embodiment, each capacitor element includes a few layers of insulating film such as polypropylene, which is wound together with aluminium foils. For such capacitor elements, the aluminium foils work as electrodes and the insulating film layers work as dielectric. In another embodiment, the capacitor elements may consist of a few layers of metalized plastic film. In other embodiments, the capacitor elements may be of other constructions known or available in future. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited in this respect. 
     Hereinafter, the principles of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to  FIGS.  1 - 7   . Referring to  FIGS.  1  and  2    first,  FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a capacitor assembly  1  in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, and  FIG.  2    is an exploded view of the capacitor assembly  1  as shown in  FIG.  1   . As shown, the capacitor assembly  1  described herein generally includes an upper stack  10  and a lower stack  11 . The upper stack  10  is arranged over and electrically coupled to the lower stack  11 . 
     In an embodiment, the upper stack  10  includes a first layer  7  of capacitor elements  7   a , a first busbar  21 , and a third busbar  23 . The capacitor elements  7   a  are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns between the first busbar  21  and the third busbar  23 . The first busbar  21  is electrically coupled to one of positive and negative electrodes of each of the capacitor elements  7   a . The third busbar  23  is electrically coupled to the other one of the positive and negative electrodes of each of the capacitor elements  7   a . One of the busbars  21  and  23  may lead current to the capacitor elements  7   a  of the first layer  7 , and the other one of the busbars  21  and  23  may lead current from the capacitor elements  7   a  of the first layer  7 . 
     In an embodiment, the lower stack  11  includes a second layer  9  of capacitor elements  9   a , a second busbar  22 , and a fourth busbar  24 . The second busbar  22  is electrically coupled to the first busbar  21 . The capacitor elements  9   a  are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns between the second busbar  22  and the fourth busbar  24 . The second busbar  22  is electrically coupled to one of positive and negative electrodes of each of the capacitor elements  9   a . The fourth busbar  24  is electrically coupled to the other one of the positive and negative electrodes of each of the capacitor elements  9   a . One of the busbars  22  and  24  may lead current to the capacitor elements  9   a  of the second layer  9 , and the other one of the busbars  22  and  24  may lead current from the capacitor elements  9   a  of the second layer  9 . According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the capacitor elements  7   a  of the first layer  7  may be connected in parallel or in series with the capacitor elements  9   a  of the second layer  9  according to different requirements. 
     In some embodiments, the busbars  21 ,  22 ,  23 , and  24  may be made of copper. In other embodiments, the busbars  21 ,  22 ,  23 , and  24  may be made of other available materials. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations as described herein. 
     In the following, the example construction of the busbars  21 ,  22 ,  23 , and  24  will be further described in detail in conjunction with  FIGS.  3 - 7   . In  FIG.  3   , the first layer  7  of capacitor elements  7   a  and the second layer  9  of capacitor elements  9   a  are omitted so as to clearly present the construction and the relative arrangement of the busbars  21 ,  22 ,  23 , and  24 . 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 3   , the first busbar  21  includes a first conductive plate  210  provided with a plurality of holes  8  corresponding to the capacitor elements  7   a  of the first layer  7 . The first conductive plate  210  is arranged between the first layer  7  of capacitor elements  7   a  and the second layer  9  of capacitor elements  9   a . The holes  8  are suitable for determining the soldering points of the respective capacitor elements  7   a . For example, the plurality of holes  8  may be arranged to be generally aligned with the capacitor elements  7   a  of the first layer  7 . A plurality of connecting elements  6  are arranged at the respective holes  8  of the first conductive plate  210 . With such an arrangement, each of the capacitor elements  7   a  may be electrically coupled to the first conductive plate  210  via the respective connecting element  6  at the respective hole  8 . 
     In an embodiment, the connecting elements  6  are soldered on the first conductive plate  210 . Each of the connecting elements  6  extends across the respective hole  8  and soldered to the respective capacitor element  7   a . In an example, each of the connecting elements  6  may include a braid made from a plurality of wires, such as tinned copper wires or of other materials. With such an arrangement, the current may flow smoothly between the braids and the respective capacitor elements  7   a . In some cases, the braids may be soldered on the first conductive plate  210  separately. However, in a case where the holes  8  are arranged in rows, the braids corresponding to the holes  8  in each row may be formed by a long braid soldered on the first conductive plate  210 , as shown in  FIG.  3   . In other examples, each of the connecting elements  6  may be in other form, such as a copper sheet. 
     In some embodiments, the connecting elements  6  may be directly formed in the respective holes  8  and soldered to the respective capacitor elements  7   a . For example, the connecting elements  6  and the first conductive plate  210  may be made from one and the same copper plate by a laser cutting machine. In other embodiments, the connecting elements  6  may be arranged at the respective holes  8  of the first conductive plate  210  in other manners. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations as described herein. 
     The second busbar  22  may have the similar structure as the first busbar  21 . 
     Hereinafter, the specific structure of the second busbar  22  will be described in detail with reference to  FIGS.  4 - 6   . 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIGS.  4 - 6   , the second busbar  22  includes a second conductive plate  220  provided with a plurality of holes  8  corresponding to the capacitor elements  9   a  of the second layer  9 . The second conductive plate  220  is arranged between the first layer  7  of capacitor elements  7   a  and the second layer  9  of capacitor elements  9   a . The holes  8  are suitable for determining the soldering points of the respective capacitor elements  9   a . For example, the plurality of holes  8  may be arranged to be generally aligned with the capacitor elements  9   a  of the second layer  9 . A plurality of connecting elements  6  are arranged at the respective holes  8  of the second conductive plate  220 . With such an arrangement, each of the capacitor elements  9   a  may be electrically coupled to the second conductive plate  220  via the respective connecting element  6  at the respective hole  8 . 
     In an embodiment, the connecting elements  6  are soldered on the second conductive plate  220 . Each of the connecting elements  6  extends across the respective hole  8  and soldered to the respective capacitor element  9   a . In an example, each of the connecting elements  6  may include a braid made from a plurality of wires, such as tinned copper wires or of other materials. In some cases, the braids may be soldered on the second conductive plate  220  separately. However, in a case where the holes  8  are arranged in rows, the braids corresponding to the holes  8  in each row may be formed by a long braid soldered on the second conductive plate  220 , as shown in  FIG.  6   . In other examples, each of the connecting elements  6  may be in other form, such as a copper sheet. 
     In some embodiments, the connecting elements  6  may be directly formed in the respective holes  8  and soldered to the respective capacitor elements  9   a . For example, the connecting elements  6  and the second conductive plate  220  may be made from one and the same copper plate by a laser cutting machine. In other embodiments, the connecting elements  6  may be arranged at the respective holes  8  of the second conductive plate  220  in other manners. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations as described herein. 
     According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the heat generated between the two layers of capacitor elements  7   a  and  9   a  may be dissipated by the conductive plates  210  and  220 . Compared with the conventional busbar assembly consisting of conductive strips, the conductive plates  210  and  220  may provide improved heat dissipation efficiency, reducing the temperature inside the capacitor assembly  1 . Moreover, the holes  8  manufactured on the conductive plates  210  and  220  are suitable for positioning the soldering points of the capacitor elements  7   a  and  9   a  and thus no additional tool or fixture is needed to fix the soldering position. Furthermore, the current distribution across the conductive plates  210  and  220  is more uniform than the conventional busbar assembly consisting of conductive strips, improving the electrical characteristics of the capacitor assembly  1 . 
     According to embodiments of the present disclosure, to further improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the capacitor assembly  1 , the busbars  21  and  22  may be provided with skirts for conducting the heat further away from the conductive plates  210  and  220 . 
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 3   , the first busbar  21  further includes a first pair of skirts  211 . The skirts  211  are arranged along opposite sides of the first conductive plate  210  and partially cover the height of the capacitor elements  7   a  of the first layer  7 . The skirts  211  may be formed on opposite sides of the first conductive plate  210  through a simple bending process or other available processes. In an example, each of the skirts  211  may cover about a half of the height of the capacitor elements  7   a . In another example, each of the skirts  211  may cover less than a half of the height of the capacitor elements  7   a . In a further example, each of the skirts  211  may cover more than a half of the height of the capacitor elements  7   a . In some examples, each of the skirts  211  may substantially cover the entire height of the capacitor elements  7   a.    
     In an embodiment, as shown in  FIGS.  4 - 6   , the second busbar  22  further includes a second pair of skirts  221 . The skirts  221  are arranged along opposite sides of the second conductive plate  220  and partially cover the height of the capacitor elements  9   a  of the second layer  9 . The skirts  221  may be formed on opposite sides of the second conductive plate  220  through a simple bending process or other available processes. In an example, each of the skirts  221  may cover about a half of the height of the capacitor elements  9   a . In another example, each of the skirts  221  may cover less than a half of the height of the capacitor elements  9   a . In a further example, each of the skirts  221  may cover more than a half of the height of the capacitor elements  9   a . In some examples, each of the skirts  221  may substantially cover the entire height of the capacitor elements  9   a.    
     With the skirts  211  and  221  arranged on opposite sides of the conductive plates  210  and  220 , the heat generated between the first layer  7  of capacitor elements  7   a  and the second layer  9  of capacitor elements  9   a  may be conducted away from the conductive plates  210  and  220 , further improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the capacitor assembly  1 . 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG.  1   , the first pair of skirts  211  are aligned with the second pair of skirts  221  respectively. In other words, each of the skirts  211  is substantially coplanar with the corresponding skirt  221 . To achieve the electrical coupling between the first busbar  21  and the second busbar  22 , additional connecting elements  4  are soldered between the skirts  211  and  221 . In an example, each of the additional connecting elements  4  includes a braid made from a plurality of wires, such as tinned copper wires or of other materials. In other examples, each of the additional connecting elements  4  may be in other form, such as a copper sheet. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited in this respect. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 3   , the number of the additional connecting elements  4  may be ten. On each side of the capacitor assembly  1 , five additional connecting elements  4  are evenly soldered on the skirts  211  and  221  so as to achieve the electrical coupling between the first busbar  21  and the second busbar  22 . The sectional area of each additional connecting element  4  may be approximately 50 mm 2 . Such an arrangement may ensure a good electrical connection between the first busbar  21  and the second busbar  22  and avoid the heat concentration on the skirts  211  and  221 . In other embodiments, the number of the additional connecting elements  4  may be more or less than ten. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited in this respect. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS.  1  and  3   , the first conductive plate  210  is in contact with the second conductive plate  220 . In other embodiments, one or more additional layers, such as heat conducting layers, may be arranged between the first and second conductive plates  210 ,  220 . 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 3   , the third busbar  23  includes a third conductive plate  230  provided with a plurality of holes  8  corresponding to the capacitor elements  7   a  of the first layer  7 . The plurality of holes  8  may be arranged to be generally aligned with the capacitor elements  7   a  of the first layer  7 . A plurality of connecting elements  6  are arranged at the respective holes  8  of the third conductive plate  230 . With such an arrangement, each of the capacitor elements  7   a  may be electrically coupled to the third conductive plate  230  via the respective connecting element  6  at the respective hole  8 . The construction and arrangement of the connecting elements  6  on the third conductive plate  230  may be similar to those of the connecting elements  6  on the first and second conductive plates  210 ,  220 , and would not be described further herein. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 3   , the third busbar  23  further includes a first bending part  232  arranged at an end of the third conductive plate  230 . The first bending part  232  may be formed on the third conductive plate  230  through a simple bending process or other available processes. The first bending part  232  is adapted to couple at least one first conductive terminal  31 , such as two, three, four or more. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS.  3 - 5  and  7   , the fourth busbar  24  includes a fourth conductive plate  240  provided with a plurality of holes  8  corresponding to the capacitor elements  9   a  of the second layer  9 . The plurality of holes  8  may be arranged to be generally aligned with the capacitor elements  9   a  of the second layer  9 . A plurality of connecting elements  6  are arranged at the respective holes  8  of the fourth conductive plate  240 . With such an arrangement, each of the capacitor elements  9   a  may be electrically coupled to the fourth conductive plate  240  via the respective connecting element  6  at the respective hole  8 . Likewise, the construction and arrangement of the connecting elements  6  on the fourth conductive plate  240  may be similar to those of the connecting elements  6  on the first and second conductive plates  210 ,  220 , and would not be described in detail here any more. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS.  3 - 5  and  7   , the fourth busbar  24  further includes a second bending part  242  arranged at an end of the fourth conductive plate  240 . The second bending part  242  may be formed on the fourth conductive plate  240  through a simple bending process or other available processes. The second bending part  242  is adapted to couple at least one second conductive terminal  32 , such as two, three, four or more. 
     According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the holes  8  on the busbars  21 ,  22 ,  23 , and  24  are easy to be manufactured by a laser cutting machine. In other embodiments, the holes  8  may be manufactured on the busbars  21 ,  22 ,  23 , and  24  in other manners. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited in this respect. 
     In some embodiments, as shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the capacitor assembly  1  further includes a positioning board  5  configured to align the capacitor elements  7   a  of the first layer  7  with the capacitor elements  9   a  of the second layer  9 . 
     Although embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with respect to the capacitor assembly  1  including two layers of capacitor elements  7   a  and  9   a , it is to be understood that the capacitor assembly  1  may include more than two layers of capacitor elements, such as three or more layers of capacitor elements stacked with each other. In the case, the first and second busbars  21 ,  22  may be arranged between each adjacent pair of layers of capacitor elements. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a dry-type capacitor comprising a casing and a capacitor assembly  1  as discussed above with reference to  FIGS.  1 - 7   . The capacitor assembly  1  is arranged inside the casing. 
     While several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.